Ask HN: What is the best laptop to run Linux in 2019? - enitihas
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derekp7
Chromebooks with Crostini make for a good "second laptop". It is finally
getting to the point where it is usable as my daily driver.

The main advantage is that in ChromeOS, things like Netflix and Hulu work at
full resolution. And everything is touch optimized. Under Crostini, Linux apps
are getting very well integrated.

Note, that there are still a few things that are in the works yet. I'm on the
beta channel, and just got v74, which gives audio support to Linux apps. And
3d is still being worked out. (Audio in isn't in place yet though, for
security reasons).

I also have a Thinkpad X1 Yoga, which so far has been 0 trouble with Linux
(suspend/hibernate work as expected). The only thing that doesn't work is the
fingerprint scanner. Thinkpads in general are fairly well supported, partly
because many Red Hat developers carry thinkpads from what I've heard.

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taf2
I agree, after the MacBook keyboard touchbar thing I’ve started using a chrome
slate tablet and was amazed by how fast it is. It doesn’t have fans so it
can’t be fast for long compute operations but short compiles or bursts are
very fast. The keyboard is simple but yea tablet keyboard but it’s so small
and lite I can carry with me almost everywhere. The biggest issue for me is
when restarting the device for upgrades I lose my whole Linux even setup.
Although I enjoyed finally learning how to use tabs in screen.

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navidfarhadi
Thinkpads have already been mentioned but I also highly recommend the Dell
Latitude, especially the 7490. They have fantastic keyboards, great battery
life, and absolutely amazing displays (among the best 1920x1080 displays I
have seen on a laptop). Plus they run many Linux distributions out of the box
with minimal configuration.

If you live in the US or Europe I'd recommend the US/UK Dell Outlet. You can
get a Dell Latitude in great condition (often like-new condition) for a nice
deal, especially when they have their laptop promotions. I've had a good
experience with their onsite service as well.

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dfawcus
I looked a those, but found the 5400 series more practical (I use a 5480). US
keyboard, 3 button mouse, and it has the same screen resolution, but a
slightly more readable dot pitch.

For me the choice was based on the 3 button mouse, and the screen pitch.

What annoys me is that the only way to get the USA keyboard (for a UK
purchase) was that the machine was procured in the USA.

This is one thing Apple get right - offering the USA keyboard layout in the UK
market. That said, I don't like the feel of the current Macbook keyboards.

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AsyncAwait
There's plenty of good ones, just look for hardware that has good Linux
support, like an Intel GPU, or AMD if you need more power, compatible wireless
chipset etc.

If you don't mind slightly dated HW and want the smoothest experience, I'd get
a Purism Librem[1], the XPS line is known to be a solid choice as well,
there's vendors like System76.

I personally have an ASUS ROG GL702ZC, which is a Ryzen/AMDGPU based workhorse
laptop that works well out of the box.

1 - [https://puri.sm/products](https://puri.sm/products)

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markvdb
2011 Lenovo Thinkpad X220 daily user here. Really nice machine really for my
needs, running the latest Debian smoothly.

I do have a spare ready to take over if needed. Old hardware could always die
very suddenly. It's a frugal solution, both cheaper and more ecological than
buying new.

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0815test
> What is the best laptop to run Linux in 2019?

The one that you own already and that's sitting in a closet because it won't
run well using a "current" version of its stock OS. Chances are that it will
work very well with Linux.

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pizza234
I owned several IBM Thinkpads, and one or more Dell (one XPS, at least).

Thinkpads are definitely very well supported (at least, the high-end standard
form-factor ones; I had an Helix, and the support was mediocre), and they
would go first in my list of Linux-supported laptops.

The Dell XPS 13 was working very well, AFAIR. I can't remember/find though, if
I had other ones.

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mzur
I use a TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 13 since 2017 and I love it. It's essentially
the German version of a System76 Galago Pro. You can configure it to your
needs, it's not too expensive and the hardware just works with Linux (Ubuntu
16.04/18.04 in my case).

