ASUS Googlebook 14 hands-on: light, quiet and well-equipped, but $1,799 puts it up against the MacBook Air

TORONTO — The ASUS Googlebook 14, the first ASUS laptop built around Google's Gemini-focused GooglebookOS, has reached Canadian stores at $1,799, and early impressions suggest it is a well-made machine with a pricing problem. Gary Ng of iPhone in Canada spent several days with the laptop for a hands-on published Oct. 13; this is a summary of that and the company's own specifications, not a Serious Pick lab test.

According to the ASUS Canada launch release, the $1,799 model pairs an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor with 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 512 GB SSD. A Core Ultra 7 355 version sells for $1,899 through the ASUS Store and Best Buy. Both weigh 0.99 kg (2.18 lb) and are about 11 mm thick, with a magnesium-aluminum chassis that ASUS says passed MIL-STD 810H testing.

What stood out: Ng called the 14-inch 3K OLED touchscreen bright and crisp, with a 120 Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass Victus and a matte anti-glare finish rated up to 1,000 nits in HDR. He also praised the large haptic touchpad, a physical webcam privacy shutter, loud and room-filling speakers, and a port selection that includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1 and a headphone jack. A slim sleeve comes in the box.

What didn't: By default the Caps Lock key opens a menu rather than turning on capitals, which tripped Ng up repeatedly, and he found Ctrl+W awkward on the layout. The Glowbar light on the back of the lid is mostly out of sight while you are using the laptop, though it does show battery status when charging. Under a deliberate stress test with 30 Chrome tabs and every app open, the fan stayed quiet but the cursor lagged.

The bigger trade-off is software. GooglebookOS blends Android's app ecosystem with a desktop interface and syncs closely with Android phones, but it will not run traditional Windows or Mac programs. Anyone considering it should confirm that the apps they rely on are available on the web, through the Google Play Store or another supported route.

Battery life is still unverified. ASUS rates the 70 Wh battery at up to 18 hours, but its own footnote says that figure comes from an internal test of local video playback at 50 per cent brightness. iPhone in Canada said it would report real-world results later. ASUS's Canadian spec table also lists "2 x 2W stereo speaker" even though the release elsewhere describes a six-speaker system, a discrepancy worth checking against the retailer listing.

Then there is the price. Ng pointed out that $1,799 is the same as a 13-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage, which weighs more at 2.7 lb but was on sale for $1,639 at Amazon.ca when he wrote his piece. He concluded that the Googlebook makes most sense for people already committed to Google and Android, and said he would wait for a price drop.

Some value comes in the box. Buyers get 12 months of Google AI Pro, including Gemini features and 5 TB of cloud storage, which ASUS values at $239.88; it renews at $19.99 a month after the trial unless cancelled, and must be redeemed by March 31, 2027. Launch offers vary by retailer, from a one-year warranty extension and accessories at the ASUS Store to gift cards or promo codes at Staples, Amazon and Costco, and a gift-with-purchase at Best Buy until Oct. 31.

Prices and promotions change frequently, and longer-term testing of battery life and software updates will matter more than a first week of use.

Sources: https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/2026/10/13/asus-googlebook-14-hands-on/; https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/21/3365531/0/en/asus-googlebook-14-launches-in-canada-as-the-first-asus-laptop-designed-for-gemini-intelligence.html; https://www.asus.com/ca-en/laptops/for-home/googlebook/asus-googlebook-14/