Google says some complex Android apps need tuning on Intel Googlebooks

Google acknowledged on the day its new Googlebook laptops went on sale that some Android apps may not perform as well on Intel-based models as on Qualcomm ones. The company made the statement to Android Authority, and it was reported by The Verge, Engadget and Tom's Hardware. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

“The vast majority of Android apps run smoothly across both Intel and Qualcomm Googlebooks right out of the box,” Google said. “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.” The company added that it is “working hand-in-hand with app developers, Intel, and Qualcomm to continuously optimize performance and expand compatibility across the entire portfolio.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

Google has not said how many apps will have performance issues, or named any specific apps that may have problems, according to The Verge and Engadget. Engadget said the company did not describe the nature of the issues either. [ 1 , 2 ]

Five Googlebook laptops went on sale, three of them using Intel x86 chips and two using Qualcomm's Arm-based Snapdragon processors. The Verge identified the Intel models as coming from Acer, Asus and Lenovo, and the Qualcomm models from Dell and HP, saying the Dell and HP machines “should have greater compatibility with every Android app.” Tom's Hardware named them as the Asus Googlebook 14, Lenovo Googlebook 15, Acer Googlebook 14, Dell XPS Googlebook and HP Googlebook 14. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

Engadget said Android apps are designed to run on Arm architecture, so Intel Googlebooks rely on a hardware translation layer. It noted Google has previously said that converting and executing Arm code on x86-based Chromebooks results in reduced performance and battery life, while Android apps compiled for x86 processors do not have such issues. Tom's Hardware said most apps should work because of the wide use of Kotlin and Java in Android development, but apps relying on native components compiled exclusively for Arm64 with no x86-64 versions may run into problems, with Intel Bridge and Android's Native Bridge translating Arm64 code for x86 compatibility. [ 2 , 3 ]

The disclosure came with the launch. The Verge wrote that Google “waited until the day its new Googlebook laptops hit the market to admit” the issue, and Tom's Hardware said none of the claims were made prior to the Googlebooks being available on store shelves. The outlets differ on the day of sale: The Verge said the laptops hit the market that day, while Tom's Hardware said they went on sale Sunday. [ 1 , 3 ]

Googlebooks run applications from Google's Play Store, which Tom's Hardware said will include a mix of optimized and unoptimized apps, and The Verge noted Google had previously emphasised that owners get access to the “entire Play Store library.” The Verge and Engadget both said they plan to test the models to establish how compatibility differs between the Intel and Qualcomm hardware. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]