Those who have considered buying a Linux laptop will know that those without a pre-installed operating system are few and far between, and finding one without Windows is like looking for a needle in a haystack, despite the increasing availability of these machines. Fortunately, we've seen companies like the Spanish firms VANT and Slimbook, as well as international ones like System76 and a few major manufacturers, release laptops with Linux as an option. VANT and Slimbook laptops are readily available here, but System76 laptops are more difficult to find, which also limits the selection.
Undoubtedly, the most successful option has been Google's Chromebooks , which have been among Amazon's best-selling devices and have sold out on numerous occasions due to high demand. However, ChromeOS isn't GNU/Linux; it's a Google operating system based on Linux, like Android, and it doesn't satisfy many users. Therefore, although it has sold more widely, it's not the solution most of us are looking for. Often, we have to settle for buying a computer with Windows, paying Microsoft for the license, and then eventually uninstalling their OS... Or, in other cases, buying an Apple Mac and installing Linux, which is even more expensive.
And yes, there are alternatives to avoid doing that, but I think they're not yet good enough in some cases, cheap enough in others, or offer as much choice as when we talk about Windows laptops… But here we're going to present a ranking of the best Linux options for laptops:
- Slimbook pro: it is a laptop with a fairly good design, with quality aluminum finishes like all Slimbook equipment. It is ideal to work with and its portability is maximum due to its reduced thickness, weight and size, since it is 13 ″. It can vary between € 699-889 depending on the chosen configuration, with Intel i3, i5 and i7 processors, DDR4 memory up to 32GB, SSD and even choose a second magnetic hard drive or SSD, etc. The operating system is to choose between the preferred distros ...
- Slimbook ExcaliburIf what you want is a somewhat larger laptop, this one has a 15,6 ″ screen, but it still maintains a nice aluminum design and more powerful hardware, since it also integrates a dedicated NVIDIDA 940M graphic. The price, however, is somewhat cheaper than the previous one, from € 799-879.
- System76 Lemur- It's another laptop priced at 649, with 8GB of RAM, Intel's Core i7, 4K, etc. But it has a big problem, and it is the battery life, which is terribly low when having to feed so much power ...
- Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition: we already talked about this equipment that exceeds € 1000 in price. It has a good design (finished with a mixture of carbon fiber, aluminum and magnesium) and it is compact, with a good autonomy. The hardware is quite good, but the disadvantage is found in the included ports ... only a Thunderbold, SD card reader and two USB 3.0 ports, covering the basic needs, but that falls short for some users.
- VANT MOOVE15: it is another lightweight laptop with a 15 ″ IPS screen and a 5th Gen Core i7 or Core i7 to be chosen by the user. Its price is quite cheap, with € 692 based on what you are going to add. Although if we choose the Top configuration, with Core i7 7500L at 2.7Ghz, 32GB of DDR RAM, 240GB SSD + 2TB HDD, the price amounts to € 1169. Among the pre-installed operating system options, we can select Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Ubuntu Mate, and Linux Mint.
As I said, there are alternatives, more and more and better, but I wish there were more ...