Google has a new laptop category, and it is very clearly not trying to be just another Chromebook.
The company has officially opened pre-orders for Googlebook, a new family of premium laptops starting at $899 and built around what Google calls “Gemini Intelligence.” The machines combine the Android technology stack with desktop foundations from ChromeOS, while adding dedicated neural processing hardware designed to handle AI workloads locally.
Hmm, show off.
Googlebook is arriving through five hardware partners: Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo. Rather than forcing everyone into one design, Google is letting each manufacturer take its own approach. There is a convertible from Acer, an ultra-light 2.2-pound ASUS model, a Dell machine with a more flashy design, an HP model focused on elegance, and a 15-inch Lenovo laptop aimed at productivity.
The common thread is premium hardware. Google says the laptops use materials including aluminum, magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, with touchscreen displays reaching up to 2.8K resolution. Some models also feature haptic glass trackpads, backlit keyboards and audio systems with as many as six speakers and Dolby Atmos.
Underneath, Googlebook machines can use Intel Core Ultra Series 3 or Snapdragon X Elite processors, paired with NPUs capable of more than 45 TOPS of AI performance. Google says the lineup starts with 16GB of RAM, with some models offering 32GB, while battery life reaches up to 14 hours of video playback or 16 hours of web browsing.
That hardware is important because Google isn’t treating Gemini as something that merely lives in a browser tab.
Gemini is built into the laptop
One of Googlebook’s headline features is Magic Pointer. Give the cursor a quick wiggle and Gemini appears with contextual assistance based on what’s happening on the screen.
For example, Google says you could highlight a marathon training plan and ask Gemini to turn it into scheduled events in Google Calendar. You could hover over a suspicious email and ask Gemini whether it looks like spam. Or you could select multiple images and ask Gemini to combine them into a visualization without manually downloading and uploading files.
The idea is pretty straightforward: instead of copying information into an AI chatbot, you bring the AI to the information.
Google says Magic Pointer only activates when summoned with the cursor gesture and can be switched off.
Then there’s Rambler, Google’s answer to the problem of voice dictation producing a glorious mess of half-finished sentences, filler words and “uhs.”
Rambler is designed to understand the context of what you’re saying and turn a stream-of-consciousness voice recording into organized writing. Google says it can structure notes, create action items and clean up errors, while also handling multiple languages in the same sentence.
Googlebook also includes Create My Widget, which lets users describe a widget they want in plain language rather than building one manually. Google says users can create things such as sports-score trackers or countdowns simply by describing them.
And if that’s still not enough AI for one laptop, Google is including Antigravity, its AI agent development platform, with every Googlebook. Developers also get a full Linux terminal environment for tools including Claude Code and Antigravity CLI.
Yes, Google really went all in here.
Android and laptop finally get along
Googlebook isn’t only about AI. Google is also using the platform to tighten the connection between Android phones and laptops.
Because Googlebook is built on part of the Android technology stack, Google says Android phone settings, saved passwords, Wi-Fi networks and messages can move over during setup, with end-to-end encryption.
The laptop can also access files and photos stored on an Android phone, while features such as Continue On allow users to pick up certain activities from their phone directly on the laptop. Cast My Apps can stream and interact with phone apps in a desktop window.
It is basically Google’s attempt to create the sort of phone-and-laptop continuity that Apple users have been spoiled by for years.
Googlebook also gets the full desktop Chrome browser with extensions, access to millions of Android apps through Google Play, and native versions of applications including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and CapCut. Google says Netflix and HBO Max support offline viewing, while every purchase also includes a complimentary year of GeForce NOW.
And then there’s the Glowbar
Because apparently an AI laptop needs a little theater.
Googlebook has a distinctive exterior Glowbar that lights up when the laptop starts, sweeps across the device to indicate battery level and reacts with animations when you talk to Gemini. Google is also opening the Glowbar to developers so they can create their own animations.
It’s an unmistakably Google touch: functional, slightly playful and just conspicuous enough to make sure everyone knows you aren’t carrying an ordinary laptop.
$899 gets you more than the laptop
Googlebook starts at $899, and Google is bundling quite a bit into that starting price.
Every Googlebook includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, which provides 5TB of cloud storage and access to Google’s Gemini Advanced tools. Buyers also get three months of YouTube Premium, Adobe Photoshop and additional bundled benefits.
Google is also promising regular Googlebook OS feature drops and updates for up to 10 years.
Pre-orders are now open through the Google Store, Best Buy and other select retailers. The first Googlebooks are scheduled to reach stores on October 4, with launches following on October 5 in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany and Australia.
Googlebook is an interesting shift for Google. Chromebook was built around the idea of a cloud-first laptop. Googlebook is being positioned around something considerably more ambitious: a laptop where AI isn’t just an application you open, but part of the operating experience itself.
At $899, Google is also making a pretty clear statement about where it thinks this new category belongs.
Now let’s see whether buyers agree.
