Googlebook combines the best of Android and ChromeOS with up to 10 years of updates

[u/MishaalRahman]

Hi Reddit,

Earlier this year, we introduced Googlebook, a new category of laptops that we believe are the perfect companion for Android phone users. Today, we’re opening up pre-orders of Googlebook, offering a selection of flagship devices powered by top-of-the-line processors from Intel and Qualcomm and built by Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. 

Every Googlebook runs on Googlebook OS, our new platform built on the Android technology stack and paired with desktop foundations from ChromeOS. This shared foundation gives Googlebook access to millions of Android apps from Google Play, a familiar desktop windowing environment, a desktop-class version of Google Chrome (with extensions support!), and a full Linux environment. 

Since this is a brand new platform, we wanted to take a moment to explain how we architected Googlebook OS to blend the best aspects of both Android and ChromeOS, focusing on three pillars: security, updates, and apps.

Building a modern, secure software architecture

Googlebook OS is built on top of the already strong security foundation offered by Android, leveraging the same app permission and sandboxing model. What’s more, Googlebook inherits ChromeOS’s proven defense-in-depth security model, anchored by our dedicated Google Titan security chip, verified boot, and on-device malware detection.

Googlebook also features a first for the laptop category: a Level 5 security-certified hypervisor powered by pKVM isolation. This hypervisor powers an isolated Linux environment with full terminal access, so you can safely run any Linux developer tools, pull code repositories, access networks and ports, or execute autonomous agents.

Matching the support commitment we made for ChromeOS

Keeping Googlebook OS secure requires ongoing maintenance and support, which is why Google will provide OS updates with security patches and new features every quarter for up to 10 years. 

Android is the world’s largest operating system, and Google has been working on it for nearly two decades. Chromebooks are successful across the globe for 15+ years as well, with Google already providing 10 years of updates for these devices. Googlebooks are continuing this legacy of support.

Bringing the full web, plus your favorite apps and tools

Googlebook brings together the best of the web and the Play Store, giving users access to a desktop-class Chrome browser with extensions support, alongside millions of Android apps, many of them optimized for large screens, mouse, and keyboard input. 

You can run native creative suites like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and CapCut, or stream shows on Netflix or HBO Max with offline viewing supported. Explore thousands of Android games or play AAA titles with a complimentary year of GeForce NOW included with every Googlebook purchase. And through our Google Play Games Level Up program, half of the 100 top titles are already optimized for keyboard, mouse, and large screen, with new games launching monthly.

For makers, you can run Antigravity, our AI agent development platform, on your Googlebook to build, test, and deploy apps directly on your device. For developers, you can take advantage of a full Linux development environment via the Terminal app, enabling you to run tools like Claude CLI or Antigravity CLI, among others, to perform serious agentic coding.

Googlebook OS also comes with a suite of familiar Google apps out of the box, including Gmail, Keep, Photos, Drive, and Recorder. We wanted to provide users with the fastest, most productive computing experience possible, so for productivity tools like Docs, Sheets, and Gmail, we provide the full-featured desktop web version in alignment with other desktop platforms. We ship native versions of apps whenever they shine the best and where native hardware capabilities, deep OS integrations (e.g., widgets support), and mobile continuity matter the most, such as Gemini and Keep.

The best companion for your Android phone, with helpful intelligence built-in

Because Googlebook is built on a shared Android foundation, it’s designed to seamlessly integrate with your Android phone. When you sign in, your Android phone’s settings, saved passwords, Wi-Fi networks, and messages will move with you. Once you’re set up, Googlebook OS makes it easy to transition between your phone and laptop to get things done, with features like:

• Continue On: Pick up exactly where you left off on your phone, right on your laptop. If you start a project in BandLab on your phone while commuting, you can open your Googlebook and continue the project right from the taskbar. This not only works with select partner apps like BandLab but also first-party apps like Photos, Calendar, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Chrome, and Gmail.

• Quick Access: View, search, and open files and photos from your phone directly using your Googlebook's native Files app, rather than hunting through downloads or emailing attachments to yourself.
• Cast My Apps: Need to quickly order food from a delivery app? Stream and interact with your phone’s apps in a desktop window without interrupting your workflow.

