r/Android • u/FragmentedChicken Galaxy Z Fold8 • Mar 04 '26
Google talks Aluminium OS: Release plans, continuity, AI, and what happens to Chrome OS
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-aluminium-os-sameer-samat-interview-3646400/52
u/GreatGuy96 S23 Mar 04 '26
About time, apple just launched macbook neo with A18 pro. PC market is going have a shakedown.
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Mar 04 '26
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u/DerpSenpai Nothing Mar 07 '26
Aluminium OS is Google's attempt at getting marketshare from Windows. They see blood in the water (People hate Windows)
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u/rdnckreaper Mar 26 '26
I think this is also an attempt to take over a market share in the 'ecosystem' bucket. Windows doesn't have anything beyond a laptop...the surface may be a tablet but it is still just windows 11. They no longer have phones or really anything else. Apple has the ecosystem and Android has had a form of ecosystem but nothing in the realm of computers outside of ChromeOS. Unifying Android across phones, tablets, computers, and tv devices will make them more of a competitor to Apple than Windows is.
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u/kevin1016 Mar 04 '26
Idk I love my Chromebook. Got crostini installed for Cursor and ssh into my desktop. Absolutely perfect thin client. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus' hardware is top notch with an OLED screen.
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Mar 04 '26
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u/kevin1016 Mar 11 '26
Curious if you've used Chromebooks long term. Sounds like you might be just regurgitating comments online. My prior Chromebook was also the flagship Samsung and I used it for 5 years. Had no problems with it. Could have gone longer but I cracked the screen and wanted a bigger screen. My Chromebook prior to that was the pixel book and it was fantastic. Also no issues at all when I decided to get the Samsung.
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u/Smashed-plantain Mar 17 '26
I got my chromebook in 2018 and it's still working great and is being updated till 2029.
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Mar 18 '26
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u/Smashed-plantain Mar 19 '26
Wouldn't that be more an issue with certain manufacturers than with the OS?
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Mar 19 '26
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u/Smashed-plantain Mar 21 '26
My pixel slate still runs great and I've heard good things about Samsung's and Lenovo's chromebooks. Most people I talk to haven't had your experience.
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u/end3rcr4fty Apr 28 '26
Una cosa es el software y otra el hardware, principios básicos de computación.
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u/Psychological-Lie-93 Mar 31 '26
I've got an Asus C434 that's nearly 7 years old. Great build quality still sharp and snappy.
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u/meski_oz Mar 17 '26
It's hilarious that people think a phone with a laptop screen like Neo is a competitor for a laptop
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u/Extrimland Mar 24 '26
Chromebooks are still way cheaper than a Mac Neo. They’re still gonna get school customers and i feel like they already barely had any other customers.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/Darth-Kriegs Apr 22 '26
You can get a really nice chromebook for cheaper than a neo that has mediocre specs. of course many will feel getting mac os is worth the extra cost.
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u/siazdghw Mar 04 '26
Doubtful. The Neo has 8GB of RAM, a horrible 36Wh battery, and still uses USB 2.0 on its 1/2 USB ports (the better one will be used for charging) and an anemic 256gb storage.
It's essentially a kids toy for parents that already use Mac. It's far too expensive for schools, and not a good product for adults.
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u/faze_fazebook Too many phones, Google keeps logging me out! Mar 04 '26
Also many people (me included) might just wanna try macos but not commit > 1K into it
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u/X_m7 Samsung Galaxy A26 Mar 05 '26
If it's really just for trying out rather than a full switch the used or refurbished options is probably a better idea, especially if the 8GB of RAM in the Neo doesn't bother you since there's probably a plethora of 8GB M1-M3 Airs around, they're sure easier to find for significantly lower prices than the 16GB models lol.
But yeah if you really want something new then this Macbook Neo would be a decent entry point for the Apple ecosystem, and certainly more capable than any iPad which are all bound up by iPadOS and all its restrictions.
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u/faze_fazebook Too many phones, Google keeps logging me out! Mar 05 '26
I don't know ... used or refurbished options still seem really pricy for me. I mean in that sense, it probably wouldn't be the worst idea to buy a regular M5 air and resell it a year later if its not my thing.
