Google and its manufacturing partners introduced the first laptops sold under the Googlebook name, with five models arriving from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Preorders opened September 21, and the machines reach stores October 4. Starting prices run from $899 to $1,299, placing the lineup alongside the MacBook Air and many Windows laptops sold in the US.
Every Googlebook ships with 12 months of Google AI Pro and 5TB of cloud storage, plus three-month trials of YouTube Premium, Adobe Photoshop, and CapCut. Google said it will provide up to 10 years of updates for the new laptops. The bundle and the update commitment apply across the five launch models.
The Acer Googlebook 14 is the only convertible 2-in-1 in the first group and carries the lowest starting price at $899. Acer says battery life reaches up to 16 hours. Acer's Kelly Odle told The Verge that $899 is an initial launch price available for a limited time, and she said Acer plans to reassess pricing over time based on component supplies and other market pressures. Ongoing shortages of RAM and other parts have pushed up prices on other laptops, including Apple's MacBook Neo.
Asus' Googlebook 14 borrows its look from the ExpertBook Ultra, with a metallic gray-blue chassis and more ports than most of the other models. At 2.2 pounds it is the lightest of the five, though Dell's is the thinnest. It is one of only two Googlebooks with an HDMI port and starts at $1,299.
Dell's first Googlebook starts at $999 through a special offer at Best Buy and closely resembles the XPS 13, with a light gold shimmer colorway, the Googlebook glowbar, and Google software. It adds a fingerprint reader that the Windows XPS 13 lacks. Like the original, it has only two USB-C ports.
The HP Googlebook 14 starts at $1,299 and includes both facial recognition and a fingerprint reader. It offers the highest storage capacity in the group at 1TB. Its dark blue chassis resembles the HP Spectre, but it has just two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
Lenovo's Googlebook starts at $1,299 and has the largest display of the five at 15.3 inches. It is one of the only models with an HDMI port and the only one with a white chassis featuring a satin-like finish. Lenovo is also launching an AI mouse alongside the Googlebook 15 with a matching glowbar.
More gadget news from TechManNews.
