The Acer Googlebook 14 is a great premium laptop, but it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's only worth considering if you want a lightweight, high-end convertible laptop and you're already deeply enmeshed in Google's/Android's ecosystem.
If you're wondering what a Googlebook is, the short version is that it's (in a way) the new Chromebook. Basically, it keeps much of the familiar Chromebook experience while adding deeper Android integration and new AI features. They've also got Intel and Qualcomm chips inside of them.
Going into this, I had a lot of questions, specifically about the new operating system (aka Googlebook OS) and its AI features. Is the new OS going to confuse me? What happens if I accidentally set off the Magic Pointer? Will it drive me bananas?
The Googlebook arrived tucked inside what looked like a jewelry box–I got premium vibes from it right away. It also came with a laptop sleeve, which I appreciated.
The design is a big part of why the price tag is higher than what you typically pay for a Chromebook Plus. (The other part is the hardware, which I'll get to later.) You can feel the difference in the aluminum-magnesium chassis (most Chromebook Plus models are made of plastic). It feels very durable. The 360-hinge also lets you rotate the screen and use the laptop in tablet mode if that's your thing. And, at 2.51 pounds and just 0.55 inches thick, it's also surprisingly light and thin.
I generally prefer smaller laptops because I have smaller hands, so larger keyboards take me longer to get used to. Fortunately, I accustomed myself to this one pretty quickly since it's still similar to the layout I use Once I adjusted, typing felt comfortable.
The keyboard also has backlighting, which is nice — and something I'd expect at this price point. The power button doubles as the fingerprint sensor for logging in.
The touchpad is centered and a good size, so I don't have any complaints about how it feels to use. It's also got a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass on it, so it feels smooth.
