ASUS Googlebook 14 Hands-On: Great Hardware, But Is It Worth $1,799?

I’ve been using the ASUS Googlebook 14 for a few days now, and the first thing you notice is the weight. Or rather, the lack of it. This thing is super light.
ASUS launched the Googlebook 14 in Canada last week starting at $1,799 CAD. Here are my first impressions.

Light, but not plastic

When I first picked it up, I assumed the light weight meant a plastic build. Nope. ASUS says the chassis is CNC-machined magnesium-aluminum alloy with what it calls a Nano Ceramic coating, layered over a plasma electrolytic oxidation treatment. In plain terms, the outer layer gets hardened into a ceramic-like shell.

The result is a matte Dusk Ash finish that ASUS says resists scratches, stains and scuffs. It starts at 2.18 lbs and is just 0.43 inches thin. ASUS also says it put the ASUS Googlebook 14 through US military-grade MIL-STD 810H tests.

Nice touch: ASUS includes a slim sleeve in the box, along with the AC charger and cable. More companies should do this.

That 3K OLED touchscreen

The 14-inch 3K OLED display is bright and crisp. Did I mention it’s a touchscreen? Touch is smooth and works well, and being able to pinch to zoom on a laptop is pretty cool.

The glass is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus with a Gorilla Matte finish, which helps cut down on glare. It runs at 120 Hz and ASUS rates it at up to 1,000 nits in HDR.

Keyboard, touchpad and webcam

The touchpad is large and haptic, so clicks feel consistent anywhere you press. Above it sits a backlit keyboard with 1.5 mm of key travel, and ASUS says the keys have a UV coating. The fingerprint reader lives in the top-right key.

One thing that tripped me up was Caps Lock. By default, the key opens a menu instead of turning on caps, so I kept hitting it out of habit. Pressing Fn and Caps Lock together gets you real caps, but it takes some getting used to. Also, pressing ‘ctrl + w’ to close a tab is awkward on the keyboard layout.

I also like the privacy slider for the webcam. It’s a simple physical shutter, and that’s all you need.

Speakers are very good, and loud. There are six of them with Dolby Atmos, and they fill a room better than I expected from something this thin.

Plenty of ports

Good news for anyone tired of dongles. The left side has a Thunderbolt 4 port, HDMI 2.1, a USB-A port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Over on the right, you get a second USB-A port and a second Thunderbolt 4 port, so you can charge from either side.

The Glowbar

On the back of the lid is what ASUS calls the Glowbar. It’s cool, but you don’t see it when the laptop is open, which is kind of the point of a laptop.

Where it’s actually useful is charging. When you plug in or unplug, the Glowbar uses four different colours to show your battery status at a glance.

Speaking of battery, ASUS says the 70 Wh battery is good for up to 18 hours based on its own testing. I’ll report back on real-world numbers.

Who is this for?

If you’re deep into the Google and Gemini ecosystem, this is for you. One big benefit is full sync with your Android phone. For browser-based work it’s fine, and you get the full Google Play Store. GooglebookOS combines Android’s app ecosystem with a desktop-style experience, although it’s quite different from using Windows or macOS.

The bigger limitation is software, though. You won’t be installing traditional Windows or Mac applications here, so you’ll need to make sure the apps you rely on are available through the browser, Google Play Store or other supported options. Check out our Googlebook buyer’s guide for how the rest of the lineup compares.

The Googlebook 14 feels fast in everyday use, backed by an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. Flip it over and you’ll find a large fan vent, with ASUS claiming noise levels below 25 dB. We barely heard the fan until we pushed the laptop by opening 30 Chrome tabs and every app on the device. Even then, it was quiet, although we did notice some cursor lag as all those apps were opening at once.

The catch though, is the price. At $1,799 CAD, the ASUS Googlebook 14 costs the same as a 13-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD. Apple’s laptop is noticeably heavier at 2.7 lb, but it’s also on sale right now for $1,639 CAD on Amazon.ca.

It’s hard to argue against Apple build quality and macOS for the same money. But if you don’t want macOS and want Google-first integration, that’s where the ASUS Googlebook 14 fits. It’s light, fast and works great for web stuff.

ASUS also includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, giving you access to Gemini, NotebookLM, Flow and 5 TB of cloud storage, which adds some value to the $1,799 CAD price tag.

Next up, I’m handing the Googlebook 14 over to a middle schooler to see how it handles everyday schoolwork. Its lightweight design should make it easy to carry around, and the included sleeve is a nice bonus for parents who won’t have to buy one separately. Stay tuned for that.

ASUS Googlebook 14 specs

Want more context? Here’s what Google says happens to Chromebooks after 2034.

If the ASUS Googlebook 14 is on your shopping list, I’d wait for a price drop before buying one.

Would you pick an ASUS Googlebook 14 over a MacBook Air at the same price?

Click here to check out the ASUS Googlebook 14 on Amazon.ca