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What are the best laptops for development with good Linux support?

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The Best 1 of 8 OptionsWhy?

8 Options ConsideredPriceRAMCPU
Excellent
Dell XPS 15
8 / 16 / 32GB DDR4 at 2400MHzIntel Core i3-7100H / Intel Core i5-7300HQ / Intel Core i7-7700HQ
Dell XPS 13
8 GB/16GB8th-generation Intel quad-core i5-8250U or i7-8550U processor
System76 Oryx Pro
8GB-64GB DDR4 @ 2400 MHzi7 7th Gen
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
8GB/16GB LPDDR3 1866Mhz–
System 76 Lemur
8/16/32 GBIntel Core i3-7100U / Intel Core i7-8550U
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Excellent

Dell XPS 15

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Endi Sukaj
Top 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 co...
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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...
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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...
Endi Sukaj
Top 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 di...
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
Endi Sukaj
Top 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 o...
Endi Sukaj
Top 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.
See 9 more Pros & ConsSee 13 more Pros & Cons
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7 Other Options Considered

Dell XPS 13

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great online customer service

•••
Dell's customer service is one of the best in the industry. Especially the online customer service website. There you will find frequently asked questions which usually solve 90% of issues, if that's not enough, there's a live chat with a customer service representative, who are usually...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Decent speakers

•••
The Dell XPS 13 has above average speakers for a laptop, they get very loud but at max volume tend to distort the music a little too much.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great build quality

•••
The body has a slick and elegant design. It's a mix of aluminum, carbon fiber and magnesium which hardly ever flexes even when held with one hand.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

One of the best Windows trackpads available

•••
The Dell's trackpad is one of the best Windows trackpads available. It has smooth and precise tracking and even supports three-finger gestures similar to the Macbook's.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great keyboard

•••
The keyboard is high quality, feels great to type on and isn't too mushy or too shallow. Even though there's nothing very special about the keyboard, it's as good of a keyboard as you could want.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great Linux support

•••
You can configure the XPS 13 to come with Linux out of the box. Even if you pick the Windows version, the XPS 13 has Linux drivers for all of its features and most users have reported that the whole process of installing a Linux distribution on a Dell XPS 13 is very simple.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Uses an SSD for faster operations on disk

•••
Using an SSD greatly increases performance for every I/O operation, especially compared to laptops that use an HDD. The laptop will boot faster, programs that need to read and write to disk will run faster and scripts will compile much faster than on an HDD.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Stunning display

•••
Before buying you can choose between the 4K UHD- or full HD-resolution touch displays or a full HD non-touch one. However, Linux compatibility for super high resolution displays can be spotty at times, so you might be better off sticking with the full HD if you plan on running Linux. Display quali...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Latest generation hardware

•••
The XPS 13 was recently updated with all the latest generation hardware which means that it won't become outdated any time soon.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Plenty of RAM for all programming needs

•••
Building software typically takes more resources than running the final product, having a lot of RAM helps building big complex applications faster.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Toggleable and customizable keyboard backlighting

•••
Users can turn on or off the backlighting of the keyboard as well as adjust the brightness.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The battery does not last as long as advertised

•••
The laptop never performs to the promised 11-15 hours, average usage is around 7-8 hours.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Phone support from Dell Customer Service could be better

•••
Phone support is very slow. Customers have reported waiting for up to 15 minutes to get connected to someone who will be able to help solve their issue.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Not a great choice for people who use their laptops to game as well

•••
The Dell's integrated graphics are very poor for gaming and you won't be able to play graphics intensive games on it at all. A latest-generation AAA game will run at about 20 FPS with lowest settings. While a less graphics-intensive game such as Dota 2 for example will run at 30 FPS with lo...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Spongy keyboard

•••
The keyboard feels a bit spongy and also does not have a lot of travel to the keys. When bottoming out there is no feel of completion.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The battery wears out quickly

•••
After some use, the battery continues to fall at an alarming rate, to only 5-6 hours after a couple of months.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Webcam located in an odd place

•••
Due to the narrow bezel of the infinity display, Dell moved the webcam to the bottom left corner. This results in an odd viewing angle and the webcam getting blocked while typing.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The touchscreen reflects light making it hard to see unless the lighting on the display is properly set

•••
The screen for the touch-screen model is glossy instead of matte (non-touch screen). For what is a Linux notebook this does not make a lot of sense since most Linux users are the more tech savy who program. A glossy screen is more for multimedia, something Linux is not really known for excelling i...
See 16 more Pros & ConsSee 16 more Pros & Cons

System76 Oryx Pro

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good for gaming

•••
The Oryx Pro is probably the best laptop with Linux support out of the box that is great for gaming as well. This is mostly because of the NVIDIA graphics cards. It comes by default with the GTX 1060 but for $289 more, you can add a GTX 1070 instead. The default 8GB of RAM is good for gaming but t...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great Linux support

