ProductNot yet confirmed elsewhere1 publisher2 min readPublished
Two Googlebooks needed repeated restarts to stay linked to phones, The Verge found
The Verge spent a week with Asus and HP Googlebooks and found the phone link unreliable for app casting and file sharing. Limits in native Android apps add to the problem on a $1,000 laptop, according to the reviewer's first-week account.
The Product Desk
Asus Googlebook: pretty reliable link to an Oppo phone, recognizes no other phones. HP: flits between the Oppo and Vivo X Fold 6. Both ignored the Pixel 11 Pro Fold for days. A new Wi-Fi network broke the link until a restart. The link needs shared Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- capability Asus Googlebook Pretty reliable connection to an Oppo phone under review; still refuses to recognize any other phones, claim 7
- constraint HP Googlebook Flits between the Oppo phone and the Vivo X Fold 6, occasionally connecting to both at once, claim 8
- contradiction Pixel 11 Pro Fold Both laptops stubbornly ignored it for days, even though it is Google's own hardware, claim 9
- cost Reviewer moving to new Wi-Fi The move broke the phone connection; the reviewer had to restart the Googlebook to get the devices talking, claim 5
- constraint Offline use Laptop and phone need the same Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth on, so the connection will not work offline, claim 6
| Who | How | Kind | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus Googlebook | Pretty reliable connection to an Oppo phone under review; still refuses to recognize any other phones | capability | 7 |
| HP Googlebook | Flits between the Oppo phone and the Vivo X Fold 6, occasionally connecting to both at once | constraint | 8 |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold | Both laptops stubbornly ignored it for days, even though it is Google's own hardware | contradiction | 9 |
| Reviewer moving to new Wi-Fi | The move broke the phone connection; the reviewer had to restart the Googlebook to get the devices talking | cost | 5 |
| Offline use | Laptop and phone need the same Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth on, so the connection will not work offline | constraint | 6 |
What happened
- Even when an Android 17 phone is used for setup, the laptop is unlikely to stay connected to it afterward for file sharing and app casting.
- Moving to a new Wi-Fi network broke the link again, and the reviewer had to restart the Googlebook to get the laptop and phone talking.
- The Asus laptop holds a pretty reliable link to an Oppo phone under review but still refuses to recognize any other phone.
- Apps tagged "Optimized for desktop" in the Play Store usually have a stretched interface and basic mouse and keyboard support, and most ignore right-clicks.
- Chrome on the Googlebook has no profile switching, split-view tabs or custom search engine shortcuts, though Google insists it is a desktop browser.
Why it matters
- constraint Staff who work offline cannot count on the phone for file sharing or casting, since the link needs the same Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth on both devices.
- contradiction Google's promise of the entire Play Store library does not hold up in full in the reviewer's account, so a store listing cannot stand in for a compatibility check.
- decision A pilot has to fix the phone model first, because recognition varied by laptop and by phone, and mixed personal phones would turn pairing into a help-desk problem.
Setup went fast. The reviewer registered biometric logins, signed into a Google account and connected a phone to find apps and backups in a few minutes [2]. Pairing was the slow part. Fully linking either Googlebook to a phone took cross-device toggles on both devices, multiple restarts and, the reviewer wrote, "the occasional prayer" [4].
Across both laptops the reviewer named three phones [20]. The HP moved between the Oppo and a Vivo X Fold 6, sometimes holding both at once [8]. Both laptops ignored the Pixel 11 Pro Fold for days, even though it is Google's own hardware [9].
The best moments came where phone and desktop were not asked to cooperate. The reviewer liked quick, compact desktop versions of apps that a MacBook would otherwise open in a browser [10]. Downloading series from HBO Max or Netflix for offline viewing could let a Googlebook replace an Android tablet that is mostly used for movies on planes, the reviewer wrote [11]. We think that is the strongest case in the account, because it needs neither the phone link nor a desktop-class app.
