- 2 days ago
Switching from Windows to a Googlebook sounded risky, so I spent a week using the Acer 14-inch model as my main work laptop to see if it could באמת replace a regular Windows machine. The result is a practical, first-person review of what Googlebook OS feels like, from the premium Android-like interface and built-in AI tools to the tablet-style design that makes it easy to use on the go.
There’s a lot to like if you travel often or live inside Android. The flip-around touchscreen is great for flights, movie watching, and scrolling in tight spaces, while phone syncing, app casting, Continue On, and instant file access make the laptop and Android phone work together surprisingly well. But there are trade-offs too: Windows apps like Adobe After Effects aren’t available, some Android apps aren’t optimized for larger screens, and the Intel-based model can run into compatibility and performance issues.
Battery life, everyday multitasking, gaming, and light video editing are all covered here, along with a clear answer on whether a Googlebook is actually worth buying over a Windows laptop at this price. If you’ve been searching for a Chromebook review, Googlebook review, Acer 14 review, Android laptop review, or a Windows vs Googlebook comparison, this is a useful breakdown for productivity, travel, and tech buying decisions.
There’s a lot to like if you travel often or live inside Android. The flip-around touchscreen is great for flights, movie watching, and scrolling in tight spaces, while phone syncing, app casting, Continue On, and instant file access make the laptop and Android phone work together surprisingly well. But there are trade-offs too: Windows apps like Adobe After Effects aren’t available, some Android apps aren’t optimized for larger screens, and the Intel-based model can run into compatibility and performance issues.
Battery life, everyday multitasking, gaming, and light video editing are all covered here, along with a clear answer on whether a Googlebook is actually worth buying over a Windows laptop at this price. If you’ve been searching for a Chromebook review, Googlebook review, Acer 14 review, Android laptop review, or a Windows vs Googlebook comparison, this is a useful breakdown for productivity, travel, and tech buying decisions.
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TechTranscript
00:00I've been a Windows user my entire life.
00:02Like literally, I've actually never even owned a MacBook, a Linux machine, or even a Chromebook.
00:06I mean, don't get me wrong, I've tried all those platforms before on other people's computers,
00:10like my friend's laptop or school computers,
00:12but I've never actually switched away from a Windows laptop until this past week.
00:17I literally started using a Google book, more specifically the Acer 14-inch version.
00:21I figured it'd be fun to just make the switch for a week and see if I'd like using it
00:25as my main work laptop.
00:26In my mind, when I started using it, I thought this could be a total nightmare, or it might just
00:31work out.
00:32Either way, it'll be a fun little transition, and it'll even give you an idea whether one of these is
00:37the right fit for you
00:38from the perspective of someone who's never actually owned a computer outside of Windows ones.
00:43Now, if you don't know what a Google book is, it's basically this new line of premium laptops that Google
00:47just released,
00:49kind of like Chromebooks, but more premium.
00:51And there's not just one model, there are actually five different ones from five different manufacturers,
00:56each with its own design and specs, but they all have to follow three rules.
01:00First, they have to have a glow bar that basically lets people know that you own a Google book from
01:04just looking at it.
01:06Second, they have to run the same software, which is heavily Android-based.
01:10And third, they can't be cheap.
01:11Like, they all have to be built with higher quality materials, have really high-resolution displays,
01:16OLED, or even touchscreen, they're all touchscreen, some fast processors,
01:20and of course, with all that, it'll come with a higher price tag.
01:24So that's Google book in a nutshell.
01:26And I've been using it for a week instead of my Dell XPS Windows laptop,
01:30and here's how it's been going so far.
01:32First off, like I said, I got the Acer Google book 14, which is around 900 bucks,
01:36so it's the cheapest Google book you can get, but that's not the reason I got it.
01:39The main reason why I got it is because it's the only Google book where it lets you flip the
01:43whole screen around
01:44and basically use it like a tablet.
01:46And that was great because when I was out in public and I wasn't sitting down,
01:50I could literally just flip it and still walk around with it and use it without the keyboard getting in
01:55the way.
