HP’s first attempt at a Googlebook laptop is a winner, or at least as much as the platform allows. While Googlebook as an operating system leaves a lot to be desired, the HP Googlebook 14 checks every box for a fantastic laptop.
Starting with the hardware, HP has really built a very good laptop here.
The design is subtle at first glance, but I appreciate the pointed corners on the bottom where the feet hold the laptop for airflow. There’s also a decent-sized space on the back for airflow, which almost feels like a handle when you’re carrying the laptop closed. It’s a far cry from something as flat and edgeless as a MacBook Air, but I really like it using the HP Googlebook 14.
The machine is just 10.9mm thick and weighs 2.74 pounds (despite an error that doubles the weight on HP’s website). The aluminum construction is sturdy with minimal flex in the deck and passes the one-handed opening test most of the time.
The keyboard was a great highlight. Despite its slim design, this keyboard offers plenty of mobility and is extremely comfortable to type on. The keys have a satisfying snap without being too loud for use in public spaces, and the spacing is large, while the backlighting is also perfectly nice. It only took a few minutes to feel completely comfortable typing, although Googlebook’s keyboard shortcuts take a moment to settle in. The top row of function keys are mostly simple and straightforward, but the window’s full-screen toggle (F4) and the screenshot tool (F5) both need better iconography – the screenshot key is incredibly vague.
The trackpad is also very good. While I still struggle with Google’s premium push on the first wave of Googlebooks, I’m glad that haptic trackpads were mandatory, even if HP’s implementation seems just a tiny bit hollow. Placing the trackpad all the way up to the spacebar can be awkward for some users, but I never encountered any issues during my testing period.
As for the screen, the 14-inch OLED panel looks stunning. It’s crisp and colorful, and just bright enough. I would love it to be a bit brighter for outdoor use, but it’s perfectly acceptable as long as you’re not in direct sunlight.
Battery life is pretty good, but not quite on the level of something like a MacBook Air. It’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow given the inherent limitations of the Googlebook operating system, but we’re a long way from the dark days of laptop battery life and are easily comparable to a Snapdragon-powered Windows machine. Standby time is good, and it’s actually quite nice to have Android’s typical battery usage stats at your fingertips. Windows is far behind in this regard. Charging was very fast, and I commend HP for including a charger that looks like it belongs in this decade, although I generally stick to the USB-C chargers I had on hand, both for use at home and on a recent trip.
The performance of the Snapdragon X Elite with 16 GB of RAM is unsurprisingly excellent. Since Googlebook is built on Android, it’s a clear formula for a fast machine. Although I encountered quite a few issues here and there, startup times are almost instantaneous and it’s impossible to complain about the overall performance.
HP Googlebook 14 has all the elements of a great laptop, but unfortunately it all comes down to the software, and Googlebook is a drag on this machine.
Our own Abner Li has already delivered a pretty in-depth review of the Googlebook OS as a whole, so this is basically my own personal addendum to it.
My take on Googlebook is that, frankly, it seems a bit pointless these days. Google has rebuilt ChromeOS on a new foundation that, yes, presents more possibilities for the future, but hardly solves any of the existing problems. Like ChromeOS, Googlebook has an incredibly limited library of desktop software, especially since Linux support has declined significantly. We could cite obvious examples here like the Adobe suite, but it really comes down to the niche apps and tools that have been developed for Windows, macOS, and Linux for decades now. That’s an impossible task for any new platform to handle, but Googlebook feels like it’s actively ignoring this obvious feature gap. As mentioned, Linux app support has been largely decimated, which has been 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 address user needs not met by what can be found on the Play Store or on 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 phrase about who it’s aimed at is “this is a laptop for Android users.” I’m absolutely sick of hearing this. This makes absolutely no sense.
In a society dominated by smartphones, they constitute the mainstay. Yes, you want cross-device integration, but you’re not buying a laptop For smartphone integration. You buy a laptop to do things your phone can’t do, and Googlebook can’t do it Really do more than just your phone, at least not yet.
HP has done a great job creating a really good laptop For Google Book. The hardware is just abandoned by the software. You would have a much better time using this laptop with Windows or even Linux compared to Googlebook currently. Especially in an era where the cost of laptops continues to skyrocket, I can’t recommend anyone invest $1,200 in a Googlebook when you can get a Windows laptop, or even a MacBook, for the same price or less. There’s simply no reason to get fewer features for the same price. Fast forward to when Googlebook is available on cheaper hardware and that might be a different story, but for now, eh.
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