Google is preparing a significant shake-up in the personal computing market, with executives confirming plans to roll out a new desktop operating system that blends Android and ChromeOS, positioning it as a direct rival to Microsoft Windows and Apple’s macOS within the next year.
The announcement comes at a moment of transition for PC users. With support for Windows 10 ending recently, millions of consumers and businesses are reassessing their options, creating an opening for alternatives. Google already offers ChromeOS as a free, lightweight system for laptops and desktops, but the company now appears ready to push further with a more capable, unified platform.
Speaking at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit 2025, Google executives confirmed that long-rumoured plans to merge Android and ChromeOS are now firmly underway. Rick Osterloh, Google’s Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, told attendees the company is “building together a common technical foundation” that will support both smartphones and PCs.
The strategy aims to bring Android’s strengths directly to the desktop. Users can expect deep integration of Google’s AI technologies, including the Gemini assistant, alongside full access to the Android app ecosystem on larger screens. This would mark a major shift, as Android apps have traditionally been limited to phones, tablets, or constrained environments on Chromebooks.
Early impressions from industry leaders suggest the platform could be a serious contender. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, who has already seen a preview of the software, described it as “incredible,” adding that he “cannot wait to have one” of the new Android-powered computers. He said the system delivers on the long-promised convergence of mobile and PC computing, enabling phones and desktops to work more seamlessly together.
At the hardware level, Google plans to lean heavily on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, moving away from the Intel chips that dominate today’s Chromebooks. These Arm-based processors, particularly those using Qualcomm’s newer Oryon CPU cores, are designed to offer improved performance and energy efficiency. Because the new platform is built directly on Android, apps will run natively rather than through emulation, promising smoother performance and better battery life.
Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem at Google, said the company is targeting 2026 for the first wave of devices. He explained that Google is “taking the ChromeOS experience and re-baselining the technology underneath it on Android,” while reaffirming the company’s long-term commitment to laptops and desktop computing.
For users, the timing could prove significant. As Windows 10 fades out and the cost of new PCs rises, Google’s unified Android desktop could offer a fresh alternative—one that mirrors the tightly integrated experience Apple users have long enjoyed between iPhones and Macs, but within the Android ecosystem.