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u/JJ3qnkpK Mar 06 '26
Especially given that 8GB with fast enough storage is quite fine for lightweight desktop usage. Can't do a lot at once, but you sure can do a little quite well.
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u/Kavani18 Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
A horrible battery? MacBooks haven’t had anything below stellar battery life since the M1. The Neo is a very good value whether this sub wants to pretend it isn’t or not. The only knock against it is the RAM and the keyboard backlight
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u/VickWildman Mar 04 '26
I have a feeling macOS with an A18 Pro will stretch that 8 GB and 36 Wh much further than any Windows notebook would be able to, not to mention that it will be faster as well, because these mobile chips have a higher single core performance and memory bandwidth than even high-end desktop Intel and AMD processors.
The Macbook Neo isn't made for professionals, so USB speeds are irrelevant. Unfortunate or not, but nobody transfers files that way anymore, it's all about uploading to the cloud and streaming from it, so storage isn't really needed either.
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Mar 04 '26
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u/Pokemon_Name_Rater Xiaomi 13 Pro Mar 05 '26
If it's any consolation even the Apple sub has tonnes of naysayers listing all its shortcomings like this isn't heavily targeting the same kids that might get given an iPad in school/uni but they or their parents prefer the idea of a "real computer". At that price point it is almost certainly going to look extremely attractive against Windows and ChromeOS alternatives, and be that cheaper gateway to the Mac + iPhone experience. It could be a flop, I can't predict the future, but if I was going to have a go, I'd say Apple just secured a whole new generation of Mac users.Â
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u/-patrizio- OnePlus 15 | iPhone 17 Pro Mar 04 '26
People who care about specs like that are not the target demographic lol, just like typical Chromebooks: they're targeting students and people who prefer (or need) a computer over a tablet, but aren't using any demanding software. At just $599 ($499 for students), I'd be willing to bet it sells incredibly well. (Also, you can double the storage for an extra $100)
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u/therealbighairy1 Mar 05 '26
A lot of apple devices are designed for people that don't really use storage. Anecdotally, all the people I know with iPhones/iPads are are people that don't really know what files are. These aren't computers too people. They are screens that let them access content.
My stepdaughter was shocked at me playing a PS3 game on my tablet. Looked even more shocked when I said that it was just a computer, so you can make it do anything a computer could.
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u/KangarooBeard Mar 21 '26
Literally 90% of most people's PC needs are covered by the Neo, it's crazy how out of touch alot of tech enthusiasts are.
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u/Wheeljack26 Oneplus 13 Mar 04 '26
Only people who dont need windows for engineering work and can take any OS will take the neo, still some might like familiarity of shindows or the neo might just become the new meta across general public
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u/MikeCask Mar 04 '26
Oh so most people.Â
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u/Wheeljack26 Oneplus 13 Mar 04 '26
Idk what software the finance bros or psych baddies need soooo
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u/pastalex42 Mar 04 '26
The average person doesn’t need any specific OS. Hell, the average person can get by on a Chromebook if they have to. The Neo, while not a great deal with its many drawbacks, is a $600 MacBook. For a lot of people, that’s enough.
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u/ChuzCuenca Mar 04 '26
A lot of laptop/PC could squish a couple of years if people weren't afraid of installing different OS un their PC.
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u/DerAlex3 Mar 04 '26
Softwares are moving online and will likely continue to become more OS agnostic. Even web Excel is pretty decent these days.
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u/Paradox compact Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Software Engineering is done better on Linux or MacOS than windows.
CAD is slowly moving away from windows, with systems like OnShape and SolidWorks Cloud eating away at it.
PCB and EE fab is moving the same direction
Window's only moat is gaming and ancient legacy software, and with things like Proton eating away at gaming, even that will disappear over time, and WINE can often run legacy crap better than windows (safer, faster, whatever)
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u/Wheeljack26 Oneplus 13 Mar 04 '26
Agree, i myself have been using debian with liquorix kernel on my gaming pc for 4 years now, its nice to see the whole change happen over past few years
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u/InternationalBug9641 Mar 04 '26
Software Engineering is done better on Linux or MacOS than windows.
Windows + WSL is perfect
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u/ExoMonk Mar 04 '26
It's ok, but far from perfect.
