Here's a look at the future software for Galaxy Chromebooks

Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook laptops run Google’s ChromeOS, and that operating system is set to receive a major upgrade in the coming months. Google announced last year that it would base ChromeOS on Android for computers and laptops. However, it did not reveal how this new version would look. We now have our first look at the upcoming version of ChromeOS.

A Google bug report was recently spotted (via Android Authority) in the Chromium Issue Tracker, and a video attached to that report accidentally revealed the user interface design of Aluminum OS. Aluminum OS is the codename for the Android-based version of ChromeOS. As seen in the video below, the interface looks very similar to Android 16’s Desktop Mode. It appears to be running on an HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook.

The video shows two Chrome browser windows running in a 50:50 split-screen multitasking mode. The browser includes tabs and even extensions, similar to the desktop version of Chrome. The build version of the operating system is listed as ALOS, short for Aluminum OS, and the platform is specifically mentioned as Android 16.

In the status bar, the clock and date appear in the top left corner of the screen. On the top right corner, there are icons for battery status, Wi-Fi, keyboard language, Gemini, and screen recording. All apps, including the Google Play Store, appear to run in windowed mode. The taskbar includes shortcuts for frequently used apps such as Calendar, Chrome, File Manager, Google Photos, and YouTube.

Since the current version of ChromeOS functions largely as a web browser, an Android-based version of ChromeOS would be a significant improvement. It would allow the operating system to run native apps that are more capable than web apps.

It is still unclear when Google plans to release this update, but the company has clarified that not all existing Chromebooks will receive it, as compatibility will depend on the underlying hardware.