GoKawiilGoogle’s latest attempt at making premium laptops is here, and they’re called Googlebooks. Putting the silly name aside, Googlebooks look poised to strike the perfect balance between the versatile ChromeOS ecosystem and the premium design of the now-discontinued Pixelbooks.
In short, Googlebooks are mobile computers in a premium chassis designed for basic tasks. Where have I heard that before? The same description applies verbatim to Apple’s new MacBook Neo. Assuming Googlebooks are priced similarly to the MacBook Neo (I’d think they would have to be for the sake of competitiveness), these brands look primed to go up against each other later this year.
Despite the fanfare and critical acclaim the MacBook Neo continues to garner, I’m betting on Googlebooks to come out ahead. Googlebooks are honest about what they are, with an Android-powered OS that looks like a perfect fit to run on mid-tier laptop hardware.
Are you excited about the new Googlebooks? 1971 votes Yes, finally! 30 % No, I am skeptical. 20 % Need to see more first. 36 % I'll stick with Windows/Mac. 15 %
Yes, the MacBook Neo has a RAM problem
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
I’ve used a lot of macOS and Windows machines over the years at every price point, powered by Apple, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Budget and mid-tier laptops running macOS and Windows all seem to have one thing in common: they offer the illusion of flexibility and versatility by offering full-fledged desktop app support. In theory, a cheap MacBook Neo or a similarly priced Windows laptop supports plenty of desktop apps. That doesn’t mean, however, that the hardware is powerful enough to run them well.
I’m skeptical of the MacBook Neo, and my hesitation has nothing to do with the laptop’s raw performance. By all indications, the Apple A18 Pro chip inside performs better than the M1 chip in single-core tasks. My concern lies with the minimal 8GB of memory and the mere 256GB or 512GB of onboard storage. I used a Mac mini with the M2 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB for a full year, and it didn’t go well. I frequently ran out of application memory, which means the operating system locked up, and apps had to be force-quit to make my computer usable again.
Android and ChromeOS are designed with low-power devices in mind, and ChromeOS specifically offloads processing to the cloud whenever possible.
Remember, the M2 chip in the Mac mini I owned is generally faster than the A18 Pro chip in the MacBook Neo. The Mac mini’s chassis is also better for airflow, and unlike the MacBook Neo, it has a fan. In other words, if I had issues with the Mac mini, the MacBook Neo could be even worse.
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