Lemur Professional shouldn’t be the very best for graphics-intensive duties like gaming or video modifying (see beneath for some extra highly effective rigs with devoted graphics playing cards), however for every little thing else, this is likely one of the nicest laptops you will get.
Dell’s XPS 13 Developer Version was one of many first big-name laptops to ship with Linux and it stays the lightest, smallest laptop computer with Linux put in. This configuration sports activities a Twelfth-Era Intel i7-1250U processor, 32 GB of RAM (soldered), and a 1-TB SSD. It ships with Ubuntu Linux 20.04, however in my testing, it would fortunately run any distro from Fedora to Arch (Dell assist applies solely to Ubuntu although). While you’re on the product web page, be sure to select Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS as your working system (it defaults to Home windows).
For extra particulars on the {hardware}, see our evaluate of the Home windows model (6/10 WIRED Evaluation). Whereas efficiency was not nice with Home windows, I’ve not discovered the identical to be true utilizing Ubuntu. The primary downside to this machine is the dearth of ports. There are two USB-C ports, one in every of which is your charging port. There is not even a headphone jack.
If the Dell’s lack of ports leaves you wanting, that is the laptop computer for you. System76’s Pangolin (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a 15-inch, AMD-powered monster of a laptop computer with each port a sysadmin may hope for. This config ships with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, 32 GB of RAM (soldered), and a 250-GB SSD. You may configure the Pangolin with as much as 8 TB of storage.
The battery life is sweet for the dimensions—it lasts all day in most use instances—but it surely’s inferior to the Dell. The keyboard, alternatively, is implausible and an actual pleasure to kind on. The one draw back is the quantity pad, which makes the trackpad off-center. The port choice is the place the Pangolin actually shines. There’s Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C port (with DisplayPort assist, however not Thunderbolt), three USB-A ports, a 3.5-mm headphone/microphone combo jack, and a full-size SD card reader.
Most Repairable and Future-Proof
If you would like a laptop computer you possibly can improve, Framework’s Laptop computer is the very best Linux rig for you. There are a number of flavors accessible. I examined the second launch of the 13-inch mannequin (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and liked it. The Intel Core Thirteenth-Gen collection chips with 32 GB of RAM, a 2-TB SSD, and whichever mixture of ports fits your wants begin for round $1,400. That may ship with no working system. When it arrives you possibly can set up Linux your self (or decide to ship it with Home windows if it’s essential to twin boot). I have not had an opportunity to check it but, however an AMD model can also be accessible. Framework can also be taking pre-orders for a brand new 16-inch mannequin. The 16-inch mannequin is on the market with an AMD Ryzen 7040 Collection processor.
I examined Ubuntu, which Framework helps, and Arch Linux, and each labored nice (although Framework doesn’t formally assist Arch). My solely gripe about utilizing the Framework is my gripe about virtually any Linux laptop computer: battery life might be higher.
The System76 Oryx Professional is available in both 15-inch or 17-inch fashions with Twelfth-Gen Intel processors and Nvidia graphics (both the 3070 Ti or 3080 Ti GPU). There are alternatives for a shiny, OLED 4K display, as much as 64 GB of RAM, and as much as 8 TB of SSD area. It is not low-cost, however the Oryx Professional is by far probably the most highly effective laptop computer on this web page. Just like the Pangolin above, the Oryx ships with both System76’s Pop_OS! or Ubuntu Linux. In contrast to the Pangolin, the Intel chip within the Oryx Professional means it ships with Coreboot, and open supply firmware.
OK, it is corny, however there’s one thing concerning the Lenovo X1 Carbon Linux version that makes me wish to set up Kali Linux and begin probing the espresso store Wi-Fi. Regardless of the case, this can be a slick laptop computer for these of us who assume ThinkPads are, ahem, slick. That slickness comes at a severe worth although. For nearly double the worth of our different picks, you get a Thirteenth-Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD (a lot of that is customizable).
On the plus aspect, you do get a pleasant 2K (2,880 x 1,800), OLED, anti-glare display. I’ve not had an opportunity to check this newest mannequin, however I actually just like the earlier launch (8/10, WIRED Recommends,) and the brand new model is primarily a spec bump. It is often on sale for round $1,700.
{Photograph}: Lenovo
One of many beauties of Linux is that it requires fewer assets and maintains assist for older {hardware} far longer than Home windows or macOS. Which means you need not lay our a fortune on a brand new laptop computer; you possibly can breathe life into an outdated one or seize a used laptop computer off eBay. I’ve been doing this for years, working my method by way of Lenovo’s X-series laptops (beginning with an X220, now an T14 Gen 1), however outdated Dell and Asus laptops are additionally nice for Linux. In the event you decide to purchase used, take a look at our information to purchasing used on eBay to be sure to get an excellent deal.
