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Dell’s £1,000 Googlebook pairs sleek hardware with limited apps
The reviewer finds the Dell XPS Googlebook’s hardware attractive but argues that Googlebook OS is too limited to justify its £1,000 price. The laptop combines Android and ChromeOS, yet its reliance on poorly adapted mobile apps and its lack of clear advantages over Windows or other platforms make the new system seem less useful than expected.
The device has a 13.4-inch screen, a 2.2-pound metal case, a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip and 16GB of RAM, matching the hardware of the $1,000 Windows 11 XPS 13. It also has two USB-C ports, no headphone jack and a rear light bar the reviewer considers unnecessary. Web browsing and Google apps work adequately, but Slack is limited to a mobile-style view; the supplied article text ends before the full review is shown.
In short
- The XPS Googlebook’s hardware is strong, but its software disappoints.
- Android apps feel poorly adapted for laptop use.
- It costs the same as a more flexible Windows XPS 13.
Explained simply
Dell is a computer maker known for its XPS laptops, a premium range that competes with models from companies such as Apple and Microsoft. Most XPS laptops run Windows, while Google’s ChromeOS is best known for simpler, lower-cost computers designed around web browsing and online services.
Googlebook OS combines ChromeOS with Android, the software used on many phones and tablets. That could give users access to both web services and mobile apps, but apps designed for a phone may not work as well on a laptop. The choice of operating system matters because it affects which apps people can use and what they can do with a computer.
At around £1,000, the Googlebook sits in a part of the market where buyers can choose among powerful Windows, Mac and ChromeOS laptops. Its appeal therefore depends not just on its build and speed, but on whether its software and apps meet users’ needs.
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Originally published by Engadget as “Dell XPS Googlebook review: Beautiful hardware for a useless platform”.