01:55Plus, even better, I can stand it in weirder positions that you wouldn't be able to with laptops,
01:59which was nice for watching movies or scrolling.
02:02I also really like how compact it is because it's perfect for traveling.
02:06Like, I was on an airplane and I was in an economy seat in the middle,
02:10and I could still pull it out and use it without a problem, even with the drink next to it.
02:14It was great.
02:15I had my meeting on the plane very easily, so that was a huge plus,
02:18especially since I couldn't really do that as easily with my Dell XPS laptop just because of how much bigger
02:24it was.
02:24I also really like the software on this laptop.
02:27The UI is just really eye-catching.
02:28I mean, just look at it, especially with this new material expressive design,
02:32the same one that you get on Android phones, the latest Android phones.
02:35And on top of that, I like that it has a mixture between an Android phone
02:38and a basic laptop with Windows and a file explorer.
02:41So right when I started using it, I wasn't really hit with a huge learning curve.
02:44It was pretty straightforward to use, plus all the new AI features that are packed inside of it.
02:50I think they're actually really useful.
02:52I mean, my favorite one by far is just being able to create my own widgets.
02:55Like, I made a few where I could keep an eye on my favorite stocks.
02:58I made another one where I could track my favorite soccer teams.
03:01All of those just took seconds to make, which is really nice,
03:03and I could still tweak them later if I wanted to.
03:06Another thing that Google pushed really hard with these laptops was Magic Pointer.
03:09You can basically think of it like circle a search on Android phones,
03:12but for the laptops, you're instead wiggling your cursor to bring up Gemini,
03:16and then you can highlight things on your desktop and ask the AI anything about it.
03:20I'll be honest, before I used it, I thought it would be kind of annoying to have it enabled
03:24because I thought that it would unintentionally cause it to launch since I move my cursor a lot,
03:30but I actually never ran into that problem.
03:32I mean, you really have to wiggle it hard for Gemini to pop up, so it does feel intentional.
03:36And plus, on top of that, one really nice thing about this laptop
03:40is that when you switch between the light and the dark theme,
03:42the wallpaper also changes along with it if you use one of the default options.
03:46It's pretty cool because not only does it save your eyes at night when you're using the laptop,
03:50but it's something that I've always wanted on Android phones or Windows laptops to natively support it.
03:55But I gotta say, my overall favorite thing about using a Google Book
03:58was just how well it connected to my Android phone.
04:01Now, to be fair, you do need to have a phone running Android 17 or higher
04:04to take advantage of these features that I'm about to talk about.
04:07But once you got everything synced up, it's pretty awesome to use.
04:10For starters, I could access all my apps on my phone directly from the laptop
04:14since they would basically just cast onto the screen.
04:17And sure, navigating through those apps wasn't always the smoothest experience,
04:20but it still got the job done.
04:22Another feature I really liked too was continue on
04:24because I was able to do something on my phone within an app.
04:27And then my laptop, my Google Book laptop,
04:30would actually suggest picking up right where I left off.
04:33Super convenient, especially since I switched between devices throughout the entire day.
04:37And on top of that, I was even able to access all my phone's files directly from the laptop
04:41without having to manually transfer anything or even plug in a USB-C cable.
04:45Like I could literally just take a picture on my phone and within seconds,
04:49it would show up on my laptop ready for me to edit or just use in a project.
04:53As someone who's constantly moving photos and files between devices,
04:56this was kind of a game changer.
04:58It's honestly the kind of seamless experience I wish more operating systems offered,
05:01especially Windows.
05:02So there were a lot of upsides to this laptop that I never experienced on my regular Windows computer,
05:07but there were also a good amount of downsides that I had to deal with.
05:12For instance, since it's running Google Book OS and not Windows,
05:15you can't just download your usual Windows programs and expect them to work on this laptop.
05:20You're mainly limited to Android apps from the Play Store,
05:22or you can sideload them as well, and web apps,
05:25which can be pretty annoying if you're used to specific desktop software.
