[kwlug-disc] laptops with Linux preinstalled

[Mikalai Birukou]

<2-cents>

I myself got Lenovo ThinkPad E540. I look for:

a) non-glare screen

b) processor

Eveyrthing else, RAM and disks are bought separately. You can't find 
reasonable price tag and nice combo of SSD, RAM.

Ubuntu just works.

</2-cents>

On 2020-06-04 12:34 p.m., Doug Moen wrote:
> I'm researching a replacement laptop for my aging Macbook Air.
>
> We used to live in an era when Macbook Pros were very popular with the 
> open source crowd, and you'd see a lot of these laptops at 
> conferences. I think that is changing. I have personally soured on 
> Apple. I was originally planning to replace my Macbook Air with a 
> Macbook Pro, but now I want a Linux laptop.
>
> Nowadays, there are many options for buying laptops with Linux 
> preinstalled and officially supported by the laptop manufacturer. 
> Linux on the laptop is now serious business, it is no longer just for 
> hobbyist and homebrew types. Linux laptops can be lighter, have better 
> specs, and at the same time be more upgradeable than Macbook Pros. 
> These are nice developments. Some of these options are quite new. So I 
> will share my research.
>
> The options I looked at are premium, expensive laptops, generally in 
> the range of $1500-$3000. Think of these as Macbook Pro replacements.
>
> Lenovo has been Linux friendly for many years, but Tuesday they 
> announced  that their entire Thinkpad P series can now be purchased 
> with Ubuntu LTS or Fedora Workstation preinstalled.
> https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/lenovo-brings-linux-certification-to-thinkpad-and-thinkstation-workstation-portfolio-easing-deployment-for-developers-data-scientists/
>
>   ThinkPad P1 gen2: 15.4" screen, 3.74lb, nvidia GPU, premium specs, 
> lots of ports, webcam shutter, opt. touch screen
>
> Dell has sold laptops with Ubuntu preinstalled for many years. Notable 
> ones are:
>
>   Dell XPS 13 model 9300: 13.4" 16:10 screen, 2.65lb, few ports, 
> soldered RAM, opt. touch screen
>   Dell Precision 5550: 15.6" screen, 4.06lb, nvidia gpu
>
> System76 is an American manufacturer of Linux-only laptops. Jason has 
> previously endorsed their Pop OS distro (an Ubuntu variant), and I'm 
> planning to run Pop OS after seeing Jason's presentation. Notable 
> features are Core Boot (GPL 3 firmware that boots very quickly), and 
> disabling Intel ME in hardware, before the firmware runs. Their 
> laptops are cheaper than the Dell/Lenovo machines mentioned above, at 
> the expense of lower spec hardware in some areas (eg. poor speakers, 
> poor colour rendition, no wifi 6, no thunderbolt, no touch screen). 
> Lots of ports, very repairable/upgradeable.
>
>   Lemur Pro: 14.1" screen, 2.2lb
>   Darter Pro: 15" screen, 3.6lb
>   Gazelle: 15.6" screen, 4.85lb, nvidia GPU, numeric keypad
>
> Slimbook is a Spanish manufacturer of Linux-only laptops. They are 
> openly targetting the MacBook Pro. Their laptops seem better speced 
> than equivalent System76 laptops (eg, good speakers, good colour 
> rendition). No wifi 6, no thunderbolt, no touch screen option. Their 
> most notable feature is authentication using an IR webcam and face 
> recognition, like Windows, except for Linux. You can use face 
> recognition to supply a sudo password, for example.
>
>   Slimbook Pro X: 14" screen, 2.38lb, nvidia GPU
>   Slimbook Pro X 15: 15.6" screen, 3.3lb, nvidia GPU
>
> The latest Macbook Pros are heavier than the competition, have 
> soldered in RAM, no WIFI 6, no touch screen, otherwise nice specs.
>   Macbook Pro 13.3" screen, 3.1lb
>   Macbook Pro 16" screen, 4.3lb, AMD gpu
>
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