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What are the best 4K display laptops with good Linux support?

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Feb 7, 2022

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Dell XPS 15 vs Dell XPS 12 vs Dell Precision 5510

Specs

CPU

Intel Core i3-7100H / Intel Core i5-7300HQ / Intel Core i7-7700HQ

Storage

500GB HDD + 32GB Flash / 1TB HDD + 32GB Flash / 256/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD

Weight

2kg (4.44 lbs)

Battery

56 / 97WHr

Display Size

15.6 inches

Webcam

720p

RAM

8 / 16 / 32GB DDR4 at 2400MHz

Ports

1 HDMI 1.4 2 USB 3.0 with PowerShare 1 Thunderbolt™ 3 (2 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) Supports: Power In / Charging, PowerShare, Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps Bi-Directional), 3.1 USB Gen 2 (10Gbps), VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB-A via Dell Adapter

Size

14.06 x 9.27 x 0.45-0.66-inches

GPU

Intel HD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5

Display

15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) / 15.6-inch UltraSharp™ 4K Ultra HD (3840x2160) Touch display

Wireless

802.11 AC & Bluetooth 4.0

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Trackpoint

No

Operating System

Windows 10

SD reader

Yes

Touchpad Size

4.1 x 3.1 inches

Release date for the most recent model

2017

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

GPU

-

GeekBench score

-

Dimensions

-

Wi-Fi

-

Memory

-

Bluetooth

-

Connections

-

Graphics

-

Operating Systems

-

Chipset

-

Soundcard

-

Display Options

-

Card Slots

-

Power Adaptor

-

CPU

Intel Core M 6Y54 1.1 GHz

Storage

256GB SSD

Weight

-

Battery

-

Display Size

-

Webcam

-

RAM

8 GB

Ports

2 x USB-C + Thunderbolt 3; SD card reader; headset jack

Size

-

GPU

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Touchpad Size

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Screen size

12.5inch

Screen resolution

3840x2160

GPU

Intel HD Graphics 515

GeekBench score

4,652

Dimensions

-

Wi-Fi

-

Memory

-

Bluetooth

-

Connections

-

Graphics

-

Operating Systems

-

Chipset

-

Soundcard

-

Display Options

-

Card Slots

-

Power Adaptor

-

CPU

Intel i5 - 6440 HQ

Storage

256GB SSD

Weight

1.78kg to 2.02kg

Battery

56Whr /// 84Whr

Display Size

15.6 inches

Webcam

720p

RAM

-

Ports

-

Size

-

GPU

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Touchpad Size

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Screen size

-

Screen resolution

-

GPU

-

GeekBench score

-

Dimensions

14.06 x 9.27 x 0.66 inches

Wi-Fi

802.11ac

Memory

8GB+

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.1

Connections

2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Audio combo in/out, Card Reader: SD, SDXC, SDHC, UHS-11

Graphics

Intel® Pro Graphics 530 & P530

Operating Systems

Win 7 Pro / Win 10 Pro / Win 10 Home / Ubuntu 14.04

Chipset

Mobile Intel CM236

Soundcard

Realtek High Definition Audio

Display Options

15.6" UltraSharp™ UHD IGZO (3840x2160) Touchscreen

Card Slots

SD/SDHC Card reader

Power Adaptor

130 Watt AC adapter

Pros + Cons

Pro
Solid keyboard and trackpad

The keyboard and trackpad are reliable and solid all-around. The keyboard is responsive but is not super “clicky”, rather a bit soft. It has a white backlight on black keys that illuminates them at night. The touchpad is rather large while having no buttons. Despite this, the XPS 15 can reliably distinguish between the left and right clicks which are done on the trackpad itself.

Con
Awkward webcam location

The webcam is located under the screen instead of on top. It means that your face will be shown from a lower angle which can seem a bit weird. It also means that your fingers can partially obstruct the webcam while you’re typing.

Pro
Good battery life if you pick the 1080p display

Models with the 1080p screen last about 10 hours with general usage. Naturally, if more intensive tasks are involved, the battery will be drained faster.

