Googlebook: release date, price and the first laptops

Googlebook is Google’s replacement for the Chromebook: a new laptop category built on Android and Chrome, with Gemini built into the desktop. Google announced it on May 12, 2026 — under the development codename Aluminium OS, though the system ships as Googlebook OS — and the first machines went on sale on October 4 in the US and October 5 in several other countries.

What it is

Google describes a Googlebook as a laptop designed around Gemini that works closely with the Android phone you already own — it pairs with phones running Android 17 or newer. Unlike Chromebooks, which became known as cheap laptops (especially in schools), Google says Googlebooks will sit at the premium end of the market, and that Chromebooks will keep being supported after launch.

The first laptops

Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo all have launch models. Lenovo’s is the best documented so far; we couldn’t confirm prices for the other four makers’ models.

What’s different from a Chromebook

• Gemini across the system. A feature called Magic Pointer lets you wiggle the cursor to call up Gemini for a contextual action — for example turning two images into a poster, or adding a date straight to your calendar.
• Phone and laptop as one. Googlebook OS syncs with Android phones running Android 17 or higher.
• A premium price. Lenovo’s model starts at $1,099.99 in the US and €1,399 in Germany, which puts it up against high-end Windows laptops and MacBooks rather than budget Chromebooks.
• AI subscription included for a year. The 12-month Google AI Pro trial adds expanded Gemini access and 5TB of cloud storage; one report says it also includes subscriptions to apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Premiere and CapCut.
• Long support. A German launch report cites ten years of software updates; treat that as unconfirmed until Google or Lenovo states it on their own pages.

Where and when

Launch lists give October 4 for the US and October 5 for Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia. A German report said Lenovo’s own pre-orders there ship from late October, so delivery dates can vary by store. Spain isn’t on the lists published so far.

Why it matters

Chromebooks made Google a big name in inexpensive laptops. Googlebook is a deliberate move in the opposite direction: a premium category, built around Gemini, that tries to make an Android phone and a laptop feel like one system. Whether the Gemini features are worth using every day is the open question early coverage keeps raising — and at these prices, they’ll need to be.