The Googlebook launched on October 4, and this week the first hands-on reviews started landing instead of just renders and spec sheets. Chrome Unboxed got real time with the ASUS Googlebook 14, the $1,299 flagship of Google’s new laptop lineup, and the verdict is more nuanced than the marketing push suggested.
Chrome Unboxed’s first Googlebook review covers the ASUS Googlebook 14 ($1,299): a rigid, featherweight 14-inch OLED laptop with a clicky keyboard and a genuinely good trackpad, let down only by a mediocre 1080p webcam. The bigger story is the software. Googlebook OS is not ChromeOS with a new coat of paint; it has its own approach to windows, multitasking, files, and built-in AI, and the reviewer called the learning curve “exhilarating and slightly overwhelming.” If you own a Chromebook, nothing changes for you today: ChromeOS keeps getting updates on its own schedule.
What the first Googlebook review actually found
Robby Payne’s hands-on focused on the ASUS Googlebook 14, and the hardware side reads like a genuine win. The chassis is light but doesn’t flex, the 14-inch OLED panel is bright and handles glare well, and both the keyboard and the haptic trackpad got singled out for feeling premium rather than just adequate. Speakers punch above what you’d expect from a laptop this thin. The one clear miss: a 1080p webcam that feels stingy on a device priced at $1,299, especially with video calls being half of what people buy a laptop for these days.
The software is where things get interesting. Googlebook OS is a separate operating system from ChromeOS, built around Gemini Intelligence, a new “Magic Pointer” input layer, and native Android app support rather than the Play Store sandbox Chromebooks have used for years. The review is upfront that relearning window management and file handling took real effort, even for someone who’s used ChromeOS for a decade.
Why this matters if you’re still on ChromeOS
It’s worth saying plainly: your Chromebook did not just get downgraded. Googlebook is a new, separate hardware tier that starts at $899, and Google already confirmed ChromeOS updates continue through 2034, with only select newer models eligible for an eventual Googlebook OS upgrade path. ChromeOS Chromebooks aren’t being discontinued, and nothing about this review changes what device you should be using right now unless you’re specifically shopping for something new.
That said, this first review is a useful data point if you’ve been on the fence. The OS-level learning curve the reviewer describes is a real cost, not just a marketing footnote, and it’s the strongest argument yet for waiting on more reviews before paying flagship ChromeOS-laptop money for a brand-new platform.
The bigger picture: what comes after launch week
This review lands almost exactly on schedule with everything Google has said publicly. The October 4 release date was locked in back in September, alongside final pricing for the five launch laptops, and ASUS had already detailed the Googlebook 14’s specs and $1,299 price ahead of release. We covered the stakes for existing owners in more depth in our Chromebook vs. Googlebook explainer, and the short version still holds: this is an added tier above ChromeOS, not a replacement for it, at least for now.
What Chromebook owners should do
If you already own a Chromebook, there’s nothing to act on. Keep using it, keep taking updates as they roll out, and ignore any pressure to “upgrade” to Googlebook unless you’ve actually used one in person. If you’re curious, the smart move is to go try an ASUS Googlebook 14 at a retail store before buying, since a learning-curve OS is exactly the kind of thing you want to touch before you commit $1,299 to it. And if you’re shopping for a laptop today and don’t need Googlebook’s new AI features, a well-reviewed 2026 Chromebook is still the cheaper, more proven choice for browser-based work, school, or everyday use.
