Dell is bringing one of its most recognizable laptop families into Google‘s new Googlebook era. The company has announced the XPS Googlebook, a premium 13-inch laptop that combines the familiar XPS design with Googlebook OS, Gemini Intelligence, Snapdragon X Elite performance and deep Android phone integration.

And yes, Dell has managed to put the XPS name on a laptop that doesn’t run Windows.

The XPS Googlebook is the first XPS laptop designed specifically for Gemini Intelligence and the new Googlebook platform. Dell says it is aimed particularly at Android users who want their phone and laptop to behave more like parts of the same system rather than two completely separate devices.

At $999, it also lands squarely in the premium-laptop conversation. The first configuration available for preorder pairs a Snapdragon X Elite processor with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. Best Buy lists the laptop for $999, with the official release scheduled for October 4.

This is still very much an XPS

Dell hasn’t reinvented the XPS design for Googlebook. Instead, it has taken the premium aluminum construction associated with the XPS family and adapted it for Google’s new platform.

The laptop weighs just 2.2 pounds and measures 12.7mm thick. Its chassis is carved from aluminum, while the keyboard is backlit and paired with a glass touchpad.

The display is arguably the star of the hardware. The XPS Googlebook has a 13.4-inch 2.5K InfinityEdge touchscreen with a 2560×1600 resolution, 100% DCI-P3 coverage and up to 500 nits of brightness. It also supports a variable refresh rate ranging from 30Hz to 120Hz.

That variable refresh rate is there for more than just smooth scrolling. Dell says the panel can drop down to 30Hz during less demanding activities to conserve battery, then increase the refresh rate when there’s more movement on screen.

The laptop also gets one of the more unusual visual touches in this new Googlebook generation: Google’s Glowbar.

The strip on the lid doubles as a battery and charging indicator, letting you check the laptop’s power status without opening it. It’s a small feature, but it’s exactly the sort of hardware detail that makes the XPS Googlebook look different from a conventional Chromebook.

Snapdragon X Elite does the heavy lifting

Underneath all that XPS hardware is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite platform.

Dell says the processor is designed to deliver responsive performance while keeping power consumption under control, and the XPS Googlebook uses a dual-fan cooling system to manage sustained workloads. Configurations can go up to 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and 1TB of SSD storage.

The first Best Buy configuration, however, is the more straightforward 16GB/512GB model. It uses the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100, integrated Qualcomm Adreno graphics and a 13.4-inch 2.5K LCD touchscreen.

Qualcomm is positioning Snapdragon X Elite as an important part of the Googlebook concept because its NPU provides the on-device AI horsepower Google needs for Gemini features while also helping with efficiency. Qualcomm says the new Googlebook machines combine Snapdragon performance with native Android applications, Android phone connectivity and Gemini-powered features.

And battery life is one of Dell’s headline selling points. Dell claims up to 16 hours of Netflix streaming on a single charge under its specified test conditions. Google has also advertised longer web-browsing endurance for Googlebook hardware, although those figures come from different workloads and shouldn’t be treated as directly interchangeable.

Gemini is the real reason this laptop exists

The hardware is only half the story.

Googlebook is being built around what Google calls Gemini Intelligence, and Dell has designed the XPS Googlebook to take advantage of those capabilities.

One of the more interesting features is Magic Pointer. Instead of treating the mouse cursor as merely a way to move around the screen, Google turns it into an entry point for Gemini actions. Dell describes the feature as a way to activate Gemini by moving the cursor in a specific way.

There’s also Rambler, which is aimed at people who prefer talking through ideas rather than typing everything out. Dell says the feature can remove filler words and automatically format spoken thoughts, making voice input more useful for brainstorming, connecting ideas and even coding.

Gemini can also work across information already sitting on the laptop. Googlebook’s intelligence features can surface details from emails, calendars and what’s currently on screen, giving Gemini more context for tasks instead of requiring users to manually explain everything.

That broader context is a big part of Google’s pitch for the new platform. Rather than simply adding an AI chatbot to another laptop, Google is trying to make Gemini part of how the computer itself works.

Your Android phone becomes part of the laptop

This may actually be the XPS Googlebook’s most interesting feature.

Dell and Google have built the laptop around Android connectivity, allowing users to access phone files, photos and downloads directly from the laptop. Users can also start tasks on an Android phone and continue them on the Googlebook.

The integration goes beyond file transfers, too. Dell says notifications, messages and app context can stay synchronized, while Android apps can be accessed from the laptop without installing separate versions on Googlebook.

Qualcomm says Googlebook also supports native Android applications and games, giving the platform access to the enormous Android app ecosystem rather than limiting users to traditional web applications.

For someone already living inside the Android ecosystem, that’s a pretty significant difference from the usual Chromebook experience.

Security is built in, too

The XPS Googlebook includes Google’s Titan C security chip, which is designed to provide hardware-backed security for the platform. Best Buy also lists a fingerprint reader among the laptop’s security features.

Googlebook is therefore being positioned as more than an inexpensive web-first computer. Google and its hardware partners are clearly aiming the first generation at people who want premium hardware, local performance, Android integration and AI features in the same package.

The XPS Googlebook starts at $999

Dell has priced the XPS Googlebook from $999. It is available for preorder through Best Buy and Google Stores, while Dell says its own website will begin selling the laptop in October. Best Buy lists October 4 as the release date for the first configuration.

The launch configuration comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while Dell says the platform can be configured with up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage.

Buyers also get a year of Google AI Pro at no additional cost, including expanded access to Gemini features and 5TB of cloud storage, according to Best Buy’s listing.

That puts the XPS Googlebook in an interesting position. It’s not trying to be the cheapest Googlebook. Other launch models start at lower prices, while Dell is leaning heavily into the XPS brand, premium materials, a high-resolution touchscreen and Snapdragon X Elite hardware.

In other words, Googlebook has arrived, and Dell apparently decided the first thing it needed was an XPS badge.

The bigger question is whether Google’s new laptop platform can make the jump from an interesting extension of Android into a serious everyday computer. With Dell, HP, Acer, ASUS and Lenovo all joining the first wave, Google clearly isn’t treating Googlebook as another experimental Chromebook project.

And with the XPS Googlebook, Dell is making its answer pretty clear: if Google wants a premium laptop for its new AI-focused ecosystem, XPS is coming along for the ride.