If you buy a laptop and you know you plan to run linux, you can either get any laptop, reformat the hard drive and install your favorite linux distribution on it, or just get a laptop that runs Linux straight from the box. Here are some of the best Linux laptops you can get in 2021.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T490, T490, and T495 are all essentially the same laptops with some slight differences. They're all 14-inch ultrabook-style business laptops built to last, tested against 12 military-specification tests to ensure durability. The T490 and T490 are both Intel-based, with 8th and 10th Gen Intel U-series processor options, and the T495 is AMD-based with 3rd Gen Ryzen processors.
All are available with up to 16 gigabytes of memory from Lenovo, and the non-s versions have selectable RAM slots for some expandability. Lenovo's ThinkPads in general are among the best laptops for Linux, but the 14-inch T-series ThinkPads are among the classics. Plus, considering it's technically last-gen, the price is quite nice, starting at around $750.
These all come preloaded with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, which is a solid base for any of the various flavors or just vanilla Ubuntu. Many drivers were provided upstream by Dell, so many distros using newer kernels should be able to take full advantage of Killer Wi-Fi cards and Intel Iris Plus graphics.
System76 is one of the leading manufacturers of Linux laptops on the market, and for good reason. Its Oryx Pro is much more than a laptop with a redesigned Ubuntu distribution. The Oryx Pro is a 15″ or 17″ Nvidia powerhouse that runs open-source Coreboot firmware and open-source System76 on-board controller firmware, giving you access to switchable graphics on its distribution, Pop!_OS.
It comes with an Intel i7-10875H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080 Super, and up to 64GB of RAM. It's a great laptop for everything from gaming to editing videos. The price is a little steep, starting at $1,699, but you're paying for all the work System76 has done for switchable Nvidia and Coreboot graphics.
Pop!_OS is the obvious recommendation. System76 developed it specifically for its machines, and it comes with all the different accessories that come with a factory image designed for its systems. Anything with Nvidia support would also work fine, but Pop!_OS is the crème de la crème on System76 hardware.
Pine64 has often made headlines for their Pinephone, but the Pinebook Pro is another great product from them. It is a 14-inch ARM laptop that weighs less than 3 lbs/1.5 kg and consumes power. It's a great little machine that helps push Linux forward on the ARM platform and costs just under $200.
Since Pine64 devices use the mainline ARM Linux kernel, you can run just about any ARM Linux distribution on it. Some notable examples are Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora.
This laptop is fresh off the presses and it's pushing Linux desktops into the next generation. the KDE Slimbook 15 features 4th Gen Ryzen H processors, which outperform desktop processors in many situations. The KDE Slimbook 15 is a powerful processor with up to 64 GB of RAM. With all the issues plaguing 4th Gen Ryzen on Linux, the KDE Slimbook 15 is a huge step forward.
Currently, any distro that runs a newer kernel would run incredibly well on a 4th Gen Ryzen system. Fedora and Arch would have had great results. However, the KDE Slimbook 15 comes preloaded with KDE Neon, and early reports show great results.
If you want to switch to Linux, be sure to check out our frequently asked questions for new Linux users, these GNOME Shell extensions to make your Linux laptop more usable, and find out which version of Ubuntu you should use.
Contents1. Lenovo ThinkPad T490(s) and T495Recommended Distributions2. Dell XPS 13 Developer EditionRecommended Distributions3. System76 Oryx ProRecommended Distributions4. Pine64 Pinebook ProRecommended Distributions5. KDE Slimbook 15Recommended Distributions
