Googlebook launch nears as pre-orders open September 21

Google has finally revealed when consumers can order its new Googlebook laptops. The company's official Googlebook website now confirms that pre-orders will open on September 21. 9to5Google says people who signed up for email updates were told they would open up at 9 AM ET.

Google has not yet confirmed which individual laptops will be available on September 21, nor has it provided a general shipping date. The company continues to state only that the first Googlebooks will be available to "unbox" this fall. Plenty of OEMs such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo are all confirmed as first-wave Googlebook manufacturers, and leaks over the past few weeks have already revealed several potentially launch-ready machines.

One of the most comprehensively leaked models is the Lenovo Googlebook 15. It reportedly combines an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 Panther Lake processor with 16 GB or 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory and up to 512 GB of storage. Other leaked specifications include a 15.3-inch 2,880 x 1,800 OLED touchscreen running at up to 120 Hz, a 70 Wh battery, Thunderbolt 4 and a haptic glass trackpad. Lenovo is also said to be incorporating Google's signature multicoloured "glowbar" alongside dedicated facial-authentication hardware.

Asus appears to be preparing similarly premium hardware. A leaked Canadian retailer listing recently priced a Core Ultra 5 325-equipped Googlebook with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage at CA$1,9000 ($1,365). Higher-end configurations with Core Ultra 7 processors and up to 64 GB of RAM have also surfaced.

Acer's Googlebook 14 has also appeared at European retailers. One Core Ultra 5 325 configuration with 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 256 GB SSD and a 14-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED display was listed for €1,022 ($1,178). A retailer previously suggested November 8 as a possible release date, although Acer is yet to confirm it.

Interestingly, the Core Ultra 5 325 is becoming a common denominator among early Googlebooks, tacitly confirming the sentiment that Googlebooks will launch as premium devices. On the other hand, Chromebooks have historically launched with entry-level silicon from Intel, AMD, and on occasion, even MediaTek. With Googlebooks, the Panther Lake SKU may serve as a baseline configuration for Google's first wave of premium laptops. Higher-end processors are still expected, with Asus Googlebook prototypes having previously appeared with a Core Ultra 7 355.

Besides, even Google describes them as a new category of "flagship laptops" combining elements of ChromeOS and Android, with Gemini Intelligence features such as Magic Pointer and Create My Widget alongside tighter integration with Android phones.