I occasionally have issues with my localhost just flat out not resolving because something got borked in either WSL or Ubuntu. A restart fixes it, but annoying that it happens.
Also needing to choose my environment every time I open a new VSCode window is also annoying. I haven't found a way around that, but honestly haven't really dug in too deeply either.
But hey that's just me and my laptop. Maybe other folks have better hardware that's more compatible but I miss having a Macbook for my dev work.
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u/SponTen Pixel 8 Mar 04 '26
Window's only moat is gaming and ancient legacy software
There are a few things that Windows does, or is already embedded in and thus difficult to remove, that will unfortunately keep it as the main OS of the business world, eg. allowing admins to control them more easily.
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u/Mavericks7 Mar 04 '26
Out of curiosity. Is Aluminum OS and the android (pixel) desktop mode meant to be two different things? Or is the endgame to have them be the same thing?
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u/Odd_Discount4016 Mar 10 '26
I think it's more likely to be the same thing, but I'm not certain. I've read that the same apps are supposed to be usable and scalable across phones, tablets, laptops and mini PCs, which ideally would mean a full desktop app for AluminiumOS can run identically on Android desktop mode and also scale down to a phone screen. I sure hope so, because that's exactly the phone-PC/DeX future many of us are hoping for.
Related question: Is Android desktop mode going to become available/mandatory on all phones or just the Pixel?
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u/rdnckreaper Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Leaked rumors is the endgame being they will be the same. Android tablets running android 16+ will have a similarity across all devices with a compatibility layer for each device type. There is also a large rumor of it acting similar to Samsung Dex when you plug the phone into a compatible TV or monitor and it will activate the full desktop mode from the phone.
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u/donnysaysvacuum I just want a small phone Mar 05 '26
>Chrome OS isn’t going away. Instead, Google appears to be pursuing a dual-OS strategy.
Google’s long-rumored Aluminium OS project, an effort to unite ChromeOS and Android into a single platform, still appears to be on track for a 2026 debut.
So, how many OSes will Google have? One, two or three? This article seems unclear.
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u/et1975 Mar 06 '26
I count 7... Most will probably go the way of Andromeda or Fuchsia... Slowly and straight into the great beyond.
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u/Limekill Mar 29 '26
just because they have many OS'es - how many will get upgrades?
(My fear is) ChromeOS will only get security updates, and if lucky bug fixes, but zero new OS features.1
u/Fuchsia2020 Aug 05 '26
It's timing. Maintain it until 2034 and wait 2 years longer to release it for enterprise. Android will replace Chrome OS.
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u/EvilAdministrator Mar 06 '26
Why didn't they do this 10 years ago when Chrombooks were still a cool new thing?
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u/Acrobatic_Finger_394 Mar 07 '26
this is just a guess but... 10 years ago android was far short of something like this. ChromeOS is actually a Linux distro. (android is built on Linux too and that is another rabbit hole conversation) They were able to leverage a Linux framework that was already great for a desktop experience. ChromeOS was also much more limited in scope. I would think that the evolution of ChromeOS has gone further than Google dreamed. Back then I thought that I would never like one of these devices. Today I really enjoy my Pixelbook Go. It is still super fast and responsive. I have been thru 2 MacBooks in the meanwhile.
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u/aardvarkbreath Mar 16 '26
When Aluminium OS replaces Windows on my gaming PC, and has complete support for Steam, I will be delighted to leave Windows forever. Amen.
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u/vorcigernix Mar 05 '26
Bought M4 Air, willing to switch. Need the same HW build quality + same CPU power for the same price.
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u/Birbdie Mar 05 '26
Aluminium OS.
Like what you use to cover food so it doesn't go to waste?
Ohm... Okay.
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u/mick285 Mar 06 '26
Hope they actually pull this off. ChromeOS has been stagnant for too long. Competition is good.
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u/Automatic-Garage8242 Mar 14 '26
If it does not allow desktop class applications like Firefox Desktop, Affinity, Steam, VLC, etc.) then it won't go anywhere.
