Android Is Both Best and Worst Part of Googlebooks, Early Review Finds

Setup is Android through and through, according to the review. It takes just a few minutes to register biometric logins, sign into a Google account and connect a phone to find apps and backups. The Asus and HP models tested differ slightly, mostly in whether they default to installing every phone app or only desktop-optimized ones.

Once users enter the operating system, problems appear. Even when an Android 17 phone is used to set up the laptop, the devices are unlikely to remain connected for file sharing and app casting. Fully pairing either Googlebook with a phone required toggling cross-device settings on both devices, multiple restarts and occasional luck. Moving to a new Wi-Fi network broke the connection again and required a Googlebook restart. The devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth enabled, so the connection does not work offline.

The review found inconsistent phone recognition. An Asus Googlebook formed a reliable connection to an Oppo phone but refused to recognize other phones. An HP model alternated between that Oppo and a Vivo X Fold 6, occasionally connecting to both at once. Yesterday, for the first time all week, it connected to a Pixel 11 Pro Fold after both laptops had ignored the Google phone for days.

On native apps, The Verge praised access to quick, compact desktop versions of apps that would otherwise be used through a web browser on a MacBook. Some mobile apps offer extra functionality: downloading series from HBO Max or Netflix for offline viewing means a Googlebook could replace an Android tablet that is mostly used for watching movies on planes.

Many apps remain difficult to use on an Android laptop, the review said. Some lack desktop-optimized versions; the mobile version of Slack is unworkable in a desktop environment, and Adobe's Android apps are far less capable than their desktop counterparts. Others are labeled 'Optimized for desktop' in the Play Store, but in practice that usually means a stretched UI and basic mouse and keyboard support. Most do not recognize right-clicks or sometimes shift into portrait view. The 'Made for desktop' tag is the only one that counts for much, and it appears on only a handful of apps.

Even Google's own apps are limited. Chrome lacks feature parity with other platforms, including support for switching profiles, opening tabs in split view and creating custom search engine shortcuts, according to the review. Google has promised Chromebooks offer the 'entire Play Store library,' but the reviewer could not install Bluesky or the login authorization tool Okta from the Play Store. The issue is not limited to Intel, because the Arm-based HP Googlebook also would not run either app.

The reviewer's laptop needs are simple: 90 percent of time is spent on a work MacBook Air in Chrome and Slack, with most of the rest in Photoshop or Lightroom. All four are subpar on a Googlebook, the review said, because they are fundamentally Android apps that cannot compete with true desktop alternatives. Phone connectivity is flaky, app casting is awkward and file-sharing seems broken, the review said, adding that Android will get the credit if Googlebooks succeed and the blame if they fail.