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Ask HN: Linux Laptop Options for 2020?

21 points by movedx ↗ HN
I have a 2014 MacBook Pro 15". It's starting to show signs of internal problems (WiFi keeps failing to see my iPhone when other devices don't; the keyboard stops working when I plugin a USB device, but randomly and not in a consistent manner... software problems have been ruled out) and so I want to replace it.

I could just buy a MBP 16" but honestly, I think if I can get comparable (or beyond) hardware I'd prefer a Linux system.

Key requirements: excellent keyboard; 4+ fast cores; 32GB of RAM; 15" screen that's very high quality, if not exdeeds what I can get on a MBP; 1TB SSD NVMe

Use cases include: DevOps/CloudOps daily; Go and Python programming; lots of VMs, Docker containers, a K8s "cluster"; travel/Conference use.

I'm very familiar with Linux but I'd likely just throw Ubuntu on it for the sake of ease of use.

What options would you recommend? What are you currently using?

27 comments

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i_am_proteus
I run Linux on a ThinkPad P51: powerful hardware, good 4K screen, excellent keyboard, all the ports. Not small. You could also just put Linux on a Mac, alright you'd be paying the Mac premium for sort of not a Mac, and you'd be stuck in dongle land.
movedx
I've never found 4K screens to be all that good/useful. Maybe my experience of them is aged, but even Windows 10 fails to scale the UI all that well on a 4K screen.

Ideally I'd want the a 1440p screen.

ohples
IMHO On a laptop there isn't' much benefit . But on a monitor >= 32 inch it's great
movedx
I'm running 1440p on a 27". That works so beautifully.
bluedino
The best part of the P50 line - you can stick 64-128GB of RAM in there (depending on which model) as well as dual SATA, or single SATA plus dual M.2 drives.
nextos
I was about to ask the same question.

The default answer is a ThinkPad. X1C and T495s (AMD Ryzen!) are very interesting options. Sadly delivery times are really long now due to Intel supply problems or COVID disruptions.

Dell XPS 2020 is cool, but I have had many QC problems with Dell expensive hardware. So I try to skip Dell except for UltraSharp screens.

T2 chip will block access to disk in most recent Macs, so that's not an option. Which is unfortunate, as some MacBook Airs were perfect Linux machines. Linus himself used one a few years ago as his main machine before switching to a Pixel.

IMHO, surprisingly, Microsoft Surface devices are worth considering. The most recent batch is mostly Intel/AMD hardware top-down.

Surface Go works perfectly with a mainline kernel. Surface Book 2, Pro 7 and Laptop 3 work quite well, except minor glitches and touch support (which is still being worked out in some models). A caveat is that camera support is non-existent in non-Book devices. Some Windows Hello cameras are weird I guess. Else, hardware is fantastic, keyboard is a delight and those 3:2 screens are really good.

actionowl
I'm in a similar position with my 2018 13" MacBook Pro. I want a working keyboard again and I have no interest in a 16" (13" is the perfect size for me) but that doesn't seem to be possible.

I'm also a little more out of luck because I'm looking at switching over full time to BSD which I've used on-and-off over the years for a desktop and consistently on servers.

Thinkpads seem to consistently be the go-to and currently that's where I'm at, looking at a few different models. Also came across System76 and Purism and haven't totally ruled them out yet but probably won't go with those for different reasons.

thijsvandien
Just so you know, a 14" version—which is basically your 13.3" with more screen instead of bezel—should be on its way.
bluedino
ThinkPad, namely the P53s or X1 Extreme. You could go with the P1 if don't mind something a little heftier.

I'm still using second-hand a T450S since you can buy them all day long on eBay for $150.

fractal618
System 76 seems like the best option to me if you've got the dough.

If you like mac, there's a great site called Backmarket.com

clawedjird
What about the XPS 15 or its enterprise counterpart (Precision 5500 series)? I ran Ubuntu on an older XPS 15 for years with few issues.
movedx
The XPS 15 is probably the better of all the options, except for the System76 stuff which has way better hardware options and is cheaper - but what's the quality like? I'd have to see/try one.
kevinherron
The only comparable machines in quality and spec are probably the Dell XPS 15 / Precision whatever or the Thinkpad X1 Extreme series.