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immnn
I got myself a HP Spectre x360 last year, it‘s the i7-8550, 16GB RAM, 4K Touch
model. After a bunch of BIOS updates Thunderbolt properly does it‘s job.
Latest model should work fine as well due to minor upgrades.

Btw, Fedora drives the h/w.

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beatgammit
That really depends on what you want to do with it. In general, avoid Nvidia
and buy based on your requirements. Outside of Nvidia graphics, hardware works
pretty well, though it seems higher end non-Apple hardware tends to work
better.

I'm currently in the market for a laptop as well (I primarily use Linux), and
an AMD APU seems like a perfect fit because they have 4 cores and pretty good
graphics. I'm intrigued by the Thinkpad A485 because I love the Thinkpad line,
but I've heard this particular line has throttling issues. The E485 doesn't
have the throttling issues, but it doesn't have a big battery, so I may go for
that and a battery backup.

The main issue I've had and seen with running Linux on a laptop has been
wireless, but you can usually swap it out for an Intel WiFi chip, which
usually work really well under Linux.

There is so much variation in available laptops, so you really need to decide
what you want to do with it and then find a set of laptops that have the specs
you want. Once you have a list, check reviews from Linux users to make sure
there aren't any weird problems.

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gtf21
I have been wondering about this too. I'm pretty attached to my 2014 MBP
(running macOS) but dislike the latest line of Macs (and want to have a linux
laptop). I've been looking mostly at the new Dell XPS 13 range as they look
really good. I just worry that the build quality will never match up to
Apple's.

~~~
mobilio
Same here - MBP/MBA fan. But i'm afraid to migrate to new ones due keyboard
issues.

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annoyedmacuser
Made an account just to comment on this. The new keyboards are a nightmare. My
keys on my 2016 Macbook Pro kept sticking and after a while started falling
off. To fix it, they have to replace large parts of the machine, including the
screen, so your machine is likely to be in the shop for the better part of a
week. Once repaired, the problem will persist, because it's not like they're
actually able to correct the design flaw by giving you a new keyboard.

I've been a loyal Mac user for about 16 years - even used to run Yellow Dog
Linux on my old PPC - but I've started migrating my family to the Dell XPS for
their new laptops. From what I read, the new rubber components in the most
recent laptops don't really fix the issue either. I'd stay away.

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rubenbe
XPS13. It works perfectly out of the box, you can even order it with Linux
pre-installed. Do I need to explain further? The experience of running Linux
on my XPS has been "boring as it should be" because everything just works.
(I'm using Fedora 29)

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posedge
I don't know what the _best_ laptop is, but I've been running Ubuntu 18.04 on
my XPS 15 for a couple of months and it's been a fuss-free experience so far.
Once you switch the hard drive to AHCI mode, that is...

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smiths1999
I have a 3rd gen Lenovo Carbon X1 and absolutely love it. I am coming from a
late 2016 MBP touchbar which I can't stand to use anymore because of the
keyboard issues (which I encountered twice, my mom has encountered, and my
brother in law has encountered).

My only complaint with Ubuntu on the X1 is going to and waking from sleep is
problematic for me. Sometime when I wake from sleep I have to do a hard reset
(get frozen on the lock screen). Other times i successfully wake from sleep
but the touchpad doesn't function 100%, mainly it won't allow me to two-finger
scroll or click and drag.

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cmroanirgo
My MBA 2013 just barfed and while I was waiting to get my new one in I decided
to install xubuntu 18 LTS on a 2007 Sony Vaio (2mb, Core 2 Duo, tiny and slow
harddrive). While it's nowhere near as fast as an SSD, it loads reasonably
well and looks reasonable out of the box, and definitely usable for
browsing/typing and a bit of compiling.

So what I'm saying is that I'm not sure if the question is specific enough.

That said, any el cheapo laptop will run well, & a good SSD with a bit of ram
is all I'd be looking for if I were buying new... or I'd go top-end &
gorgeous, like a Lenovo.

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enterabdazer
As other commentators ask, for what?

I recently looked for a Linux-friendly laptop for development and general use.
Linux compatibility, performance, and price were my motivators.

I ended up with a Dell Outlet XPS 15 for just under $1300, including 2-yr
warranty.

Installed Pop OS, and after a few initial hiccups, I could not be happier.
Best Linux OS I've used and the most powerful machine I've ever owned.

6-core 8th-gen i7-8750, 32GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, and 1TB SSD.

Couldn't find anything comparable anywhere else. I _highly_ recommend Pop OS,
too.

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karmakaze
Hardware-wise, I'm interested in the smallest, lightest package that can still
run dev tools. I got a Surface Go as a daily driver 2nd laptop and it's just
fine. It's still running Win10 + WSL.

If I we're looking for a full-time laptop, I'd seriously consider the latest
Surface Pro, it's the right size+weight and many have worked to get Linux to
run well on them. The 3:2 aspect ratio is awesome too--I can't stand 16:9 for
dev unless it's 27".

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Rotareti
I used a ThinkPad x230, now I use a ThinkPad x280. Both machines work nicely
with Linux. If you are a programmer and use the keyboard a lot, the poiting
stick is simply the best poiting device you can get. With it, you never have
to leave the home row. I find the keyboards of both machines quite nice as
well.

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antongribok
Not only Dell XPS13 works out of the box _AND_ ships with Linux, with Fedora
it was one of the first platforms where where you can update the BIOS and all
other system firmware straight from the OS.

Truly a first class experience.

Also, the 20 hour battery life is second to none.

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sofaofthedamned
Thinkpad X1 Carbon with Fedora 29 / rawhide kernel is awesome, cannot
recommend it enough. Best keyboard on any 14" laptop.

Only issue I have is the nipple thing doesn't work after a wakeup even, but I
don't use it so don't care.

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manjana
I have a Dell Inspiron 7000 which has a discrete GPU (GTX 1050Ti).. Once it
runs, it runs very well, but being somewhat newer to Linux it was a big hassle
which wasn't settled easily.

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ekianjo
Not a new laptop but the t440p is an excellent choice still. Cheap,
serviceable, extendable to 16gb RAM, with easily upgradable CPU... still one
of the best in its category.

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bernardv
My Asus Zenbook runs Fedora 29 without any issues. Great laptop.

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ykevinator
I did a bunch of research and wound up chooosiing the xmate pro huwaeii. It's
been excellent so far. I bought it about 3 months ago. It was the best in all
dimensions.

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wgillett
I have a Galago Pro from system76 and love both the hardware and System76 tech
support for Ubuntu, on a few occasions where I have run into trouble where I
needed help.

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bertman
I'm using a librebooted ThinkPad x200 with Debian Stable and an AFFS display
panel as my daily driver. It's great, I hope it never dies.