05:28Like for me, I was used to Adobe's suite of editing apps,
05:31like After Effects, I wasn't able to use this on this laptop.
05:34So that was kind of a pain.
05:36And to make things a bit more complicated too,
05:38there were even a good number of Android apps that weren't fully optimized for these laptops,
05:42especially more demanding apps like games.
05:45So I experienced plenty of app crashes, lag spikes,
05:48and ran into apps that were clearly only designed with a phone's UI in mind,
05:52and not these larger screen laptops.
05:53Luckily, on the Play Store, you can see a little tag that tells you which apps are optimized for this
05:58desktop,
05:59but there still aren't that many of those on the Play Store, at least for now.
06:02I think the main reason too why I ran into a good amount of compatibility issues,
06:06especially on this Acer laptop, is that it has an Intel chip set.
06:11And that's a problem because the majority of Android apps
06:13are specifically designed for ARM-based processors, like Snapdragon chips.
06:18And since my Acer Google Book 14 has an x86 architecture,
06:23there were some apps that didn't perform as smoothly as they should.
06:26Again, there weren't too many, but there were a few.
06:29So for us early bird users, just keep that in mind.
06:31I mean, you will run into app compatibility issues,
06:34but that will get a lot better over time as more developers hop on and improve their apps
06:38for this laptop, if they do.
06:40Now, as for the battery life, it was actually pretty good.
06:42Acer claimed that you can get up to 16 hours,
06:44but realistically, with everyday use, like browsing, watching videos, and multitasking,
06:49I got around 10 to 12 hours,
06:51which is still more than enough to just get me through most of my workday.
06:55But when I started editing 4K videos, that's when it drained a lot faster.
07:00Thankfully, though, it also supports 100-watt fast charging,
07:02so I was able to juice this puppy up really quickly.
07:05Now, whenever I travel, I've also been taking with me
07:07Ugreen's new Nexit Pro 160-watt charger, the sponsor of this video,
07:11because not only can it charge on my Google Book at its top speed,
07:14but it's also got a built-in retractable USB-C cable, which I absolutely love.
07:19You can just pull it out to whatever length you need,
07:21and when you're done, it slides right back in.
07:24You won't have loose cables to pack or any tangled mess in your backpack.
07:27It's just perfect for traveling.
07:30And don't let the size fool you either.
07:31It can charge really fast.
07:32I mean, the built-in cable alone can output up to 140 watts,
07:36which is enough to fast charge even a MacBook Pro or, of course, a Google Book.
07:41And then you've also got two more USB-C ports and a USB-A port,
07:44so you can charge up to four devices at once.
07:46I especially love that the top USB-C port can charge up to 140 watts,
07:50and if you're using it alongside the retractable cable,
07:54the entire station can now output to 160 watts total.
07:57So you can technically get away with charging two laptops at the same time.
08:01Isn't that crazy?
08:02And it doesn't stop there, too, because it's also got a smart display on the front,
08:06which shows you exactly how much power each device is pulling,
08:09the voltage, current, charging protocol, and even the temperature in real time.
08:14It's really useful.
08:15And if you want to take things even further,
08:17you can also connect it to the Ugreen Connect app,
08:19and you can change the charging mode,
08:22you can customize the screen brightness,
08:24maybe set a sleep timer, monitor the charging remotely,
08:27and even customize the wallpaper right from your phone.
08:30And then when I'm back home from my desk,
08:32I'm also using Ugreen's Nexit Pro 300-Watt Desktop Charger.
08:36I have it set up in my office, and I've also been loving it
08:38because it can literally charge up to seven devices at once
08:41since it's got a total of eight ports.
08:43And it charges extremely fast, too, outputting up to 300 watts total.
08:48So whether you're looking for an awesome travel charger
08:50or a really clean charging solution for your desk,
08:53definitely check out the Ugreen Nexit Pro lineup.
08:55I'll have the links to these chargers at the top of the description.
08:57Anyway, back to the Google book.
08:59When it came to performance, everything actually ran pretty smoothly.
