Google has launched Googlebook, a new category of premium laptops built around its Gemini AI tools and tighter integration with Android phones, but Nigeria is not among the seven markets gett
Google has launched Googlebook, a new category of premium laptops built around its Gemini AI tools and tighter integration with Android phones, but Nigeria is not among the seven markets getting the devices at launch.
The new laptops start at $899, with models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo. Google says the devices will go on sale on October 4 in the US and October 5 in Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia. Nigeria is not on the initial availability list, and Google has not announced a date for a Nigerian launch.
Credit: Wired
For Nigerians who want one before that changes, buying through an importer or having someone bring one into the country would be the obvious alternatives, but the final cost would be higher than Google’s advertised price.
The cheapest Googlebook, Acer’s $899 model, is equivalent to about ₦1.19 million at a dollar rate of ₦1,324.36.
The calculation puts the $899 starting price at approximately ₦1,190,600 before shipping, import-related charges or any retailer’s margin.
The more expensive models starting at $1,299 would cost about ₦1.72 million at the same exchange rate, again before additional costs.
Those figures therefore represent the dollar price converted to naira, not the final amount a Nigerian buyer would necessarily pay.
The difference could become significant once the cost of getting the laptop into Nigeria is added. An importer would have to account for shipping and any applicable customs or other charges, while a local seller could also add a margin.
The parallel-market rate can also produce a different naira equivalent. On September 22, the dollar was reported at around ₦1,389 in Nigeria’s parallel market, compared with an official market rate of ₦1,329.80 on September 21.
At ₦1,389 to the dollar, the $899 Googlebook would already be about ₦1.25 million, while a $1,299 model would be about ₦1.80 million, before delivery and other costs.
Googlebook marks a shift for Google from the budget-focused Chromebook market into premium laptops.
Google says the new devices combine an Android technology foundation with desktop foundations from ChromeOS and are designed around Gemini and integration with Android phones. The laptops also come with up to 14 hours of video playback, at least 16GB of RAM across the range and software updates for up to 10 years.
Google is not abandoning Chromebooks, however. The new Googlebook category instead gives the company a higher-end offering, while Chromebooks continue to serve the education and budget-computing market.
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The move is also significant because Chromebooks already have a large presence in schools globally. Google says about 50 million Chromebooks are used by students and educators, while there are reports that the company sees Googlebook as part of a broader effort to bring its Gemini-powered computing experience to that existing market.
For now, Nigerian buyers interested in Googlebook will have to rely on imports or wait for Google to announce a future rollout in the country.
Until then, the $899 starting price advertised abroad translates to about ₦1.19 million before the additional costs of getting the laptop into Nigeria.
