Aluminium OS Confirmed: Android Coming to Laptops, Tablets & Mini-PCs

Google is taking a significant step forward to make Android more accessible by expanding its use case beyond phones and tablets and turning it into a unified desktop platform that could give the likes of Windows and macOS a run for their money. The search giant, which has limited its desktop presence to ChromeOS for quite some time, is now venturing to the mainstream of computing by creating an Android-ChromeOS hybrid under the codename Aluminium OS.

For a long time previous, the operating system that controlled the smartphone market also managed the tablet, the smartwatch, the TV, the car, and the XR headset markets, but the standard PCs remained largely under the rule of Windows and macOS. Google’s ChromeOS conquered only a tiny piece of the desktop market. In order to eliminate the gap, the company is joining the two operating systems and that will be powered by AI, all with the intent for delivery on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mini-PCs.

Google’s desktop ambitions were hinted at more than a year ago, with insider sources saying plans to integrate Android were for desktop OS. The move is to make the whole development less complicated and to build products that can fight the iPad by utilizing AI more effectively. A Google executive in July acknowledged the plan to merge ChromeOS and Android, thus confirming it. The partnership was formally signed with Qualcomm at the Snapdragon Summit held in September, where Google together with Qualcomm unveiled the initiative to create a shared platform powered by AI technologies.

Aluminium OS: What We Know

Leaked information has recently provided a better understanding of Aluminum OS. A Senior Product Manager job posting by Google explicitly mentions “working on a new Aluminium, Android-based operating system,” which confirms the codename. The platform is expected to consist of AI at its core and the Google’s Gemini large language models are most likely to be the ones used for enhancing the user experience across the devices.

The job posting from Google has also made it clear that Aluminium OS will be over different hardware levels and types. It will cater to laptops, detachable devices, tablets, and "boxes" (probably referring to mini-PCs), with a range from entry-level to premium. This indicates that Google is looking to engage in the competition all the way from the high-end PC market down to the low-cost Chromebooks.

The transformation is as well the future of ChromeOS. The job listing suggests that there will be a phase-out of ChromeOS in favor of Aluminium OS, thereby ensuring that businesses do not lose their operations due to the switch and that the devices that have been already phased out are still supported. Devices will also be available with Aluminium OS pre-installed, including some current Chromebooks that may or may not be available for upgrades based on their hardware, for example, those with MediaTek Kompanio 520 or 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake processors.

Still, the significant changes may not be enough to completely discard the ChromeOS brand name, especially when it comes to the enterprise and education markets. Mention of "ChromeOS Classic" and "non-Aluminium ChromeOS" in internal references related to bug reports hints that the branding might still exist alongside the core system that has vastly evolved. In case Google decides to go for “Android Desktop” as the consumer-facing name, that would be just a rumor for now.

Among the development boards, Google is already testing Android 16 and has confirmed that the official launch will take place in 2026. The first functioning version of Aluminium OS will most likely be made available to the public at the same time as Android 17. Specific launch dates and price ranges are yet to be revealed but the transition indicates that Google is going to push Android very hard as a powerful and AI-integrated operating system for both mobile and desktop areas.