linux will work on almost any PC. I mean it literally. Remember the Intel Pentium 4 processor? It is still compatible with Debian Linux. That being said, Linux works better on some laptops than others. These days, quite a few big-name PC manufacturers even offer official support for Linux, which means you have somewhere to turn if things go wrong.
To help you find the best Linux laptop for your perfect rig, I’ve been installing (or trying to install) Linux on every laptop I’ve tested for the past three years. Almost all of them worked very well, but some were easier to execute than others. More of some of my favorites come with Linux out of the box.
Be sure to check out our other buying guides such as The best laptops, The best cheap laptops, best macbooksand How to choose the right laptop.
table of Contents
- Best for the minimalist
- Best for the Maximalist
- better repairable
- Best for hackers
- Best for system administrators
- If your budget is tight
- What to look for in a Linux laptop
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Dell’s XPS 13 Developer Edition was one of the first big-name laptops to ship with Linux and is still the lightest and smallest laptop with Linux installed. This configuration features a 12th Gen Intel i7-1250U processor, 32GB of RAM (soldered), and a 1TB SSD. It ships with Ubuntu Linux 20.04, but in my tests, it will happily run any distro from Fedora to Arch (Dell support only applies to Ubuntu, though). When you are on the product page, make sure to choose Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS as your operating system (default is Windows).
For more hardware details, see our Windows version review (6/10 WIRING Review). While performance wasn’t great with Windows, I didn’t find the same to be true with Ubuntu. The main drawback of this machine is the lack of ports. There are two USB-C ports, one of which is your charging port. There isn’t even a headphone jack.
If Dell’s lack of ports leaves you wanting, this is the laptop for you. System76’s Pangolin (8/10, WIRED recommends) is an AMD-powered 15-inch monster of a laptop with all the ports a sysadmin could want. This configuration ships with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, 32GB of RAM (soldered), and a 250GB SSD. You can configure Pangolin with up to 8TB of storage.
Battery life is good for the size, lasting all day in most use cases, but not quite as good as the Dell’s. The keyboard, on the other hand, is fantastic and a real joy to type on. The only drawback is the number pad, which makes the touchpad off-center. Port selection is where the Pangolin really shines. There’s Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port (with DisplayPort support, but no Thunderbolt), three USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack, and an SD card of full size reader.
More repairable and future-proof
If you want a laptop that you can upgrade, Framework’s Laptop is the best Linux platform for you. There are a few flavors available. I tried the second version of the 13-inch model (8/10, WIRED recommends) and I loved it. Right now, you can preorder an AMD Ryzen 7 7040 or Intel Core 13th-Gen series system with 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and whatever combination of ports suits your needs for around $1,400. That will ship without OS. When it arrives, you can install Linux yourself (or choose to ship it with Windows if you need to dual-boot). The only catch is that the AMD model ships in the third quarter of the year, although the Intel version will ship in June. If you’re okay with the older generation chips, you can get one today.
I tried Ubuntu, which is supported by the Framework, and Arch Linux, and both worked very well (although the Framework is not officially supported by Arch). My only complaint about using the Framework is my complaint about almost any Linux laptop: battery life could be better.
The System76 Oryx Pro comes in 15-inch or 17-inch models with 12th-gen Intel processors and Nvidia graphics (either 3070 Ti or 3080 Ti GPU). There are options for a brilliant 4K OLED display, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 8TB of SSD space. It’s not cheap, but the Oryx Pro is by far the most powerful laptop on this page. Like the Pangolin above, the Oryx ships with System76’s Pop_OS! or Ubuntu Linux. Unlike the Pangolin, the Intel chip in the Oryx Pro means it ships with Coreboot and open source firmware.
Okay, okay, it’s cheesy, but there’s something about the Lenovo X1 Carbon Linux edition that makes me want to install Kali Linux and start testing the coffee shop Wi-Fi. Whatever the case, this is a stylish laptop for those of us who think ThinkPads are, ahem, nifty. However, that cunning comes at a serious price. For nearly double the price of our other picks, you get a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD (much of this is customizable).
On the plus side, you get a nice 2K (2,880 X 1,800), OLED, anti-glare display. I haven’t had a chance to test this latest model, but I really like the older version (8/10, WIRED recommends,) and the new version is mainly a spec increase. It is frequently on sale.
Photography: Lenovo
One of the beauties of Linux is that it requires fewer resources and maintains support for older hardware much longer than Windows or macOS. That means you don’t need to spend a fortune on a new laptop; You can spruce up an old one or buy a used laptop on eBay. I’ve been doing this for years, working with Lenovo’s X-series laptops (starting with an X220, now an X14 Gen 1), but old Dell and Asus laptops are also great for Linux. If you choose to buy used, take a look at our guide to buying used on eBay to make sure you get a good deal.
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