And these are only "comparable" in quality if you're being generous. Keyboard preference is subjective but nobody would argue the rest if they used these side by side with a 16" MBP.

alamortsubite
Welcome to the club!

I've been very happy with my XPS dev edition running Xubuntu. It's a 13", as I prefer smaller and lighter for travel. The laptop it replaced was also a 13" XPS with Xubuntu (slightly older), and when it comes time to upgrade, I'll almost certainly get another.

factorialboy
I was in a similar place in December 2019. Two main options before me: Dell XPS or the Thinkpad X1 Extreme

Both are great machines, but I went for the Thinkpad.

Reasons:

1. The near zero bezels of the Dell XPS look great, but I use an external monitor most of the time.

2. Thinkpad keyboards. Enough said. Best in breed.

3. Upgradability. Thinkpads are still one of the most upgradable laptops. Almost every part can be upgraded.

4. Thinkpad aesthetics and military grade hardware testing.

5. I find the build quality of the Thinkpad's better than Dell XPS.

Downsides of the Thinkpad is battery life, especially if you go for the 4k version of the screen. With that I get 4 to 6 hours depending on type of usages. Doesn't really bother me though. I find that enough. I'm not a sit in a cafe all day unplugged kind of users. I need my multiple external monitors.

Here's an affiliate link to the Thinkpad X1 Extreme: https://amzn.to/2VJr5fr Non affiliate link: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X1-...

Linux support you ask?

I have a dual boot with Windows 10. The Linux setup is Debian based XFCE desktop. Everything works fine. Bluetooth, HDMI, you name it. Even the Nvidia 1650 works perfect.

rawmark
Do not buy the Thinkpad X1 carbon 7th gen. There is a battery issue, Lenovo upgraded the bios 2 times by now trying to solve the problem but seems to be a hardware problem.
x0ff
same for the a475
dhruvkar
I bought a Thinkpad P52S last year and installed Pop_OS. It's built on top of Ubuntu and I highly recommend it over Ubuntu. I used a macbook for ~7 years before this, and then Ubuntu for a ~1 year. Pop_OS is much more similar to macOS that anything else I've tried.

With the Ubuntu Tweaks tool, it's been a dream to run. Required very little configuration, shortcuts to switching

I primarly use it for Python (virtualenvs) and a little docker.

I bought the P52S because it had all the hardware ports (Ethernet couple of USBs, a SIM card slot and a proper HDMI port. If those aren't important to you, you could get by with a lighter Carbon.

philipkiely
If you have MBP money and want "4+ fast cores; 32GB of RAM; 15" screen that's very high quality, if not exceeds what I can get on a MBP; 1TB SSD NVM" you could go with the System76 Adder, which has a 4k screen at 15.6 inches. [0]

I have no affiliation with System76 and have never bought one of their products, but I almost bought that one late last year when I was purchasing a laptop.

[0] https://system76.com/laptops/adder

tfehring
I have a 15.6" LG Gram running Mint 19 and I love it. It's lighter than a 13" MacBook Air and I usually get ~10 hours of battery life. My only complaints are the very high-gloss screen and the flimsy, proprietary power connector (edit: it looks like current versions use Thunderbolt instead). Also, I like the keyboard, but I'm not picky about keyboards so you may not want to trust my judgment on that.
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GeoffIsTheBest
Been using an X1 Extreme gen 1 for over a year now for work with Pop os. Love it, works great, besides fingerprint reader.

I have not interest in switching back to a Mac anytime soon for work or a personal computer (x1c6).

ObsoleteNerd
Very very happy with my ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen). Installing Linux was a breeze, and everything works fine out of the box with no tinkering.
crsl
I got myself Thinkpad X1 Extreme last year with 16 GB RAM, 256 GB NVME SSD, 8th gen i7 running Linux, so far I'm very satisfied. It can be upgraded fairly easily, I already installed additional 1 TB SSD, and will probably upgrade RAM down the road.

On Linux apart from switching between dedicated Nvidia GPU and integrated, everything worked out of the box for me.

lukaszkups
Consider using Windows 10 with WSL - Surface Book 2 could be your option then (as I'm not sure how it works on pure linux, but I use it with WSL since 1.5 year without any troubles)