Hi all,
I am looking for suggestions for a new laptop to run KDE on, but I want it to be amazing out of the box.
I have run kubuntu and neon on HP and dell laptops previously, and they are fairly good, but things like the GPU not being auto set up, or hibernate type features not working have made it a bit of a pain.
I think my main bugbear is the power management. My wife’s macbook air can have the lid closed and it will wake up again a week later just fine. My laptop barely makes it overnight and get hot in the bag.
What are some good laptops to run KDE, where they have been fully integrated and have great power management?
The main ones I know of are slimbook and framework, but would love to hear some experiences if you have them.
Thanks!
Framework laptops are often mentioned since they chose components that should work well with upstream kernels. So no funny wifi chips or something. Also, as a bonus, easy to take apart and replace parts that you can order separately. https://frame.work/
Tuxedo Computers for sure. KDE also wants to partner with Framework, and Slimbook already makes KDE laptops.
Lenovo, Dell and HP are terrible IMO. Not only are the not Linux focused but also terrible companies. The Linux laptops they make are just to target developers meaning: fix your own software issues 😒 Dell for example has had webcam issues on Linux for ages with their MIPS or whatever cameras and simply don’t give two shits.
Support a real Linux laptop vendor like the one mentioned above. Not only do they contribute to Linux and open source in general, but I find they are more accessible in terms of support, and they do pretty well in terms of making Linux work on their hardware.
ThinkPad or framework
The latest Slimbook is pretty cool. Plus it has the KDE symbol emblazoned on the lid.
One channel I follow on YouTube for Linux news “The Linux Experiment” has Tuxedo Computers as a sponsor. They build PCs and Laptops that are optimized for Linux.
Otherwise I’d recommend a Lenovo. I think they’re pretty good with Linux if I’m not mistaken.
