Google's premium laptop arrives with a catch

Googlebooks are Google's new premium laptops designed to integrate tightly with Android phones. Google said they were engineered to work with your Android phone right out of the box.

“engineered to work with your Android phone right out of the box”

The integration requires Android seventeen

The nifty integrations only work with Android seventeen. With a compatible phone, you can stream apps to your laptop, access files, mirror notifications, and continue where you left off in certain apps.

Samsung phones don't work despite having Android seventeen

Early Googlebook adopters complained that Samsung phones like the Z Fold eight won't work with the laptops. While the devices see each other, the phone doesn't stay connected.

Google confirms Samsung support is missing

Google representatives confirmed that these Better Together features are not currently supported on even the latest Samsung phones. An update bringing support will roll out in the coming weeks.

Other Android makers are also behind

Even when Samsung support arrives, only Samsung phones with Android seventeen will work. Motorola released its two thousand twenty-six phones with Android sixteen. OnePlus is still testing Android seventeen. Xiaomi rolled out Android seventeen to some high-end devices but Googlebooks aren't available in most of its core markets.

Pixel phones are the only option today

This leaves Pixel phones as the only option if you want proper mobile integration with your new Google laptop today. Launching Googlebooks without Samsung support and not being clear about that in any public statements is not a great start for Google's refreshed laptop effort.