HP Googlebook 14 Review: Excellent Hardware Let Down by a Restrictive Operating System

When HP set out to build its very first Googlebook laptop, the company managed to craft a piece of hardware that is, by almost all accounts, an absolute winner—at least within the rigid confines that the platform permits. While Googlebook as an operating system leaves a considerable amount to be desired, the HP Googlebook 14 checks nearly every single box required to make a fantastic physical laptop.

Kicking things off with the hardware, HP has genuinely built a remarkable machine. The overall design appears subtle at a glance, but closer inspection reveals thoughtful touches, such as the sharp corners on the underside where the rubber feet elevate the chassis to allow for proper air circulation. There is also a decently sized gap in the rear for airflow that almost acts as a makeshift handle when you are carrying the closed laptop from place to place. While it is a far cry from something as flat and edgeless as a MacBook Air, it quickly grows on users through daily use.

The machine measures just 10.9 millimeters thick and weighs in at a portable 2.74 pounds, despite a temporary error on HP’s official website that mistakenly doubled the listed weight. The aluminum construction feels remarkably sturdy, exhibiting minimal flex across the keyboard deck, and it successfully passes the classic one-handed opening test without lifting the base off the table.

The keyboard has emerged as a tremendous highlight of the entire package. Despite the remarkably thin profile of the laptop, HP has managed to engineer an impressive amount of key travel, making it wildly comfortable for extended typing sessions. The keys deliver a satisfying mechanical clack without being loud enough to cause a disturbance in public spaces such as coffee shops or libraries. Furthermore, the key spacing is exceptionally well-executed, and the integrated backlight is pleasant and even. Users will likely find themselves feeling completely at home typing on the device within minutes, though Googlebook’s unique keyboard shortcuts do require a brief adjustment period. The top row of function keys remains straightforward for the most part, though certain controls like the window fullscreen toggle mapped to F4 and the screenshot utility mapped to F5 could benefit significantly from clearer iconography—the screenshot key, in particular, is strikingly vague.

The trackpad is also notably high quality. While navigating Google’s heavy push for premium haptics in the first wave of Googlebook devices has had its bumps, the mandatory inclusion of haptic trackpads is a welcome choice, even if HP’s specific implementation feels just a fraction hollow. The physical placement of the trackpad, which extends right up to the edge of the spacebar, might potentially prove troublesome for certain typing styles, but it causes no practical issues during normal testing periods.

As for the visual experience, the 14-inch OLED display panel is nothing short of gorgeous. It delivers a crisp, vibrant, and deeply colorful picture that is plenty bright for indoor office or home environments. While it would certainly be nice if the panel offered higher peak brightness levels for comfortable outdoor usage under direct sunlight, it performs admirably well in standard lighting conditions.

Battery life on the HP Googlebook 14 is good enough to get through a typical workday, though it falls just short of the stellar endurance found on devices like the MacBook Air. That reality can be a somewhat difficult pill to swallow given the inherent functional limitations of the Googlebook operating system, but it still represents a massive step forward from older eras of laptop power management. The battery performance easily stands on par with modern Snapdragon-powered Windows machines, featuring solid standby times and the added bonus of displaying Android’s typical granular battery usage statistics right out of the box—an area where traditional Windows software still lags noticeably far behind. Charging speeds are exceptionally quick, and HP deserves commendation for including a modern power brick that feels appropriate for a contemporary device, though users can easily rely on standard USB-C chargers lying around the house or packed for travel.

Under the hood, raw performance powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor paired with 16GB of RAM is unsurprisingly excellent. Given that Googlebook is built upon an Android foundation, the hardware combination forms a straightforward formula for a remarkably snappy and responsive machine. While users will inevitably encounter minor software hiccups here and there, boot times are practically instantaneous, and the overall system performance leaves very little room for complaint.

Unfortunately, the HP Googlebook 14 possesses every single ingredient required to make a phenomenal laptop, but it ultimately stumbles due to the software layer. Googlebook acts as a heavy anchor dragging down an otherwise stellar piece of hardware.

The core issue with Googlebook stems from its modern utility. Google has rebuilt ChromeOS on top of a fresh foundational architecture that theoretically opens up greater possibilities for the future, yet it manages to fix virtually none of the platform’s enduring, practical problems. Much like traditional ChromeOS, Googlebook suffers from an incredibly limited library of native desktop-class software. This limitation has grown even more pronounced following recent regressions in Linux app support, which previously served as a lifeline for power users. While critics often point to obvious major omissions like the full Adobe creative suite, the platform’s broader shortcoming lies in the absence of the niche applications and specialized utility tools that have been built specifically for Windows, macOS, and Linux over the span of decades.

Expecting any brand-new operating system to instantly match that historical depth is an impossible task, but Googlebook often feels as though it is actively ignoring the glaring gap in functionality. Linux application support has been largely decimated, removing what was once a major boon to the app ecosystem on traditional Chromebooks. Furthermore, the platform lacks any native capability to emulate or run applications built for other desktop platforms—a feature that could easily bridge the gap for users who find the Google Play Store or web-based apps insufficient. Google possesses the technological tools to accomplish this, yet none of them are present within this new environment.

Throughout the launch of this platform, Google has repeatedly relied on the marketing line that "it’s a laptop for Android users." For many consumers and reviewers, that messaging has grown wearisome and feels entirely meaningless. In a modern society dominated by smartphones, mobile devices undoubtedly serve as the primary computing hub. While users naturally desire seamless integration across multiple devices, nobody purchases a dedicated laptop purely for the sake of smartphone integration. People buy laptops to execute complex tasks that their phones simply cannot handle, and in its current state, Googlebook cannot do much more than a modern smartphone.

HP did an exceptional job engineering a truly remarkable laptop tailored for the Googlebook ecosystem. However, that high-end hardware is ultimately let down by premature software. Consumers would have a substantially better and more productive experience utilizing this exact physical laptop running Windows or even Linux compared to Googlebook in its current form. Especially during an economic climate where laptop prices continue to skyrocket, investing $1,200 into a Googlebook is a tough recommendation when powerful Windows laptops and MacBooks can be purchased for equivalent or even lower prices. There is simply no logical reason to pay flagship prices for significantly restricted functionality. Fast-forward to a future where the Googlebook platform expands to much less expensive hardware tiers, and the conversation might change entirely, but for now, the verdict remains mixed.