Pro
Operates well on a Linux system

All essential things, like network connectivity, ports and sound, work right “out-of-the-box” with a Linux operating system. There is a compatibility issue on the new 9560 model with its graphics card but the laptop is still very usable with its integrated Intel graphics card.

Con
Noisy fans

The laptop is very quiet during idle and light usage but when there is some workload, the fans get quite loud and distracting.

Pro
Amazing display

Two display choices are available for the XPS 15, an Ultra HD touchscreen or a Full HD non-touch screen. Both screens have a very wide array of colors as they cover approximately 100% of sRGB color space. The viewing angle is around 170 degrees. However, at 45 degrees, slight color change can be noticed. With around 350 nit output for brightness, it’s a viable choice for outdoor usage. All of this makes it an amazing display.

Pro
Slick design

The whole design is quite stylish. The aluminium chassis provides a very clean look while the black carbon fiber palm rest with an almost borderless display cements it as a visually modern laptop. All of this is made with a premium build quality.

Pro
Optional password-free-sign-in via a fingerprint reader

For an additional $25 it’s possible to enjoy a password-free-sign-in by having a fingerprint reader. It will keep your laptop safe while still providing convenient access to it.

Pro
Can run most modern games

Being an excellent all-rounder, it can be used as a gaming laptop for games that are not exceptionally demanding, like Overwatch or Dota 2. Unless you’re using the cheapest model, you can expect a reasonable 60 frames per second for almost all modern games, provided that you’re willing to lower the game’s settings.

Pro
Very well-rounded laptop

The cheapest configuration is a great choice for general non-intensive use - things like internet browsing, watching movies and similar tasks. Whereas the more expensive configurations are gradually more capable of intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming. It’s not as good as a specialized computer built for a specific purpose, like a video editing laptop with an enormous RAM size or a gaming laptop with a superior graphics card, but it’s a very well-rounded, reliable laptop.

Con
Some ghosting in games

The display is not intended for gaming purposes so it can produce an effect called “ghosting”. Ghosting is when the pixels are not able to change their colors fast enough, so the color of the preceding frame can still be slightly seen on the next frame. This causes a blurring effect. Note that it only happens on high framerates coupled with fast objects.

Con
Battery doesn’t hold long with the Ultra HD screen

If you’re choosing the configuration with an Ultra HD screen, expect a very short battery life of around 6 hours for general usage. With more intensive tasks it's even less than that.

Con
Audible coil whine

Coil whine can be heard when it’s generally quiet and the fans are not running. Audible when the laptop is connected to the power supply. The manufacturers have acknowledged it as a problem and, if possible, will push out an update which should eliminate it. Until then, it’s still a gripe.

Con
9560 model's GPU has compatibility issues on Linux

The new 9560 model has some trouble accepting its GTX 1050 Ti video card while running a Linux operating system. Fortunately, the integrated Intel graphics card is capable enough to substitute it. The manufacturers are probably aware of the issue and will, most likely, release an update for it.

Con
Palmrest collects sweat

The palm rest is made from carbon fiber which attracts fingerprints and sweat. After some time it gets kind of unpleasant to touch and needs to be cleaned.

Pro
Unique design

Like other laptops in the XPS series, the XPS 12 is not any different in the design department. It's a beautiful piece of hardware albeit a little strange for convertible laptops since it doesn't have anything that holds the screen and keyboard together. There's no latching mechanisms or prongs like in other similar devices. The screen slots in place and a combination of magnets, friction, and gravity holds it in place. It may seem a bit unnerving at first but it works and it's very secure while still allowing the user to easily lift the screen off.

Con
Middling battery life

The XPS 12 has an average battery life of 3 hours.

Pro
Great keyboard

The keyboard is on the same level as some business-grade laptops. Keys feel great to the touch and they have a slight curvature which makes hitting keys easier. They also offer a travel distance of 1.9mm, more than any other convertible laptop on the market.

Con
Works comfortably only on a desk or lap

When keeping the laptop on a flat surface such as a desk or one's lap, the viewing angles are good. But working with it in any other position (such as when lying down) you will have a hard time with the viewing angles. There's also the issue of the screen tumbling forward since it's not held in place by anything other than some magnets.

