Googlebook is supposed to be Google’s premium answer to the modern laptop. And yet, some of these premium notebooks don’t support something as basic as HDR. Owners of the new HP Googlebook 14 and Dell XPS Googlebook have reported that their machines currently aren’t offering HDR playback.
The issue first surfaced in a Reddit thread (via AndroidAuthority) after an HP owner noticed that HDR-compatible YouTube videos weren’t displaying the usual HDR badge. Another Dell XPS Googlebook owner subsequently reported the same behavior. Google has now confirmed that this isn’t simply users missing a setting.
Responding in the thread, Mishaal Rahman said HDR support, including playback through YouTube and Netflix, is currently available only on certain Googlebook models. Google is working with its hardware partners to bring it to every available Googlebook.
Your Googlebook may already have HDR
It is worth noting that this isn’t a platform-wide limitation. ASUS Googlebook 14 does support HDR. So the issue with HDR seemed to be more on the manufacturer’s side, rather than an issue with Google’s OS. This does make things a bit hard when picking a Googlebook, since you may have to wait for Google and the manufacturer to enable it. Google hasn’t provided a rollout date, so owners of affected machines don’t yet know how long that wait will be.
Googlebook is still finding its feet
Google needs to iron out whether Googlebook is going to deliver on the unified premium-laptop experience it has been promising. When Google announced the platform, the big promise revolved around consistent premium hardware, deep Android integration, Gemini Intelligence, and devices from major PC makers including ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer.
I’ve already had reservations about whether Googlebook can turn this marketing push into a proper, coherent laptop ecosystem. So finding out that something as straightforward as HDR playback depends on which company logo is carrying the Googlebook badge. The only good news is that Google says it’s fixing it.