Club Benefits
A large part of the appeal of Google's Chromebooks has been their lower price, but the new Googlebooks are launching at a premium, which means much higher pricing.
However, in a recent interview with Chrome Unboxed, John Maletis, Google's Vice president and GM of ChromeOS, confirmed that more affordable versions will be available down the line.
“We’ve always been about enabling technology and the ability to be productive and access information regardless of your price point,” Maletis said. “So over time we will come down, but these first devices are super premium.”
Outside of Apple's MacBook Neo, the trend for laptop makers in 2026 has been to ditch their budget laptops in favor of premium options, which command higher prices and avoid the RAM crisis. Unfortunately, that might be working, as The Register reported that Lenovo posted record numbers as it switched to premium PCs and dropped its budget lineup.
Which is why it's good that Google is even promising that more affordable options are on the roadmap.
What are your budget options?
Despite announcing the Googlebook series, Google has promised that Chromebooks aren't going anywhere yet. So the best Chromebooks are still available and an affordable option for those looking for something more wallet friendly.
Besides, Googlebooks are meant to compete with Apple's high-end MacBooks, not the Neo.
While the MacBook Neo is the best budget laptop, there are plenty of other options, including the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x and the Acer Aspire Go 15. Nicely, with the launch of the Neo, we now have options for every operating system from ChromeOS and Windows to macOS.
Maletis declined to provide a potential timeline for the more affordable Googlebook, so we may have to wait. Meanwhile, despite the memory crisis, you do have options.
It might get worse as we get deeper into 2026, though, so if you're in the market for a budget laptop, now might be the best time to pick one up.
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