Engadget gives Lenovo's Googlebook 15 a 7.9 out of 10. The laptop is excellent, but the new Googlebook OS software still feels early.
Lenovo's first laptop for Google's new Googlebook platform has hardware that impresses, but the software holds it back. Engadget scored the Lenovo Googlebook 15 at 7.9 out of 10. Its verdict: Android die-hards may love it, while most people should probably wait for a more mature version of Googlebook OS.
Googlebook is Google's new laptop platform. It blends Android, the system on most phones, with Chrome OS, the system on Chromebooks. The aim is a laptop that is easier to use and works more closely with your phone. You are encouraged to install the same kinds of mobile apps you would use on a phone.
The 15.3-inch OLED screen runs at 120Hz, which makes motion look smooth. Engadget calls it bright and colorful. The body mixes plastic, carbon fiber and a metal alloy, with a soft "silk-touch" finish that helps hide fingerprints. At 2.85 pounds, it weighs less than a 14-inch MacBook Pro at 3 pounds.
Google requires at least 16GB of memory on every Googlebook. This model pairs that with an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 chip and 256GB of storage. In the Geekbench 7 test, its multi-core score of 9,011 beat a midrange Dell XPS 13 at 7,124.
Apps are the weak spot. Photoshop from the Play Store is the phone version, not the full desktop program. Many Android apps are built for a different type of chip than this laptop uses, which can mean bugs or choppy performance.
Googlebook OS feels familiar. Notifications sit at the top right, apps live in a drawer, and dragging a window to the side snaps it into place. Its best feature is cross-device sharing with an Android phone. At launch, some of these "Better Together" tools did not work with Samsung phones. That changed shortly after release.
Engadget lists battery life that could be better, app compatibility that needs work, and an OS that feels limited next to Windows and macOS. The price and release details were not included in the material available here.
The Googlebook 15 is great hardware, but unless you live in the Android world, waiting for a more finished Googlebook OS looks wise.
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