Work apps fare worse. The mobile version of Slack is "truly unworkable" in a desktop environment, and Adobe's Android apps are "pale shadows" of their desktop versions, according to the reviewer [12]. "Made for desktop" is the only Play Store tag the reviewer found meaningful, and it showed up on only a handful of apps [14].
The reviewer called the first week "about as rocky as anyone's" and has slowly learned to like the laptops [1]. The test covers two models and does not show how a fleet with identical phones would behave. Writing about a $1,000 laptop [18], the reviewer put the verdict this way: "So far, success feels a lot further away than failure." [17]
For a Monday rollout we'd sort each team on two questions. First, whether its five most-used apps have a real desktop version or a "Made for desktop" tag. Second, whether its work depends on file sharing or app casting from a phone. We'd pilot first where the first answer is yes and the second is no, because that is where the reviewer's good moments sit. Where both are yes, we'd pilot with one phone model and retest after a Wi-Fi change. Where the first answer is no, we'd wait. The cost of that rule is a small pilot and a longer wait for any team that lives in Slack or Adobe apps.
What to watch
- Whether Chrome on Googlebooks gains profile switching, split-view tabs and custom search shortcuts.
- Whether more apps carry the "Made for desktop" tag, which the reviewer has seen on only a handful.
- Whether phone pairing holds across brands and Wi-Fi changes in tests that use identical phones.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence50
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+30
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The reviewer said the first week with the new Android-powered laptops has been about as rocky as anyone's, but they have slowly learned to like them, even if love still feels a ways off.
- [2]
Googlebook setup takes just a few minutes, including registering biometric logins, logging into a Google account and connecting to a phone to find apps and backups.
- [3]
Even if an Android 17 phone is used to set up the laptop, it is unlikely to remain connected afterwards for features like file sharing and app casting.
- [4]
Fully pairing either of the reviewer's Googlebooks to a phone required toggling cross-device settings on both devices, multiple restarts, and 'the occasional prayer' until the two devices found each other.
- [5]
Moving to a new Wi-Fi network broke the phone connection for the reviewer, who had to restart the Googlebook to get the devices talking again.
- [6]
The Googlebook and phone need to be on the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth enabled to talk, so the connection will not work when offline.
- [7]
The Asus Googlebook has formed a pretty reliable connection to an Oppo phone under review but still refuses to recognize any other phones.
- [8]
The HP model flits between the Oppo phone and the Vivo X Fold 6, occasionally connecting to both at once.
- [9]
Both laptops stubbornly ignored the Pixel 11 Pro Fold for days, even though it is Google's own hardware.
- [10]
The reviewer likes being able to access quick, compact desktop versions of apps they would normally be stuck using through a web browser on their MacBook.
- [11]
Being able to download series from HBO Max or Netflix and watch them offline means a Googlebook could replace the reviewer's Android tablet, which is mostly just a device for watching movies on planes.
- [12]
The mobile version of Slack is truly unworkable in a desktop environment, and Adobe's Android apps are pale shadows of their desktop selves.
- [13]
Apps that claim to be 'Optimized for desktop' in the Play Store usually have a stretched UI and basic mouse and keyboard support, with most not recognizing right-clicks or occasionally shifting into a portrait view.
- [14]
'Made for desktop' seems to be the only Play Store tag that really counts for much, and the reviewer has only seen it on a handful of apps.
- [15]
Chrome on the Googlebook lacks feature parity with other platforms, with no support for switching profiles, opening tabs in a split view or creating custom search engine shortcuts, though Google insists it is a desktop version of the browser.
- [16]
The reviewer says Google's promise that the laptops offer the 'entire Play Store library' is not entirely true.
- [17]
The reviewer wrote: 'So far, success feels a lot further away than failure.'
- [18]
The reviewer describes the Googlebook as a $1,000 laptop.
- [19]
The reviewer has tested Asus and HP Googlebook models during the first week.
- [20]
The reviewer named three phones across the two laptops: an Oppo, the Vivo X Fold 6 and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- theverge.comAndroid is the best and worst thing about Googlebooks
1 article · October 12, 2026
Topics and entities
Follow any of these and your For You feed starts watching them — no settings page required.