Posted 2 days ago

Recommendations on a laptop for Linux?

I have my main Windows 11 setup at home but would like to buy a laptop solely for use with Linux rather than dual boot my main system. Looking for recommendations on what would fit well with a budget of £150 - £200.

I currently use a ThinkPad X230 but struggling with the small size plus it's cosmetically a mess, I'd like one that's in good cosmetic condition. Thought that maybe a MacBook Air may be worth a shout (Pre-Apple Silicone).

  • 13" Screen or larger
  • Glass trackpad
  • USB-C Charging (Nice to have)

Thoughts?
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  1. tardytortoise's avatar
    Good decision. Recommenmd a refurb - obvs - though you may struggle with the glass touchpad. Just over a year ago I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad T470s via this ebay reseller ebay.co.uk/str…les

    You can do your own digging to find their own website where they also sell from. Basically they are a big green company who get lots of business throwaways and refurb and sell on. Highly recommend. In my case, they accepted silly offer prices till eventually we met in the middle. When the time comes, they will be my first port of call.
    Another thought; what about a Chromebook? It has Linux under the hood and is real easy to configure - but it depends what you intend doing with Linux. And don't be afraid of dual-boot. On the T470s I bought I have dual boot in place - but I admit I very really use Windoze these days.

    edit - found their website for you
    recommerceit.co.uk/col…ops (edited)
    Brydo666's avatar
    Author
    Thanks for sharing that, something like this looks good?

    recommerceit.co.uk/col…pro

    I'll be running Mint on it, and using it just for general stuff when out and about. Google Docs, Sheets and developing my website using Visual Studio Code / Hugo. I'm not a big Linux expert so having something to play with that isn't my daily system would be good - but I don't want to spend too much on it.
  2. muniphobia's avatar
    If you want USB C charging with a Lenovo go for a T480 as they have USB C chargers.
  3. deleted2686495's avatar
    Be careful with Lenovo's and linux - there was an issue with some laptops keyboards not working with certain kernels. Have a quick google to familiarise yourself with the issue.
    slimy31's avatar
    I've also had wifi problems on older Lenovo laptops, fortunately the ones I'm using have ethernet ports but not having a working wifi driver can cause a bit of a headache.
  4. MadeInBeats's avatar
    You will have to do some research, but you can get some really nice Chromebooks cheap. Chromebooks are ARM CPU based so not compatible with Windows, but good for Linux. EDIT, looks like you can get x86 chromebooks too (edited)
    Brydo666's avatar
    Author
    Good to know, thanks. I ordered a ThinkPad T480. A glass trackpad can be retrofitted to it which ticks all the boxes nicely.
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