Five Googlebooks Just Hit U.S. Stores. Android Users Should Start With the $999 Dell

Google’s first wave of Googlebooks reached U.S. stores on October 4, and for the first time in a long while, shopping for a Google laptop is genuinely confusing. There are five of them, from Acer, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and HP, ranging from $899 to about $1,300. All five run Google’s new Android-based laptop platform, and all five are pitched hardest at people who already carry an Android phone.

We went through the launch specs, prices and early hands-on impressions to figure out which one actually earns the money.

Why Android owners are the target

The selling point isn’t the laptop alone. It’s how tightly it works with your phone. HP’s announcement for its Googlebook 14 spells out the two big tricks:

• Quick Access lets you browse your phone’s files directly from the laptop’s file browser.
• Cast my Apps opens supported phone apps on the laptop without picking up your phone.

Gemini is built in too, with proactive suggestions and a feature called Magic Pointer. There’s a catch worth knowing before you buy: The Gadgeteer notes the phone features require Android 17 or later on a supported device, and some AI tools vary by country and language. If your phone is stuck on Android 16, the headline features won’t work for you yet.

The five launch Googlebooks compared

Prices and weights come from Tom’s Guide, Chrome Unboxed and HP. One wrinkle: HP lists its Googlebook 14 at $1,199.99, while Tom’s Guide, Chrome Unboxed and Google’s store listing show $1,299. Check the exact configuration before you buy.

The pick: Dell XPS Googlebook at $999

For most Android owners, the Dell is the sweet spot. It pairs a Snapdragon X Elite, the same Arm chip as HP’s model, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $999, according to Tom’s Guide. It weighs 2.2 pounds. Arm chips have been the battery-life champions in Windows laptops, and a phone-centric laptop lives or dies on how long it lasts away from an outlet. You give up OLED, and the 13.4-inch screen is the smallest of the bunch. That’s a trade we’d make for $300 back.

The others, briefly

Asus Googlebook 14 ($1,299): the one reviewers fell for. Tom’s Guide called it the standout, writing that it was “astonished by how light this 2.2-pound laptop feels.” It has the sharpest screen of the five, but it’s also the most expensive, and it uses Intel rather than Snapdragon.

HP Googlebook 14 ($1,199.99 to $1,299): the premium Snapdragon option. HP claims up to 19 hours of battery, a 3K OLED panel, a 5MP IR camera for face unlock and support for two 4K monitors. It also includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, which HP values at $239.88. That bundle is especially relevant now that free Gemini is getting more limited. It’s the heaviest 14-inch model here at 2.74 pounds.

Acer Googlebook 14 ($899): the cheapest, and the only convertible. If you want to fold the screen back and use it like a tablet, it’s the one.

Lenovo Googlebook 15 ($1,099): the big-screen pick at 15.3 inches, and still under three pounds.

Should you buy one now?

If you’re an Android household with a phone on Android 17, a Googlebook is the most tightly integrated laptop Google has ever offered, and the Dell is the smartest way in. Everyone else should give it a few weeks. Full battery tests and app compatibility checks are still thin, and HP’s own fine print about “supported” phones and apps suggests the experience will vary. First-generation platforms rarely get cheaper in their first month, but they almost always get better reviewed.

Sources: Tom’s Guide, HP, Chrome Unboxed, The Gadgeteer. Photo by Salah Ait Mokhtar on Unsplash.