•••
All System76 laptops come with Linux out of the box. The Oryx Pro comes with either Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or Ubuntu 16.10. But that does not mean that other Linux distributions are not supported, quite the contrary. Most Linux distros should work without any major problems with the Oryx pro and most (...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Amazing overall performance

•••
The default 6th generation i7 Processor coupled with the 16GB of RAM (even better with the versions with 32GB and 64GB) make for an absolutely amazing machine. It has a dedicated SSD for the OS only which massively increases startup time and for anything else you can choose up to two SSDs or HDDs...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good speakers

•••
One of the bonuses of having a larger body is that you get to use good speakers instead of some small ones stuck underneath the laptop. They are also angled toward the user and the sound is crisp and loud enough, even though it lacks some bass.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Very customizable

•••
Before buying the System76 Oryx Pro from the System76 website, you get to customize almost every aspect of the laptop as far as specs go. The price depends on what you choose to put inside your laptop and prices vary from $1475 for the basic version to $7000 for a laptop with a 17.3" Matte IPS...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good display

•••
Has a 1080p matte display with an optional IPS matte display version. With great colors and brightness and almost no eye strain even when it's used for extended periods.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good keyboard

•••
The keyboard is very nice, it's not amazing by any means but quite comfortable to work with. The keys are pretty thick, thicker than what you may find in laptops today and with a nice springiness to them. The keyboard also supports multicolor backlighting.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Customer service could be much better

•••
System76's technical support is pretty bad. When there's a problem that should be solved by them, they usually resort to sending replacement parts instead or blaming third-parties (even if those third-parties are not at fault) of something that they should be fixing.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Very heavy and bulky

•••
Weighing at 5.5lbs for the 15.6" version it's relatively heavy and it's one inch thicker than the XPS 13. But the extra space is not put to waste, considering how it has an Ethernet port, SD card slot, 2 Mini DisplayPrts, HDMI port, 2 USB 3.1 Type-C ports, 3 USB 3.0 Type-A ports and he...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

No 4K option

•••
It lacks the option to have a 4K display. While not a deal breaker, it's a shame that a laptop with a display as good as Oryx Pro's does not have a 4K option which would also be a great plus for gamers.
See 8 more Pros & ConsSee 8 more Pros & Cons

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Built-in support for Amazon Alexa

•••
The 2018 model of the X1 Carbon has far-field microphones built-in to work with Amazon Alexa. This will allow you to give commands to Alexa from across the room.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great build quality

•••
The Carbon X1 is a very light and durable laptop. It has the characteristic raven-black finishing of other Thinkpads on top of a carbon-fiber reinforced chassis. The carbon fiber increases the overall durability of the laptop, making it a great fit for people who travel a lot since it can withstand...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Very portable

•••
At around 2lbs this is a very light laptop. Especially when you compare it to other Thinkpads. It's light enough to carry in one hand and when it's carried in a backpack it's easy to forget that you are carrying a laptop because of how light it is.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Excellent display

•••
The X1 Carbon comes in two different versions. With a 1080p or a 1440p display, with the latter being $70 more. Both displays are excellent. The image is sharp and the colors are very noticeable. Although, understandably, the 1440p display has images that are a bit sharper than its 1080p counterpar...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great speakers

•••
The X1 Carbon has bottom-mounted speakers which provide excellent audio output. The sound is loud enough to fill a large room and there's clear separation of sound coming from the speakers, making them great for any sorts of recreational activity involving audio be it listening to music, watchi...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Excellent typing experience

•••
Like most Thinkpads, the X1 Carbon has an excellent keyboard as well. The keys have about 1.8mm of travel and provide great tactile feedback. Their gently curved keys also make it very easy to target without looking at them. The keyboard also has optional backlighting which can be turned on or off...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great battery life

•••
The battery supports over 10 hours of light activity like web browsing, watching videos and editing documents. This can be doubled to 20 hours by swapping in the extended, 6-cell battery, which can be hot swapped without turning off the laptop since it also has an internal 4-cell battery.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Missing an Ethernet port

•••
The X1 Carbon is missing an Ethernet port, so people who prefer having that option as well are forced to use Wifi only.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Extended dual battery adds weight

•••
6-cell extended battery adds 0.4 pounds to take this ultrabook's weight far above that of the ultrabook standard (<3 pounds).
See 7 more Pros & ConsSee 7 more Pros & Cons

System 76 Lemur

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Base model is pretty cheap

•••
For $599 this is the cheapest model System 76 sells, who are one of the few companies that sell laptops with Linux installed by default.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Portable

