Google Acknowledges Some Android Apps Don’t Run Well on Intel-Based Googlebooks

The first Googlebook laptops from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo have now started shipping in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, and Australia. Prices start at $899, and devices from HP and Dell use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X1 Elite chip, while the other three companies chose to include an Intel Core Ultra 3 (Panther Lake) chip on their devices.

With its new Googlebook OS, Google promised an AI-powered experience with the same secure design of ChromeOS and a seamless integration of Android phones. Android apps can also run natively on Googlebooks, though Google has now acknowledged that there are some compatibility issues on Intel-powered devices.

“The vast majority of Android apps run smoothly across both Intel and Qualcomm Googlebooks right out of the box,” a Google spokesperson told Android Authority. “Because many Android apps were originally designed for Arm chips, a small handful of complex apps or games need some developer tuning to run their best on Intel-based platforms. We’re working hand-in-hand with app developers, Intel, and Qualcomm to continuously optimize performance and expand compatibility across the entire portfolio.”

Obviously, Microsoft had to deal with similar app compatibility issues on PCs with ARM chips. Windows RT, Microsoft’s first attempt at creating a new version of Windows for ARM chips, couldn’t run any x86 apps. App compatibility improved with Windows 10 on ARM, though Windows 11 brought a much better Prism emulator.

Eventually, Qualcomm also delivered more powerful ARM-based X series chips for PCs that could finally rival Apple’s M-series chips. As more Googlebook models will likely hit the market in the coming months, it will be interesting to see if OEMs will favor Qualcomm’s chips over Intel’s offerings.