~~~
ryanponce
Out of curiosity - what password manager do you use?

~~~
sofaofthedamned
Not OP but I use Bitwarden and it's awesome. You can host it yourself, and has
all the browser plugins / apps you need.

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noipv4
Any reviews on running Linux on the LG gram 17 inch?

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chrisMyzel
X1 carbon 6th runs smoothly on antergos

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soinus
My girlfriend has it and it just won't go to sleep even with tlp installed :/

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kevinherron
Did you install the BIOS update they released towards the end of last year?

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NamPNQ
Cheap Dell Inspiron 14 3000 Series with custom upgrade ssd + 16gb ram, all is
smooth

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snrji
I have never had issues with neither HP, ASUS or Dell.

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hestefisk
Surface Book is not bad. No suspend though.

~~~
pizza234
I owned multiple Surface devises, and while I think it's a good machine for
development in general, it's definitely not a "best laptop to run Linux", due
to incomplete hardware support.

In addition to the sleep, the webcam is not supported at all, and the wifi
driver is far from perfect.

An extremely annoying issue, although not relevant to Linux itself, is that
the Fn key frequently disables itself, and there's no way to lock it (there
was in the SP3). I've verified this on both a Surface Book and a Surface Book
2.

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jasonhansel
My thinkpad x1 carbon works great!

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guilhas
Second hand Thinkpad x230 i5

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curiousgal
XPS 15

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mdsharpe
ThinkPad T420s

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y4mi
any by system76 are worth a look

