When is Google’s Desktop Aluminium OS Coming?

Thanks to some unsealed court documents, we finally have a clearer look at where Google is headed with its long rumored Aluminium OS. Internal documents relating to Google’s Antitrust case dug up by The Verge show that Google is moving toward a unified platform to bridge its two worlds, giving tablets a more polished feel while making laptops feel like more than just a glorified browser.

At its core, Aluminium OS is the long awaited merger of Android and ChromeOS into a single, cohesive operating system. Instead of maintaining two separate platforms that occasionally borrow features from one another, Google is effectively rebuilding the desktop Chrome OS experience on top of the Android stack. This means the system would have the vast app library and touch optimization of Android, but with the window management, peripheral support, and power of a traditional desktop OS. It is a fundamental shift designed to turn Google’s mobile software into a true competitor for Windows and macOS. We’ve seen what this new OS will look like in the form of the “Desktop Experience” on Pixels devices and also in the form of bug report “leaks.”

While some early buzz suggested we might see a full launch as soon as this year, the reality looks a bit more complicated. Internal filings from Google’s recent legal battles suggest that while the company is aiming for "commercial testing" in late 2026, a broad release for everyone else might not happen until 2028. This phrase "commercial testing" has sparked plenty of speculation online. Many believe this refers to a limited hardware rollout where specific vendors, possibly Samsung or even Google themselves, might ship a few "test" models to enterprise partners or retail customers to see how the OS handles real world workloads. It is a cautious way to iron out the bugs before a massive public launch.

The hardware side of the story is just as interesting. The Verge found evidence of two flagship devices designed to show off this new software. One is a high end tablet codenamed Sapphire, and the other is a powerful laptop dubbed Ruby that is slated to run on Intel Panther Lake chips.

This new direction raises serious questions about the future of standard Android tablets. If Aluminium becomes the go-to for high-end "detachables" like Sapphire, we may see Google phase out traditional Android on tablets entirely. Android tablets have long been criticized for basically being giant phones with an interface that isn’t well matched for a larger screen. Why would consumers want to buy that when a product with a better large-format UI exists? Google could allow Android tablets to swap into this new desktop UI, but then why would consumers buy an Aluminium device if it can’t do the same? It seems to me that both types of devices can’t coexist.

Foldables could end up being the vital half-step in this transition, as they already sit somewhere between a phone and a workstation.

Of course, this shift raises big questions about what happens to the millions of Chromebooks already out there. Because Aluminium OS is built on a different foundation, it won't be compatible with every older machine. Google plans to keep the original ChromeOS on life support until 2034 to fulfill its ten year support promises, but the long term goal is clearly to move everyone over to the new unified system.

The timing of this project also carries heavy legal weight. Late last year, a judge agreed that Chrome is a necessary component of a ChromeOS device, which helped Google avoid a court ordered sale of the browser. By positioning Aluminium as the successor to ChromeOS, Google is essentially extending that same protection to its new platform. The Verge also points out a potential loophole regarding the Epic Games settlement: because that agreement specifically targets devices running "the Android operating system," branding this as Aluminium OS could shield Google's new laptops from having to open up their app stores. It is a strategic design that allows Google to keep its ecosystem tightly knit while building a platform that is legally distinct from the mobile world.