Buy laptops to run Linux is a bit of fortune wheel. Usually older models have better support due to more developement time. Yesterday I saw an M2 MacBook air and the build seemed really nice. Great for travel.
However those are expensive, and I love Linux.<p>What are some options with a similar feel? Good for travel, seems sturdy, and a nice screen? Samsung has a few options, but idk how's the Linux support on their models.
I am quite happy with my 12th gen 13" Framework running NixOS. Everything I need seems to work out of the box (sleep/resume (not using hibernate though), Touchpad, camera, mic, etc) and seems quite stable.<p>The 13th Gen (w/i7 only?) has a bigger batter so battery life should be better (a chief concern for some - though I am almost always plugged in). The new version also has an option for a matte screen. There's also an option (coming) for an AMD based system (eg better iGPU).<p>Almost everything is repairable/replaceable... and in a year or three, when I want to upgrade to a newer/faster system, I know I'll be able too (the upcoming AMD MB is tempting but my machine is less than a year old and I can't justify the cost)
I've owned a few Acer laptops over the years. Linux runs well on them. They don't run Linux perfectly but nor would they be perfect under windows. Anything as complex as a laptop will run into software v. hardware issues from time to time. If you want seamlessness, pay up for an Apple. If you aren't rich, buy a generic laptop, install linux from a thumbdrive, and be ready to occasionally fix things. Don't buy some weird Chinese machine with an esoteric multi-CPU setup with a third LCD screen built into trackpad and a keyboard that shoots RGB lasers. If you get the most common laptop in your price range from Amazon then there is a 99% chance that it will run linux about as perfectly as it will run windows.
My current daily driver is a Thinkpad X230 running Mint which honestly does everything I need it to. The processor holds up pretty well and the storage and RAM are easily upgradable. The screen is my only real gripe and even that is merely fine. I've heard others upgrade them with different IPS panels too though I haven't looked much into that.<p>However, if you want something with the horsepower of the M2 MacBooks I have colleagues that run the Dell XPS 13.<p>One company that always interested me in the Linux specific laptop space is Star Labs out of the UK. They seem to have a competitive offering in the Starbook line when compared to manufacturers like Purism and System 76. They also have a very small netbook style laptop but the processor seems pretty weak on it.
There are Librem 14, <a href="https://puri.sm/products/librem-14" rel="nofollow">https://puri.sm/products/librem-14</a>, and Lemur Pro, <a href="https://system76.com/laptops/lemur" rel="nofollow">https://system76.com/laptops/lemur</a>.
How small is small? The framework 13 might fit the bill but it is not as "polished" as the MacBook.<p>Depending on the power requirements, the last Intel MacBook might be a good option.
Look for a discounted Lenovo ThinkPad that you can test out in store to make sure it has a sturdy keyboard and can handle key presses without a hollow feeling.<p>I'd recommend trying to install Alpine Linux as a challenge and it ends up teaching you a lot about the simplicity of the OS and beauty of OpenRC.<p>Otherwise, Debian is a very reliable and easy to use/install OS and well tested on Lenovo hardware. Failing that, install Ubuntu which has invested much in compatibility with ThinkPads, specifically X1's but those are expensive and cheaper models are often just as compatible.<p>If you have problems running wireless, the easiest solution is sometimes to figure out if your wifi card is officially supported and swap out the one in the PC with an older and more compatible wifi card.<p>Sleep and hibernate are often problematic. Find a workaround that works well enough.
The dell xps 13 is a really nice laptop, and it's fully compatible with linux because dell even has a 'developer edition' of the laptop that ships with ubuntu.
I have an 11" Chromebook (Intel CPU) with the Linux extension enabled (you get a Debian VM), I can run any Linux program on it, even programs that require graphics. It is perfect for travel (battery is good for about 8 - 10 hours, depending on usage). If you decide to go on this route, make sure that you buy a supported machine (as in it will receive updates for at least a few years from now).
It's depend on your priority
If you're prefer better mechanical or industrial design, if you think that macbook is better, well, I'm no comment<p>if you're prefer long term usage, As you say, older model would less weird issue (Graphic/Wifi),<p>Intel cpu would less issue
(My desktop Ryzen5 2400g was randomly freeze before, but that freeze issue does not occur recently, maybe half year or one year? I'm not sure it cause by kernel upgrade or I've change some configuration)<p>You may choose a old laptop that you're able to replace battery, ssd(avoid mount on mainboard)<p>my experience, I'm using asus UX31LA with linux mint
(it was scrapped, waiting to discard, I've pick up from our accountant scrapyard)<p>intel i5-4200u<p>4GB ram (enable zram to increase ram space, you may pick a 8GB+ model)<p>256GB ssd (enough for me, but it depend on your use case)<p>replace battery by my own<p>it work over 4 years, and still working.
For travelling I'm using an HP Stream 11 laptop.
Low powered, for 200EUR or less, but you cand do lots of tasks, just don't open too many tabs. A travelling laptop must be cheap for me, because it is always on risk of being lost/stolen/broken.
I tried pretty much everything except the Framework and I have no hope.<p>Personally I'd go for a MacBook and run Linux in a VM because I'm afraid the battery life on Linux won't be good enough.<p>If you can stand the look of Thinkpads they're quite durable.