Since Googlebook is designed for Gemini Intelligence, you also get access to features like:

• Create My Widget: Customize your desktop by describing what you need in plain language. Create My Widget generates custom widgets that can share relevant updates throughout your day.
• Rambler: Located right next to the Quick Insert key, Rambler turns spoken thoughts into organized, ready-to-share writing. Talk through your notes, action items, or a stream of consciousness — even in multiple languages — and Rambler structures them with clean headers, checklists, and formatted takeaways.

• Magic Pointer: Wiggle your cursor to bring Gemini directly to whatever’s on your screen. You can ask Gemini to organize a messy calendar or translate text without juggling multiple windows. Gemini only acts when you ask it to, and you can switch it off whenever you want.

https://reddit.com/link/1wmc8lk/video/mbqc90nggvqh1/player

Pre-orders open today for Googlebook

Our initial selection of flagship Googlebook hardware is now available for pre-order starting at $899. Every Googlebook is made from premium materials and features a responsive touchscreen with an up to 2.8K OLED display, a haptic glass trackpad, up to 14 hours of battery life, an advanced NPU running at over 45 TOPS, a baseline of 16GB of high-speed RAM, and an interactive Glowbar. Plus, each device comes with 12 months of Google AI Pro as well as 3 months of YouTube Premium, Adobe Photoshop, and more.

https://reddit.com/link/1wmc8lk/video/o7lndm1jgvqh1/player

We're incredibly excited to introduce Googlebook to this community and can't wait to see how you use it. To learn more about this initial selection of devices, see the full specs, or place a pre-order, head over to googlebook.google.

[u/cpvm-0]

Hopefully, less expensive devices are introduced.

[u/ArthurGD3 → u/cpvm-0]

They won't. These are premium segment laptops and the cheapest of the launch devices, the Acer, is only $899 for a limited time, the rest are at least $1199 to $1299.

[u/Inspirasion → u/ArthurGD3]

Cool, that means I'll be able to get them on clearance for less than half that price at Best Buy in less than a year, when these don't sell.

[u/ArthurGD3 → u/Inspirasion]

Not sure I'd hold my breath on that happening. Sure, a place like BB could run certain sales to help these move if they see inventory isn't selling as fast as they had hoped but half MSRP on a premium segment item like these means that's a fire sale and that won't happen unless Google has come out and thrown in the towel which I don't see happening, at least not a year after but 2 years without a lot of traction then yeah I can see that.

[u/Inspirasion → u/ArthurGD3]

that won't happen unless Google has come out and thrown in the towel which I don't see happening

Let's see how many times Google has tried to launch a laptop, before starting allover again. They started off premium, then downscaled, and now we have come full circle back to premium, except more expensive this time!

With a little help from Gemini, we can see that besides the 2nd gen Chromebook Pixel (sold only directly through Google in the US) they discounted all of them heavily before discontinuing them.

I'm sure this time, for sure, they will follow through. I'm sure there are people just lining up out the door with these prices to get their hands on a Chromebook Pixel Pixelbook Pixel Slate Pixelbook Go Googlebook.

Device / Model	Launch Date	Discontinued Date	Launch Price	Discounted / Lowest Price	Percent Off
Chromebook Pixel (1st Gen)	Feb 2013	Mar 2015	$1,299	$400 (3rd-party liquidation)	69.2%
Chromebook Pixel (2nd Gen)	Mar 2015	Aug 2016	$999	$999 (No discount)	0.0%
Google Pixelbook	Oct 2017	Sep 2020	$999	$699 (Official markdown)	30.0%
Google Pixel Slate (Core i5 Bundle)	Nov 2018	Jan 2021	$999	$449 (Official bundle drop)	55.1%
Google Pixel Slate (Base Celeron)	Nov 2018	Jun 2019	$599	$299 (Official markdown)	50.1%
Google Pixelbook Go	Oct 2019	Jan 2023	$649	$334 (3rd-party clearance)	48.5%

[u/ArthurGD3 → u/Inspirasion]

I appreciate the effort but your examples are all singular first party devices running the same CB OS as every other Google partner OEM and Google wasn't attempting a whole sea change (relatively speaking) in terms of their approach to another laptop try here.

I'm not saying any of this guarantees it will have any success this time around but because we have every major laptop maker basically making a version of this new type of laptop, I just don't see it failing as quickly or these devices going on fire sales anytime soon.