The first 5 Googlebook laptops are here, with an OS that blends Android and Gemini

For decades, laptop shoppers have really only had two choices: Mac or PC? Now, there's a third option: the Googlebook.

Starting today, the first five Googlebook devices are now available for preorder (they officially launch on Oct.

4), with Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo each launching a new device.

Earlier this year, Google announced the imminent arrival of Googlebooks , a new generation of premium AI laptops running on an entirely new operating system, which blends elements of Android, ChromeOS, and Gemini. (A Google spokesperson confirmed the new operating system is called Googlebook OS.) Unlike Chromebooks, which are generally cheaper, stripped-down laptops, the new Googlebook devices feature a baseline 16GB of RAM, are made with premium materials such as aluminum and magnesium, and feature much more impressive chipsets.

They're also priced more like MacBooks than Chromebooks .

All the devices are ultra-thin and lightweight, and except for the Dell, they all come with OLED displays.

Acer Googlebook 14 2-in-1 Convertible (Intel Core Ultra 3 Panther Lake, 16GB RAM, 256GB) — Starting at $899 ASUS Googlebook 14 (Intel Core Ultra 3 Panther Lake, 16GB RAM, 256GB) — Starting at $1,299 Dell XPS Googlebook (Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB) — Starting at $1,199 HP Googlebook 14 (Qualcomm Snapdragon X1 Elite, 16GB RAM, 256GB) — Starting at $1,299 Lenovo Googlebook 15 (Intel Core Ultra 3 Panther Lake, 16GB RAM, 256GB) — Starting at $1299 First, the MacBook Neo , and now the Googlebook.

It's not a good time to be a Windows laptop .

What is a Googlebook? The Googlebook home screen experience.

Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable If you weren't following along when Google announced Googlebooks at Google I/O earlier this year, we're here for you.

The idea is similar to Chromebooks, in that Google makes the operating system and software, while hardware partners make the devices themselves.

But the similarities end there.

Googlebooks are more powerful on both the hardware and software level, and many analysts have referred to them as Google's answer to MacBooks .

Thanks to a brand-new operating system that blends Android Gemini, users can cast Android apps on their laptops, search all of their files in one place, and use Gemini to perform agentic tasks across devices.