•••
At about 3.6lbs, it's a relatively lightweight laptop that can be easily carried around.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Ubuntu just works out of the box

•••
System76 machines come with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS pre-installed with all drivers and necessary software ready to go. For Ubuntu users there's no need to install their distro of choice from scratch.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Choice of version of Ubuntu

•••
System 76 allows the user to choose between the LTS release of Ubuntu and the latest release as the installed OS of the shipped device.. While installing a new version of the OS is done easily at home, it is convenient to see that System 76 will do it for you.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great performance

•••
The "medium" build of Lemur (8GB of RAM, i7 CPU) can do most activities just fine. Whether that activity is developing Android applications, writing documents, or editing a 4K video with Kdenlive, the Lemur will not have any problems with lag or overheating.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Comes with free lifetime software support

•••
Officially System76 provides free lifetime support for Ubuntu. And they will also try to provide unofficial support for other distros to the best of their abilities.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Poor build quality

•••
Like with most System76 products, the build quality for the Lemur is rather poor, especially when you compare it with other laptops at this price point. The plastic feels a bit cheap and flimsy and is not as durable as other laptops.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Terrible battery life

•••
Even when just web browsing, the battery will last five hours tops.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Limited hinge angle

•••
The hinge only opens to around 120 degrees. This is suitable for desk work. However, on a lap, it could be limiting.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Screen brightness doesn't go low

•••
Even at minimal brightness, the screen is too bright to comfortably use at night.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

US keyboards only

•••
System76 only manufactures laptops with US (American English) keyboard layout. As most other language specific keyboard layouts use a larger number of keys, this is a clear disadvantage to customers from other countries.
See 9 more Pros & ConsSee 9 more Pros & Cons

Lenovo Thinkpad T480s

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HP Spectre x360 15t

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good keyboard

•••
HP put a lot of effort in the creation of this keyboard and it shows. With 60 gram actuation weight and a travel length of 1.3mm, typing on the Spectre x360 is a great experience, reminiscent of typing on a mechanical keyboard.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Long battery life

•••
For simple activities such as web browsing and editing files, the HP Spectre clocks in at around 11 hours of autonomous battery life.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great, colorful display

•••
The Spectre x360 has a great glossy Full-HD screen to complement its amazing design. At 317 nits, the screen is pretty bright and it has a decent color range as well, covering 101.7 percent of the sRGB color spectrum.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great design

•••
The HP Spectre x360 has an all-aluminum body that gives it a very premium feel. The edges are all smooth and polished which provide a great highlight accent to the laptop.
Izem Lavrenti
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Excellent performance

•••
Performance of course depends on the configuration, but a medium-powered configuration with 8GB RAM and i7 provides an excellent performance. Multitasking is a breeze and the laptop doesn't stutter or lag even with 20 Chrome tabs open simultaneously. The SSD is also extremely fast and is able...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Can easily trap heat and overheat

•••
The extremely thin chassis is a drawback as far as heat management goes. Even a relatively simple activity like streaming HD videos will overheat the laptop and put the internal heat at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit which is 10 degrees higher than the 95 degrees "comfortable" threshold.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Has some bloatware

•••
While it's less than HP usually has, there are still apps like Netflix, The Weather Channel, Hearts Deluxe, Connected Photo etc.
See 5 more Pros & ConsSee 5 more Pros & Cons

HP Envy 13-ab016nr

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Extremely portable

•••
The HP Envy 13 is one of the thinnest laptops on the market at just 12.9mm thick. This detail, coupled with the fact that it weighs just above 1.3kg make the Envy 13 one of the lightest and most portable laptops on the market.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

People who usually use their laptop on a desk will feel very comfortable with this

•••
The Envy 13 has a hinge on the back which gives the laptop a slight extra boost in keyboard height. This puts the keyboard at a much more comfortable typing position and reduces RSI and finger-fatigue from extensive periods of typing.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good performance for the price

•••
The HP Envy 13 offers good performance for its price. It can handle up to 16 Chrome tabs open simultaneously without even a bit of lag. Daily mainstream activities such as web browsing, editing files and even development work can be done on this laptop without any particular issues.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The touchpad may be unreliable

•••
Sometimes while dragging the cursor to select text, the touchpad will not interpret the input correctly and may start zooming in or zooming out.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

No touchscreen version

•••
HP does not provide a touchscreen version of this laptop.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Poor battery life

•••
The Envy 13 has a relatively poor battery life. You may get about 9 hours out of it if you use it for general web browsing and some productivity work, but anything more than that (watching videos, light gaming) and you will start noticing that the battery life is considerably lower.
See 4 more Pros & ConsSee 4 more Pros & Cons
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Dell Precision 5510

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Lenovo Thinkpad T460

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Lenovo Thinkpad T470s

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