HP’s first crack at a Googlebook laptop is a winner, or at least as much of one as the platform allows. While Googlebook as an operating system leaves a lot to be desired, the HP Googlebook 14 checks every single box for a fantastic laptop.
Kicking things off with the hardware, HP really has built a very good laptop here.
The design is subtle at a glance, but I appreciate the sharp corners of the underside where the feet hold the laptop up for air circulation. There’s a decent-sized gap in the back for airflow as well which almost feels like a handle when you’re carrying the closed laptop. It’s a far cry from something as flat and edgeless as a MacBook Air, but I’ve really come to like it while using the HP Googlebook 14.
The machine is just 10.9mm thick, and weighs in at 2.74lbs (despite an error that doubles the weight on HP’s website). The aluminum build is sturdy with minimal flex in the deck, and it mostly passes the one-handed opening test.
The keyboard has been a tremendous highlight. Despite the thin design, there’s a ton of travel in this keyboard and it’s wildly comfortable to type on. The keys have a satisfying clack without being too loud to be used in public spaces, and the spacing is great, while the backlight is also perfectly pleasant. It took just a few minutes to feel completely at home typing, though Googlebook’s keyboard shortcuts do take a moment to settle into. The top row of function keys are simple and straightforward for the most part, but the window fullscreen toggle (F4) and screenshot tool (F5) both need better iconography — the screenshot key is incredibly vague.
The trackpad is also quite good. While I still struggle with Google’s premium push on Googlebook’s first wave, I’m glad that haptic trackpads were mandated, though HP’s implementation feels just a tiny bit hollow. The placement of the trackpad going right up to the spacebar might prove troublesome for some users, but I never ran into any issues in my testing period.
As for the display, the 14-inch OLED panel is gorgeous. It’s crisp and colorful, and just bright enough. I’d love if it were a bit brighter for outdoor usage, but it’s perfectly acceptable as long as you’re not in direct sunlight.
Battery life is good enough, though not quite at the level of something like a MacBook Air. That’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow given Googlebook OS’ inherent limitations, but this is a far cry from the dark days of laptop battery life and easily on par with a Snapdragon-powered Windows machine. Standby time is good, and it’s actually quite nice having Android’s typical battery usage stats at the ready. Windows is far behind in this regard. Charging has been very quick and I commend HP for including a charger that feels like it belongs in this decade, though I typically stuck with whatever USB-C chargers I had at the ready both in at-home use and on a recent trip.
Performance on the Snapdragon X Elite with 16GB of RAM is unsurprisingly excellent. Seeing as Googlebook is built on Android, it’s a clear formula for a speedy machine. While I’ve absolutely run into my fair share of hiccups here or there, boot times are near-instant, and the overall performance is impossible to complain about.
HP Googlebook 14 has every piece of a great laptop, but sadly it all comes down to the software, and Googlebook is a drag on this machine.
Our Abner Li has already delivered a pretty in-depth review of Googlebook OS as a whole, so this is basically my own personal addendum on that.
My view of Googlebook is that, frankly, it seems a bit pointless in this day and age. Google has rebuilt ChromeOS on top of a new foundation that, yes, presents more possibility for the future, but also fixes virtually none of the existing problems. Like ChromeOS, Googlebook has an incredibly limited library of desktop-class software, even more so given that Linux support has regressed tremendously. One could point at obvious examples like the Adobe suite here, but it really comes down to the niche apps and tools that have been built out for Windows, macOS, and Linux for decades now. That’s an impossible task for any new platform to deal with, but Googlebook feels as though it is actively ignoring that clear gap in functionality. As mentioned, Linux app support has been largely decimated, which was a major boon to the app situation on ChromeOS. There’s also no way to emulate apps for other platforms here, which would be another good way to meet the needs of users not satisfied by what can be found on the Play Store or the web. Google literally has the tools to do this and, yet, none of them can be found here.
In launching this platform, Google’s repeated line about who this is for is “it’s a laptop for Android users.” I’m absolutely sick of hearing that. It’s utterly meaningless.
In a smartphone-dominated society, smartphones are the tentpole. Yes, you want integration between devices, but you’re not buying a laptop for smartphone integration. You buy a laptop to do the things that your phone can’t, and Googlebook can’t really do much more than your phone, at least not yet.
HP did a great job building out a very good laptop for Googlebook. The hardware is just let down by the software. You’d have a much better time using this laptop with Windows or even Linux compared to Googlebook right now. Especially at a time when the cost of laptops continues to skyrocket, I cannot recommend that anyone invests $1,200 into a Googlebook when you can get a Windows laptop, or even a MacBook, for the same price, if not less. There’s simply no reason to get less functionality for the same price. Fast-forward to when Googlebook is available on less expensive hardware and it might be a different story, but right now, eh.
More on Googlebook:
- Chrome 155 for Googlebook brings expanded web app installs, integration
- Googlebook will improve support for Linux apps eventually, but it’s all about AI for now
- Googlebook improving ‘Better Together’ Android sync features, Samsung support rolling out
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