Google launches high-end "Googlebook" laptops blending Android and ChromeOS
Google unveiled a new line of laptops called Googlebooks, running a hybrid Android-ChromeOS system and targeting premium-price segments with AI-focused features.
Google’s hardware chief Rick Osterloh introduced a new family of laptops that run Googlebook OS, a platform that merges Android’s app ecosystem with ChromeOS’s multitasking and update capabilities. The first devices, built by partners including Dell, Acer, Asus, HP and Lenovo, feature 13-inch metal bodies, up to 16 GB of RAM and Qualcomm processors, and are priced between $899 and $1,299.
"I think laptops are one of those resonant form factors," Osterloh said, adding that the category remains essential for productivity despite the rise of AI.
"The key thing that had changed was just the rapid pace of evolution that Android itself has gone under," VP of engineering for laptops and tablets Prajakta Gudadhe explained, noting Android’s recent shift to a more modular, cross-device architecture.
"We didn’t want to have Magic Pointer, and then it’s really hard on your trackpad to actually use it," senior director of product management Alexander Kuscher said, describing a new AI-driven cursor feature that lets users invoke assistance by hovering over on-screen elements.
The project, internally called Project Aluminium, aims to give users a laptop that feels like an extension of their Android phones, with synchronized apps, widgets and notification shades. Google also plans to embed its Gemini AI tools directly into the operating system, enabling on-device coding assistance and other AI-enhanced interactions.
Osterloh said the initiative reflects a strategic shift for Google, which has historically maintained separate OSes for laptops (ChromeOS) and mobile devices (Android). By consolidating the two, Google hopes to compete more directly with Apple’s MacBook line and Windows-based PCs, leveraging the growing consumer appetite for high-performance AI-ready hardware.
The company is courting additional OEMs for future models, and while it acknowledges the challenge of convincing users to pay premium prices for a Google-branded laptop, it believes the AI boom will increase demand for powerful, well-integrated devices.