ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Acer Googlebook 14 is the most affordable option in the lineup and features a 2-in-1 design.
- It’s built well, but the Googlebook OS software feels like a nerfed version of ChromeOS and Android.
- For the money, most people are better off buying a polished Windows or Mac.
For as long as I can remember, there were murmurs of Google merging ChromeOS and Android into a unified platform that could rival Apple’s iPhone and Mac ecosystem. When Google announced the Googlebook earlier this year, I thought we might finally get such a harmonious experience between the laptop and Android in my pocket.
Also: My week with new Googlebooks: The good, the bad, and the promising
It’s not the hardware
Don’t get me wrong, the Acer Googlebook 14 is a neat piece of hardware; it’s the only 2-in-1 laptop in the inaugural lineup of Googlebooks, with other models made by Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Asus. They all look great, too, with premium designs that (mostly) match the premium price tags.
The Acer model is the most affordable of the bunch at $899. It has a 14-inch, 3K OLED screen that looks just punchy and sharp enough for me to get detail-intensive work done, like writing articles and editing photos, and then lounge around to enjoy some Netflix. Though I’d recommend watching with headphones or earbuds, as the built-in speakers sound both tinny and muffled.
The aluminum-magnesium chassis feels sturdy in the hand, and more so as you lift the lid and rotate it fully to turn it into a tablet. Would I recommend using it that way? Probably not, as the 2.5 pounds are very much felt in the wrists, but the screen’s flexibility makes this model, in particular, a worthwhile choice for designers, artists, and those who prefer the tented orientation.
Also: HP Googlebook 14 review: A gorgeous laptop that deserves a better OS
I’m less enthusiastic about the front cover, which has a matte coating that tracks down fingerprint smudges like an FBI agent. The Glowbar, a signature design element of Googlebooks, also feels like an afterthought. It exists on the corner of the Acer as a visual status indicator for when the battery is low or charging, Gemini is listening or processing prompts, and more.
In theory, all of that sounds great; it reminds me of the notification LEDs that once made phones more utilitarian. In practice, it’s a piece of hardware I only remember when the laptop is out of power, and it blinks red as I’m about to lift the lid. In every other situation, it’s merely a status symbol for those who spent $900+ on a shiny new thing.
No one is ready for Googlebook OS
The biggest question mark going into testing was how optimized Googlebook OS would be as a catch-all platform. The answer, for now, is that no one is really quite ready for the software takeover; not me, not you, or even the developers who have worked so closely with Google, Android, and Chrome for years.
At the base level, using the Acer Googlebook 14 feels like using a Chromebook Plus on Android beta software. The navigation paths, docks, and general interface are very familiar and easy to pick up. But if you’re considering switching from, say, a Chromebook, then you’ll also find some fundamental aspects missing — like clicking the date and time on the home screen to expand the calendar.
Google’s “Better Together” integration, which lets you pair compatible Android phones with a laptop for synchronized app use and file sharing, works as advertised. It took a good week or two after Googlebooks launched for my Acer to support my Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, but since then, I’ve been able to keep up with notifications and access recent PDFs and video recordings right from the computer screen.
Also: Android can now tap to share for contact info, photos, and more – which phones get it first
It’s this phone-first approach to software that makes the Googlebook more of a MacBook competitor than anything else. However, the rest of the experience has been far from perfect. The most notable issue plaguing Googlebooks (or any other “insert new platform name”) is unoptimized apps. Like Chromebooks, you can download apps from the Play Store and access them through dedicated windows.
And, like Chromebook, not every app is optimized for the larger laptop screens, so they may appear as a stretched phone aspect ratio. Editing photos in Adobe Lightroom somehow feels less intuitive on the larger 14-inch screen than on my phone, which is less than half the size, with some tools and elements not scaling properly.
Investing in any laptop, let alone one that may cost upwards of $1,300, should yield an enhanced software experience — perhaps with some more granularity that’s often omitted on phones and tablets. Using a Googlebook feels like the opposite.
It doesn’t help that Googlebooks come in two flavors: Intel Core Ultra or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. The variance in performance and software support between the two processors only creates more buying confusion, especially if you aren’t invested in things like Linux virtualization, or have any other specific reason to pick one architecture over the other.
Is there a future for Googlebooks?
I had high expectations for Google’s unified computing platform, especially once Apple began supporting Quick Share file transfers with Android phones. To be able to leverage my handset even more felt like a dream scenario.
Unfortunately, there is enough friction here to snap any Android enthusiast back to reality. Googlebook OS remains underbaked, the Gemini AI tools being pushed alongside the devices are mostly accessible on competing laptops, and the ‘Googlebook OS’ branding might even restrict the operating system’s appeal if it ever expands beyond laptops to desktops and all-in-ones.
I’m not giving up on Googlebooks just yet; the hardware in these systems is very capable, and when I was just casually browsing, the hiccups were minimal. It all comes down to how developers continue to improve and refine the rest of the software experience, the part of it that should be the reason why someone would want to put down their Windows or Mac for a device made by Google but currently isn’t.
Until then, anyone would be better off buying a cheaper but still high-end Chromebook or a discounted MacBook Air. Heck, even the MacBook Neo, which just got a price increase, may be a better place to spend your money.
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