Is Samsung Making a Googlebook or Its Own Android Laptop?
As the first wave of Googlebooks hits retail shelves—starting at an introductory price of $899 for the Acer Googlebook 14—speculation has intensified over a Samsung device appearing in a Geekbench database listing with Android 17 specs. While the hardware profile matches existing Googlebooks by running on the Snapdragon X Elite chip and 16GB of RAM, questions remain over whether the manufacturer is joining the new platform or pursuing its own hardware plans.
Samsung Entry Shows Snapdragon X Elite Specs
A social media post by tipster Abhishek Yadav on X claimed that Samsung’s entry passed through Geekbench with a 12-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite SoC—featuring four cores clocking at 3.42GHz and eight at 4.01GHz—alongside an Adreno X1-85 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and Android 17. These specifications closely mirror the configuration used across the initial Googlebook lineup.
However, when Google first announced the Googlebook series in May to replace older Chromebooks, Samsung was absent from the roster. Only five PC makers debuted the first wave last month: Acer, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, and HP. Pre-orders for these devices opened in mid-September, and the official launch took place on October 4, with units offering touchscreens, haptic glass trackpads, backlit keyboards, and AI features like Magic Pointer.
Android Laptops Versus Galaxy Books
Despite the hardware similarities, industry observers point out that Samsung was already working on separate plans earlier this year for an entirely distinct lineup of Android-powered Galaxy Books running Android 17 and One UI 9. Rather than a standard Googlebook, those earlier reports suggested a proprietary Android laptop utilizing Samsung’s desktop mode, DeX, or overlaying the OS with its One UI design.
Analysts note that while more Googlebooks are expected in a second wave, it remains unclear why a Samsung device would rely on the older Snapdragon X Elite instead of the newer Snapdragon X2 Elite. The older chip is currently utilized in Googlebooks primarily to control costs and reflect components available when development began, leaving the true identity of Samsung’s spotted laptop open to debate.