Upgrading from x220 - Ubuntu compatible

Hello,

I was curious if folks had recs on good linux compatable laptops. I've been using the Lenovo x220 for the past 3 yrs. It runs great and I have no *need* to change but work is willing to buy a new one.

What I like about the x220 are:
(1) Plays well with Ubuntu - very few problems after wiping out Windows
(2) Love the keyboard - i believe the newer Lenovos have gone to chiclet keyboards I is anyone doing the more textured old school thinkpad keyboards
(3) Good specs: i7, 8gb ram, SSD, lightweight - I do a fair bit of coding but no multimedia so the.
(4) Small - I grew to like the 12.5" screen and would only go up to 13.3
(5) Good battery - get ~6hrs
(6) Price actually doesn't matter

- I've looked at the Zareason and System76 but the listed battery life scares me off.
- I also checked out the Dell XPS with linux preinstalled but I don't like the idea of an integrated battery - pulling a battery is a great last resort reboot option.
- The x240 seems like a pretty poorly reviewed setup and doesn't have the old school keyboards.

Anything else out there that folks recommend in the heavy computing yet portable framework...

Thanks,

bg

 

I hate to say, but you're already at the top of the game. Everything since has either ; a gimped keyboard ; or a gimpy ULV CPU. Sandy bridge in the 220 is still *extremely* well performing in the 12" space.

The only place I'd go from there is maybe a used T430 manually upgraded to a quad core ivy bridge.

 

Yeah that's been my fear. Do any other companies have a good reputation for playing well with linux besides Lenovo or Dell. I haven't seen as many people trying it on HPs, Toshibas or Sonys etc. but was curious if any of those were worth looking into. Or maybe open my mind up to the System76 or Zareason 14"-ers and keep this as my more mobile laptop...

 

I'm also on an X220 that I bought in 2011. Mine has been running Debian Sid.. I'm waiting until Broadwell is released to consider a new lappy.

Toshiba and Sony are both poorly supported platform drivers. And Sony just sold off its Vaio unit anyway.

The last batch of Samsung laptops are worth looking at, but they're reportedly killing their laptop PC business so support and parts may become an issue.

Besides Lenovo, both HP and Dell have good track records for Linux support.

 

Ubuntu runs great on my Dell precision.

Is pulling the battery any different from holding the power button for 3-4 seconds (assuming the power button hasn't broken)?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yes.

I've seen systems which were frozen so badly that pressing the "power" button did absolutely nothing, and a battery had to be physically removed for them to shut down.

 

Agreed...It is not a deal breaker but is a nice fallback option to have. Also considering batteries start waning before components a replacable one seems to make sense

 

Interesting, that's not something I've ever seen.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Then you probably haven't worked on too many older ThinkPads...:hi2:

 

If you wanted to get a slight performance increase you could go to the X230 although it might not be worth it as they're basically the same machines (that said, if you did upgrade you can move the X220's keyboard over to the X230 as long as you also replace the palmrest with one from the older machine).

 

You'd also have to mod the BIOS in order for the "old" keyboard to be fully functional...

 

x240 is actually pretty good. It offers 1920x1080 FHD screen with decent quality, and with longer battery life. You can actually find the review on NotebookCheck Lenovo ThinkPad X240 Full HD Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews . Its keyboard layout is different but as tactile as the old one if you actually try it. And it probably is more enduring to dirt and grease.

Ubuntu Certification Certified hardware | Ubuntu is always a good place to look up for laptop (parts) compatibility. Red Hat also runs a certification program but it mostly serves corporate users and lags behind consumer laptops.