I'd give Framework a chance, albeit I've heard conflicting reviews.<p>Dell, Surface, Lenovo, HP: utter garbage.<p>My current setup is an old MacBook running Mac for travelling and a Linux desktop PC.<p>I used to have a MacBook 2015 running Linux and it was pretty neat, but Linux support is just not there with my current MacBook.
My daily driver is still a Dell XPS13 I bought in 2018 when it was the highest spec XPS13 available. I replaced it with a later (and higher spec) XPS13 in late 2021, but didn't like Dell's changes to the keyboard layout and returned to using the older machine. I'm looking at a 13" Framework with the AMD chipset, but holding off for now in case Linux on an M2 Macbook Pro matures quickly enough to be an option.
What does your budget recomment. I've seen the XPS 13 for as much as $1400. And there are a number of new no-name laptops for just under $300 on aliexpress.
If you don't need crazy big RAM or crazy big CPU, and unless it's for games you probably don't, then go old.<p>Old Lenovo X1 Carbons are <1.4kg and perform really well. Gen 7 or so can be had for a few hundred bucks.<p>I just bought an MS Surface Pro 5 to run Linux and the hardware is delightful. Less thrilled with Ubuntu/Gnome in tablet mode, but as a laptop it's rather good. AU$200 it cost me.
Running Mint 20 on ThinkPad P15 Gen 1 with GPU installed.
It took some time to get it working through GPU on Display Port (but I don't recall what I did).
Was fine for ~about year, but recently I am having Telegram crashing when clicked on a picture or video.
(Mysteriously, this happens only when displaying through DP with 4k resolution - 1080p is still working).<p>Other than that no other issues.
Give the MacBook (12-inch, 2015-2019) a look. They're Intel based and you can find a top end model for a few hundred bucks on ebay. I love mine - the weight and size make it incredibly easy to move with. They're also great to have as a second laptop, which never made sense given their price when new, but now that they're cheaper they're perfect for the role.
I use Lenovo laptops, customised at purchase time to use mainly Intel peripheral chips for stuff like networking or display. (Only needed two since 2010, T410 followed by P53)<p>I use Mint MATE for my desktop environment. (Since about 2012)<p>It's what 'Works for Me'.<p>(I have never ever used Windows for my daily system. UNIX from 1991 to 2001. Linux only since 2001.)
I have an old gen (9350) Dell XPS13 that I still haven't found a replacement for, recently replaced the battery in it, this thing is almost 10 years old and still great.<p>I'm considering the X1 Nano Gen2 (Gen1 and Gen3 are capped at 16GB for some reason).
<i>How</i> small? The GPD win 3/4 is currently top of my wish list, and it'll run Linux.<p><a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GPD_Win_3" rel="nofollow">https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GPD_Win_3</a>
I bought my last 2 laptops from System76 with pre-installed Ubuntu and Pop_OS Linux. I have been very happy with the build quality and their support, so I will recommend them.
I've had really good luck with the one generation old relatively up-market Dells - their consumer products tend to be mediocre, but the Latitudes and Precisions are typically good hardware ... look for Dells that start with a "7".<p>My little 12-13" class carryin' around laptops for the last many years have been a first-party refurbished Latitude E7250 succeeded by a similarly refurb Latitude 7390. Replacement after not quite 5 years because I finally got a tiny hairline crack in the LCD that caused some discoloration in the corner of the screen, from a hit that would have bent the corner of an aluminum chassis machine, and it was starting to struggle with running video conferencing at the same time as my usual workloads. First party refurb meaning <a href="https://www.dellrefurbished.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.dellrefurbished.com/</a> - It's a joint venture by FedEx and Dell, stock is "whatever they have right now" but there are always machines coming through, and there are usually coupons that make it even cheaper, so pick what you want and watch for a few weeks if you can.<p>As you note, going for a generation old machine not only gives time for the hardware support to settle out, it makes it _much_ cheaper: Both of those were around $500 for examples optioned up to 1920x1080 screens, the newer one has 16GB of RAM in it, etc., and I kind of prefer that the machine I carry around day-to-day isn't something I have to be super precious about.<p>In the two example cases, everything _except_ a Broadcom smartcard reader that I don't have any compelling use for anyway worked out of the box with little-to-no configuration, I get credibly 10-12 hours of usable battery out of the newer one (I'm running a full-integration KDE on Arch setup, so it's not light but it's also running active power management), and the 7250's (readily replaceable if I chose to) battery still has 78% of its design capacity after years of cycles.<p>...or if you want a truly low-end beater, buy an EOL Chromebook for like $50, flash a UEFI Coreboot payload (MrChromebox maintains builds for most of the common models) and hack on it mercilessly. They're low-end, but are fine at being low end, and the ones built for the education market will take a _beating_. I have one that I use as a media player/reference materials display when doing potentially destructive things like sanding/filing/paint stripping or what have you. I got it to do that as a Chromebook, but after it was getting concerningly out of date once the model passed AUE, I flashed it and now it's usually running some weird stack (currently Hyprland) that I want to try out on a machine I actually use without interfering with machines I do real work on.
Older 13 inch Intel MBPs are great.
I'm on a refurbished Thinkpad 11e that I paid $60 from NewEgg for upgraded to the max 8GB of ram and I'm happy with it.<p>Obviously if you want to run something heavy like Twitter or g++ or Gnome you'll want something expensive.
I have used Asus, Dell and HP Laptops with Ubuntu on them. The battery management is so pathetic that within a few months the battery is fried. Now, I have Ubuntu on my Desktop and Windows 10 on my laptop although I hate it.