Wednesday, September 23, 2026
The premium AirPods 5 are the best open-ear earbuds Apple has made
The premium AirPods 5 are the best open-ear earbuds Apple has made
“AirPods 5 offer open-ear design, ANC, and swipe controls for $149. ASUS Zenbook A16 ($1700) and A14 ($1000) use Snapdragon processors and Ceraluminum for power and lightness. HP OmniBook X ($1100) and OmniBook 3 ($600) emphasize battery life and AI. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x ($1300) targets creators; IdeaPad Slim 3x ($900) allows upgrades.
The $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case have great ANC and finally add swipe volume controls.
What sets these apart is the Snapdragon X Series processor inside. It keeps two dozen browser tabs, Zoom calls, and photo edits running at once without slowing down, and it powers the latest Copilot+ features, from summarizing a long article to captioning and translating a lecture video in real time. That’s the kind of freedom that makes a laptop worth the upgrade, giving you one less thing to think about so you can focus on the work itself.
The laptop for the power user who wants big performance without the weight. ASUS calls the Zenbook A16 the fastest and most powerful Snapdragon laptop. It handles intensive photo editing, gaming, and Windows’ most demanding AI features without breaking a sweat. What’s surprising is how light it stays despite the big screen. A 16-inch laptop this capable is usually something you leave on a desk, but this one weighs just over 2.5 pounds, so you can tote it around all day with ease. That lightness comes from Ceraluminum, a ceramic-and-metal blend that stays sturdy without the bulk. You also get a big, sharp OLED screen, more than 21 hours of battery, and a full set of ports, so the extra room to work never costs you the freedom to move.
The laptop for the person who’s always forgetting their charger. The HP OmniBook X runs up to 33 hours on a charge, enough to get most people through a day or two before they need an outlet. When it’s time to plug in, HP Fast Charge refills half the battery in about 30 minutes. The 14-inch 2K OLED display gives movies and spreadsheets plenty of room to breathe, and the built-in HP AI Companion can summarize your own documents in seconds. Meanwhile, the aluminum body is made partly from recycled metals and ocean-bound plastics, so it’s a bit kinder to the planet.
The laptop for the creator who wants a sharp screen in a slim package.At just 13.9 millimeters thin and a little over 2.5 pounds, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x slips into any bag, but the real draw is the 14-inch OLED screen. It has a resolution of up to 2.8K, so photos, video, and design work look crisp and true to color. A Snapdragon X2 Plus processor keeps everything moving while staying quiet, and the battery lasts up to 29 hours, so you can create wherever you are without worrying about scrambling for an outlet.
The laptop for people who are constantly on the go. Weighing under 2.18 pounds, the ASUS Zenbook A14 is one of the lightest laptops available, so it’s easy to carry around campus or through the airport. Don’t let the size fool you, though. The Snapdragon X Plus processor inside has the power to juggle a full workload, from a wall of browser tabs to editing high-resolution video, without slowing down. It’s also the first laptop built with Ceraluminum across the lid, keyboard frame, and base, a light ceramic-and-metal blend that shrugs off scratches and everyday wear. Add up to 32 hours of battery on a single charge, plus the full slate of Copilot+ AI features, and you get a workhorse that also travels light.
The laptop for the one who likes to tinker and save. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x has a storage slot you can open and upgrade yourself, letting you add space later without paying a shop to do it. Its chassis meets military-grade durability standards, meaning it holds up to the daily wear that a 15-inch workhorse tends to take. A Snapdragon X processor runs built-in AI features, including handy ones like noise suppression that quiets your surroundings on calls. As a laptop you can upgrade instead of replace, it’s an easy way to get more years out of your purchase.
The laptop for schoolwork, budgets, and getting things done. The HP OmniBook 3 handles the basics with room to spare, from research to homework to mapping out the week. A Snapdragon X processor keeps things moving, and the battery is rated for more than 30 hours, enough to carry you from a morning lecture to a late study session. And with Qualcomm Wi-Fi 6E, the laptop can tap into faster internet speeds, so video calls and downloads hold up even when everyone’s online. It can also handle some of the busywork for you, with built-in AI that can summarize a long document down to the key points, while Otter.ai is included to transcribe and recap your lectures.“
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
The First Googlebooks Are Here, and They’re Everything I Need in a Laptop
The First Googlebooks Are Here, and They’re Everything I Need in a Laptop
“Googlebooks are premium laptops running Googlebook OS, integrating Android, Gemini AI, and ChromeOS security. Starting at $899, five models include Google AI Pro and 10-year updates. Chromebooks coexist for education and enterprise use.
And if you’re an Android user, they’re likely everything you need, too.