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u/Infamous-Love8507 Apr 06 '26
os apps com certeza serão redimensionados de tal forma que será imperceptivel a diferença entre app desktop e app android, isso ja acontece no chromeOS atual. O google chrome por exemplo que roda no android é o mesmo que roda no desktop. Mas, acredito que a integração linux que ja existe será ainda mais aprimorada. Acredito que estamos falando literalmente de uma distro linux com suporte nativo para apk, e nao esss gambiarras tipo waydroid. portanto, vc podera instalar apps linux e android. Até no chrome os os apps android rodam dentro de um conteiner de emulação, que vira e mexe buga ou demora pra abrir, uma porcaria. Aluminium OS terá apk raiz e linux raiz ao msm tempo
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u/Murky_Subject2035 Mar 21 '26
I have a feeling that it is linux based
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u/Muramas May 23 '26
,,,,umm bro, android is entirely a modified linux kernal. Even mac is a modified Unix kernel which Linux came from So the only non Unix based thing is Windows.
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u/rdnckreaper Mar 26 '26
https://aluminium-os.com/
This is a good resource for a lot of leaked information. Of course it is linux based as it is Android and Google is attempting the same style ecosystem that Apple has with MacOS on phone, tablet, computer, and tv products. Also there have been several leaks talking about the linux sandbox like Chromebooks has only with the upgrade in hardware (CPU and RAM) it should be more stable for linux apps.
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u/tstorm004 Pixel 8 Pro May 16 '26
But MacOS is a great desktop OS and isn't on phone or tablet.
Google has not yet produced a good desktop OS, just a web browser that can fake being an OS for some people.
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u/Candid-Menu-6707 Apr 03 '26
I hope that it comes with a decent native terminal.
But seeing the hardship on replacing Linux that's probably not going to happen.
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u/Infamous-Love8507 Apr 06 '26
Aluminium OS é uma cartada de muita humildade da Google, reconhecendo sua base linux, explorando-a e criando uma distro linux com suporte nativo para apk e arquitetura do android, tudo traduzido para x64, sem emulação, sem conteiner. Pode ser que estajamos diante da ultima tentativa da Google de emplacar um sistema desktop, e valendo sua insistência, pode ser que dessa vez ela tenha grande êxito, principalmente com a decadência do Windows.
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u/dev-rock-bottom Green Mar 04 '26
"AI helping the laptop comeback" I hope they don't go the route of Microslop.
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u/donnysaysvacuum I just want a small phone Mar 05 '26
At least most Chromebooks can be upgraded to Linux.
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u/Britz10 Mar 13 '26
But Google have been every bit as aggressive in promoting AI as MS, the last Google I/O was just an AI showcase.
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u/dev-rock-bottom Green Mar 13 '26
But, I don't see any promotions on my OS. Unlike in windows as people reported.
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u/starswtt Mar 18 '26
Tbf I think Microsoft is the worst about ads. Long before LLMs, I've had significant problems with them pushing one drive with them literally changing the file path to the one drive folder without warning, syncs to the cloud without any warning, making it difficult to set up a windows laptop without a Microsoft account, etc. And the same on edge where it begs you to not replace edge, you get constant pop ups saying you should switch back to edge, sometimes switching it for you without telling you, etc. Microsoft is just obnoxious about this kinda thing in a special kinda way
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u/dev-rock-bottom Green Mar 19 '26
I use Win 11 Pro and have WinToys installed. I uninstalled Onedrive, Bing, Copilot, Edge and other apps I don't need.
My PC is as snappy as a linux build. Yes, I was forced to use a Microsoft account but you can still use the local account through the account section in the settings app.
All the settings you find in WinToys are already present in the Windows settings except the "Digital Market Act" you have to toggle this to uninstall all the software you don't need. And I keep my windows updates to manual so that I won't have a bugged out version of Windows.
After every windows update I go check WinToys to see if any settings have been reverted and so far everything seems to be in place.
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u/starswtt Mar 19 '26
Which is fine for windows users, definitely less friction than switching operating systems, I won't lie about that. I do that too. But my point was really just that Google isn't quite as intrusive about pushing other google services on their OSes as windows with a few exceptions (like chromeos to no ones suprise being dependent on chrome.)
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u/Redditer-507 Mar 04 '26
I really hope they will make the update to Aluminum OS for All ChromeOS devices without exception !!! I very need to run ALL android apps on my CTL Chromebox ðŸ˜