Am I just looking in the wrong places, or is it still really hard to buy a Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality? Are you running a Linux laptop? Where did you get it?
Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
1–10 of 92 posts
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#2Well, there are two contenders in this space (based on the information I've gathered over time) and those are the Dell XPS 13, and the Thinkpad X1 Carbon.
You can also look into HP as they've been known for being quite linux friendly.
Hope this helps.
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#3What about trackpad quality. Does any other laptop begin to compare to MacBooks?
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#4Dell Precision 5510 user here, hands down the best computer I ever had.
Great build quality, powerful, sober, beautiful and professional.
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#5What about trackpad quality. Does any other laptop begin to compare to MacBooks?
yes, is there any recent laptop that have as good as macbook.
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#6I bought a 'shell' of a Thinkpad X220 on eBay for ~£66 ($85) and then bought an SSD, 8GB RAM, Wifi module, 9-cell battery.
All in, about £120 with some smart shopping.
Replacement parts (such as a palm-rest from dropping it off the sofa) cost a few quid, and that's if you manage to absolutely deck the thing.
It's happily chugging away with Debian, all components work OOTB.
Got to recommend a used Thinkpad, and advise checking out the Thinkpad subreddit, they've got some great advice on buying - not all Thinkpads are alike.
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#7I run Linux on a slightly modified Chromebook. It seems solid to me, but I never owned a MBP.
It has all of the things I care about:
- 1080p IPS display (13.3" screen)
- SSD
- 4GB of RAM
- Fast enough to handle real work loads (lots of browser tabs, running large Rails apps in Docker, streaming music, etc.)
- SD card and USB ports
The whole thing was $350 USD and it's under 3 pounds.
Details are at: https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/transform-a-toshiba-chromeboo...
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#8Dell Precision 5510 user here, hands down the best computer I ever had. Great build quality, powerful, sober, beautiful and professional.
I have to agree with the Dell. I have The same model running Fedora 25 with no issues.
All the components work out of the box. I would prefer a slightly better track pad, but it is still probably the best oem Linux laptop you can get.
Re: Ask HN: Linux laptop with MacBook-like build quality
#9Well, there are two contenders in this space (based on the information I've gathered over time) and those are the Dell XPS 13, and the Thinkpad X1 Carbon. You can also look into HP as they've been known for being quite linux friendly. Hope this helps.
The Thinkpad X1 Carbon is an astonishingly good machine