Pro
Doesn't rely on a flimsy hinge

This 2-in-1 laptop has a rigid keyboard base on which you place the tablet part. This avoids using a flimsy hinge like other 2-in-1 laptops and offers a great tactile typing experience found in business-grade laptops.

Pro
Amazing display

The XPS 12 has a 4K display that's one of the best in its class. The sRGB color space is covered by 100% and the screen brightness is great as well.

Pro
Great build quality

Both main parts (the keyboard and the screen) are made of high-quality magnesium alloy and the device is coated with a pleasant layer of soft touch paint.

Con
When using in laptop mode you can't tilt the screen to your liking

Since there's no hinge, you can't tilt the screen to your liking. It stays fixed at a 110 degrees angle.

Pro
Great Linux support

The hardware is Ubuntu Certified. It makes sure that Ubuntu, and by extension other Linux distributions work right out-of-the-box without needing to mess with it to get basic things, like Wi-Fi or soundcard, to work.

Con
Premium pricing

The price seems a bit steep for what you’re getting.

Pro
Great performance for graphics-related work or gaming

The included hardware corresponds to a moderately powerful workstation laptop. The video card has certified drivers that are optimized for performance with specific applications, like AutoCAD or DCC (Digital Command Control). Similarly, all of provided processors have four cores for high multi-tasking capabilities while the 32GBs of RAM allow running large projects. This combination makes it an attractive option for rendering, 3D modeling, and similar tasks.

Con
Not ideal for video calls

It has very awkward webcam and microphone locations making it rather unsuitable for video calls. The webcam is located under the screen, instead of on top, which creates a strange angle. It can also be partially covered by fingers when typing. Similarly, the microphone is located at a weird place - at the very front of the frame. At such a close position it can more easily distort your voice.

Con
Palm rest gets greasy

The carbon fiber coating is very susceptible to the sweat of your hands. The continuous contact with the skin can make the palm rest greasy and uncomfortable. It has to be cleaned regularly in order to avoid it.

Pro
Small and lightweight for a workstation

It is surprisingly small and lightweight for being a workstation-type laptop. With the weight ranging from 1.8kg to 2kg and with the dimensions of 35.8 x 23.5 x 1.7 cm, it really is a portable workstation laptop.

Pro
Great design

It looks strikingly clean. Built with an aluminium chassis it presents itself as a luxurious laptop. When opened, it has a sleek, dark carbon fiber palm rest with an almost bezel-less display. The small edges allow fitting a 15.6 inch screen inside such a small frame.

Pro
Reasonable battery life

With the Ultra HD screen the battery lasts for about 4 hours of general usage. This is with the smaller 3-cell (56Wh) battery. Note that, if you’re choosing the bigger 6-cell (81Wh) battery, the hard drives are limited to the M.2 PCIe drives with no secondary storage option.

Pro
Solid touchpad

The touchpad feels a bit slippery but is, otherwise, responsive and reliable. Several different gestures are available to make navigating with the touchpad easier. These gestures, like zoom, rotate, scroll and others, can be disabled via touchpad settings.

Pro
Reliable keyboard

The keyboard is covered with a soft coating that is pleasant to touch. The keys feel rather shallow with only 1.3mm travel distance but are still very responsive. It also has a backlight with three options - bright, dim and off.

Pro
Silent during light usage

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Pro
Remarkable screen

There’s a choice between a Full HD and an Ultra HD screen. The Full HD is a matte-type screen with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 while the Ultra HD has a glossy, touch-enabled surface which supports resolutions up to 3840 x 2160. Both screens have a very accurate color portrayal with approximately 100% of sRGB color space covered. They also have incredibly wide viewing angles. The brightness for the UHD screen is around 390 nits which is considered “very bright” and can easily be used outdoors. The FHD version has around 360 nits which is slightly worse but is also considered bright.

Con
Loud during high workload

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Con
Lacks certain keys

It has no numpad which would typically ease the input of numbers. It even has enough space for it. In addition, the navigation keys (arrows) are replaced with Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End keys.