When it comes to my daily devices, I live in two worlds. For work, I use a MacBook Pro and an iPhone. My personal devices, on the other hand, are a Chromebook and a Pixel phone. Now that I’ve used a Googlebook and seen what it can do, I’ll likely swap out my Chromebook for one. That’s because, much like the MacBook and iPhone work well together, the integration between an Android phone and a Googlebook is absolutely fantastic.
What is a Googlebook?
Essentially, a Googlebook is a premium laptop running on Googlebook OS, which brings together Android, Gemini AI and the desktop functionality and robust security of ChromeOS. While Google Chromebooks and ChromeOS were made for life on the web, Googlebooks are about how we work today. They’ll let you seamlessly move between your phone and your laptop, while also giving you access to powerful AI-based tools. You’ll also have full access to the Google Play Store, including apps and games developed for mobile and desktop use.
When Google announced Googlebooks back in May, it didn’t say much about the actual devices. Mainly, just that they’d be premium laptops — a departure from Chromebooks’ budget-friendly identity. Check out the video below for a better look at the features of Googlebook OS and the laptops. Specs for the first five Googlebooks are also below.
GoogleYou can order the Googlebooks now, or you can wait until Oct. 4 when they arrive in stores in the US (Oct. 5 for Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia). Prices start at $899, but these are premium devices, so you’ll find things like high-quality materials, haptic touchpads, backlit keyboards, OLED touchscreens and Intel Panther Lake and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors.
Every purchase also includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, which normally costs $200 and comes with 5TB of cloud storage and Gemini Advanced tools. You’ll also get three months each of YouTube Premium and Adobe Photoshop, plus one year of Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service. And, like current Chromebooks, Googlebooks will get new features and OS updates for 10 years.
Dell XPS Googlebook
Josh Goldman/CNETThe smallest of the Googlebooks, the XPS has the same high-end look and feel as the XPS 13 Windows laptop, which is awesome. It’s a great design with a full aluminum body that weighs 2.2 pounds. However, unlike the Windows version, it starts at $1,199, not $799. The Dell XPS Googlebook is currently $999 at Best Buy.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- 16 or 32GB of memory
- 512GB of storage
- 13.4-inch 2.5K-resolution touchscreen, 500-nit brightness
- Fingerprint reader
Lenovo Googlebook 15
Josh Goldman/CNETWith a beautiful 15.3-inch OLED touchscreen, the Lenovo is the largest of the launch Googlebooks. Made from magnesium-alloy and carbon fiber, it not only looked and felt good, but it was incredibly light for its size at 2.8 pounds. Pricing starts at $1,299, but the Lenovo Googlebook 15 is currently $1,099 at Best Buy.
- Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 3 (Panther Lake)
- 16GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 15.3-inch 2.8K-resolution OLED touchscreen
- Dolby Atmos
- Haptic touchpad
- Facial and fingerprint recognition
Acer Googlebook 14
Josh Goldman/CNETThe lone two-in-one in the group, it looks like a sleeker, slimmer version of the company’s Chromebook Plus 714. It’s also the only $899 model, though like the others, this is a limited-time offer at Best Buy. Made from magnesium and aluminum, it weighs only 2.5 pounds.
- Intel Core Ultra 5/7 Series 3 (Panther Lake)
- 16 GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 14-inch 2.8K-resolution OLED touchscreen
- USI 2.0 pen support
- Fingerprint sensor
HP Googlebook 14
Josh Goldman/CNETStarting at $1,299, the 14-inch laptop has an all-aluminum build and weighs in at 2.7 pounds. It’s certainly nice-looking, with a sturdy build, similar to the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 — one of our favorite premium Windows laptops.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- 16 or 32GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 14-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen
- Haptic touchpad
- Fingerprint sensor and Face authentication
Asus Googlebook 14
Josh Goldman/CNETAsus’ Googlebook appears to follow the design path of the company’s ExpertBook Ultra, a $3,600 business laptop. It’s a beautiful laptop with a body made from aluminum and magnesium with a ceramic finish that feels incredible and weighs just 2.2 pounds. Like the Lenovo and HP, it starts at $1,299.
- Intel Core Ultra 5/7 (Panther Lake)
- 16 or 32GB of memory
- 256GB of storage
- 14-inch 2.8K OLED touch display
- Haptic touchpad
- Fingerprint sensor
Are Chromebooks dead now?
The short answer is no, Chromebooks are not dead. For the moment, they’ll coexist with Googlebooks because they serve different users. New Chromebooks currently have 10 years of software support, and that’s not going away. Plus, you’ve got millions and millions of students using them daily, not to mention enterprise users. Given that Googlebooks are premium devices, it’s unlikely they’ll replace Chromebooks for education or commercial use anytime soon.
I’d expect ChromeOS development to slow somewhat over time, with at least some higher-end Chromebook Plus models eventually transitioning to the new operating system.
Monday, September 21, 2026
Sunday, September 20, 2026
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