09:02I mean, the version I have is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5,
09:06so it doesn't have the most powerful chipset that you can get.
09:08And it also has only 16 gigabytes of RAM.
09:11But with that in mind, the majority of my work session needs were met.
09:14I mean, apps opened up quickly.
09:15I was able to have multiple windows open without running into any problems.
09:19I could do all of my basic browsing, emailing, and messaging
09:22really easily and nicely.
09:24Smooth, very smooth.
09:25However, when it came to gaming,
09:27it was kind of a different story.
09:29I mean, don't get me wrong.
09:30It can handle most Android games on the Play Store just fine.
09:33But it's also not the best option for handling some really demanding games
09:36with tons of 3D graphics at really high settings,
09:39especially since most games on the Play Store
09:41aren't even optimized for Intel just yet.
09:44And to top it off,
09:45many games aren't even designed for these bigger screens.
09:49They're mainly designed with smartphones in mind,
09:51with smaller screens and not these laptops with keyboards.
09:55So gameplay may also be tricky with the keyboard.
09:57And I don't think you're going to want to be holding your laptop
09:59like a handheld controller.
10:01But for me personally,
10:02I don't really use my laptops for gaming anyway.
10:05So that wasn't really a problem.
10:06Instead, I mainly use them for editing.
10:08Whenever I travel to an event like a smartphone launch
10:10or a tech conference,
10:11I usually just need them for editing footage
10:14right at the event or back when I get at my hotel
10:17so I can just get a video uploaded as quickly as possible.
10:19And that's mainly what I use this laptop for.
10:22And what I found when editing with the Google Book
10:24is that it's more than capable of handling
10:26shorter, simple video projects.
10:28But once you really start to work with bigger timelines
10:31that just have tons of clips, graphics,
10:33and all sorts of fancy effects,
10:35that's where the computer can start to struggle a bit.
10:37Especially if you have the 16 gigabyte RAM model like mine.
10:41To me, the whole video editing experience on the Google Book
10:43just feels more like editing on a phone
10:45than on a real computer.
10:47Even with the new Adobe Premiere app on the Play Store.
10:49So after switching to the Google Book 14,
10:51would I actually recommend buying one?
10:53Well, I think it really depends
10:54on what you plan on using it for.
10:55If you're someone who mainly uses their laptop
10:57for browsing the web, watching videos,
11:00just getting some work done,
11:01and you already own an Android phone on top of that,
11:03especially one of the latest ones,
11:05I think you're really gonna enjoy it.
11:07The software is great, the battery life is solid,
11:09and having all your Android apps and phone features
11:11work together is honestly pretty awesome.
11:14But if you're someone like me
11:15who relies on more professional software,
11:16like Adobe Premiere, After Effects,
11:19and other Windows programs,
11:20then I don't think it's quite ready
11:22to replace your main computer just yet.
11:23Especially when you're spending around $900 or more,
11:26which is already enough to get yourself
11:28a pretty capable Windows laptop.
11:30And that's really my biggest takeaway.
11:32I genuinely enjoyed using this Google Book,
11:34and there were even some features
11:36that I just wish my Windows laptop had.
11:38But as much as I liked it,
11:40I don't really think I'm ready
11:41to just completely ditch Windows just yet.
11:43Maybe once Google improves app compatibility
11:45and more developers start optimizing their apps
11:48for these laptops, that'll change.
11:50But for now, I think it's a great laptop
11:52for the right person,
11:54just not necessarily the right laptop for everyone.
11:57But those are just my thoughts.
11:58I'm actually curious,
11:59would you actually consider switching
12:00from Windows or Mac to a Google Book?
12:02I'll have a poll in the corner of this video
12:03so that way we can see what everyone thinks.
12:05And let me know down in the comments as well.
12:07Also, tap this video if you wanna keep watching on
12:09and just learn about the top tech
12:10that you'd actually wanna buy for cheap.
12:12Thanks for sticking around to the end,
12:14and I'll catch you guys in the next one.
12:16Kapow!