A disclaimer: There’s no real such thing as a Linux laptop. Linux will work on just about any PC, and I mean that literally. Remember the Intel Pentium 4 processor? It came out in 2000, and it’s still supported by Debian Linux. That said, Linux runs better on some laptops than others. It didn’t used to be the case, but these days quite a few big-name PC makers offer official support for Linux, meaning you have somewhere to turn if things go awry.
To help you figure out the best Linux laptop for your perfect rig, I’ve installed (or tried to install) Linux on every laptop I’ve tested since 2020. Almost all of them worked great, but some were easier to get running than others. More than a few of my favorites come with Linux right out of the box. My picks are below.
If you’re in the market for a laptop, be sure to check out our other buying guides, like the Best Laptops, Best Cheap Laptops, Best MacBooks, and How to Choose the Right Laptop.
Updated February 2026: We’ve added the latest specs from System76 and Tuxedo, noted that the Dell XPS Ubuntu version will be back soon, added the Kubuntu Focus Zr Gen 1, and updated prices and links throughout.
- Best for Most People: System76 Lemur Pro
- Best MacBook Replacement: Tuxedo InfinityBook Pro 14
- Best for the Minimalist: Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition
- Most Repairable: Framework Laptop 13
- A Sysadmin Favorite: System76’s Pangolin
- Best for Performance: Kubuntu Focus Zr Gen 1
- If Your Budget Is Tight
- What to Look for in a Linux Laptop
Best for Most People
The System76 Lemur Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is my favorite Linux laptop. It strikes the best balance between size, weight, power, and price. At 12 inches wide and 2.5 pounds (1.2 kilograms), it’s plenty portable, and the base model packs an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor with 8 GB of RAM, plus a 250-GB SSD. You can configure the Lemur Pro with a Core Ultra 7 155U chip if you want more power, as well as up to 8 TB of storage and 56 GB of RAM.
The port selection is good, with two USB 3.2 Type-C ports, 1 Thunderbolt 4 port, a 3.5-mm headphone/microphone combo jack, a MicroSD card reader, and HDMI 2.0. Battery life is also fantastic, lasting all day in most use cases, and the keyboard, while not my favorite, is pleasant enough to type on.
As with all System76 laptops, it ships with the company’s Pop!_OS Linux distribution preinstalled (you can also opt for Ubuntu, but I highly suggest trying Pop!_OS). Pop!_OS’s Cosmic desktop is based on Gnome, but unlike Gnome, Pop!_OS is very customizable and can be tweaked to your liking. Aside from Arch Linux, Pop!_OS is my favorite distro.
Lemur Pro is not the best for graphics-intensive tasks like gaming or video editing (see below for some more powerful rigs with dedicated graphics cards). Think of it more as the Linux equivalent of a Macbook Air, a solid all-around laptop that’s good for all the things most people do everyday.
Best MacBook Replacement
Tuxedo’s InfinityBook Pro 14 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is a svelte, lightweight laptop that’s dedicated to the open source world. Tuxedo is based in Germany (which is why the price is in euros), and like System76, it has a long history of providing excellent support for Linux.
The InfinityBook Pro is Tuxedo’s lightweight, everyday laptop. It’s now on Gen9, which I have not yet tested, but most of the updates are under the hood in the form of a new Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, support for up to 96 GB of RAM (up from 64 in the previous model), and up to 8 TB of storage (there are two SSD card slots). The biggest change from the Gen 8 that I tested is you no longer have the option to add an Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card. On the plus side there is now an AMD version of the 14-inch InfinityBook Pro.
The highlight of the InfinityBook is the gorgeous 2,880 x 1,800-pixel-resolution screen that’s matte (anti-glare). At 400 nits, it’s plenty bright enough to work anywhere. In my testing, the InfinityBook Pro had plenty of power for most tasks. The battery life is solid and lasts all day, and the custom tools for fine-tuning the power settings are the best I’ve used. Tuxedo’s custom OS (based on Kubuntu) is a great Linux experience, and the website offers extensive documentation and help for new users.
Best for the Minimalist
Dell’s XPS 13 Developer Edition was one of the first big-name laptops to ship with Linux, but Dell’s commitment to Linux has wavered in the last few years. Recent XPS releases did not include Ubuntu versions and then company decided to get rid of the XPS name altogether.
Fortunately, all that is behind us. The XPS is back, we’ve tried the Windows model, and it’s pretty dang nice. The Ubuntu version is coming later this year and might be worth waiting for if you don’t want to spend time chasing down fixes for new hardware, but if you’re willing to wrestle with your system for a little bit, then this is worth considering.
Among the changes in the latest version, the standard row of function keys is back, the trackpad has edges, and it remains very thin and very light (0.58 inch thick for the OLED model, 0.60 for the LCD model, and weighing 3 pounds). The OLED screen is really nice, too, and worth the extra money, because it’s also the only configuration with the Core Ultra X7 (or X9 if you want to go all out). These configurations are a much better value and what we recommend (fingers crossed that these will be available with Ubuntu when those models go on sale).
Most Repairable
If you want a laptop you can upgrade, Framework’s Laptop is the best Linux rig for you. There are a few flavors available. I tested the second release of the 13-inch model (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and loved it, but since then we’ve reviewed the newer 13-inch AMD Framework, the 16-inch Framework, and the smaller Framework 12 as well. Framework offers great support for Linux, with Linux-compatible parts (at least as far as I’ve tested) and a helpful forum of users. I am in fact typing this on a Framework laptop running Arch Linux.
The current line of DIY Framework Laptop 13 can be configured with either an AMD or Intel processor. The AMD Ryzen model ships with the AI 300 Series chips, starting wtih the Ryzen 5 model, but with several upgrade options to the Ryzen AI 7 and even the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. On the Intel side the specs start with the Core Ultra 5 125H, with upgrades to the Core Ultra 7 155 or even 165H available. Whichever process you opt for you can upgrade the RAM to as high as 96 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and opt for a drive up the 8 TB in size.
I’ve tested Framework laptops with Ubuntu, which Framework supports, and Arch Linux, which is community supported, and both worked great. My only gripe about using the Framework is my gripe about almost any Linux laptop, which is that battery life could be better. I manage about 7-8 hours when doing the usual sort of office work that AI will be replacing soon, much less when editing video or doing other more intensive tasks.
A Sysadmin Favorite
If the Dell’s lack of ports leaves you wanting, this is the laptop for you. System76’s Pangolin (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a 16-inch, AMD-powered monster of a laptop with every port a sysadmin could hope for. This config ships with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with integrated Radeon 780M graphics. The base model starts with 16 gigs of RAM, but you pack in up to 96 GB if your checkbook allows. You can configure the Pangolin with up to 16 TB of storage spread across two drives (both are max 8 TB).
The battery life is good for the size—it lasted all day in most of my testing—but it’s not as good as the Dell. The keyboard, on the other hand, is fantastic and a real pleasure to type on. The one downside is the number pad, which forces the trackpad off-center.
Here’s a list of its ports: 1 × USB 4.0 Type-C, 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, micro SD Card Reader, HDMI 2.0, 2 x Type-C w/ DisplayPort 1.4, and a headphone/Microphone Combo. The webcam is a 2MP 1080p, which gets the job done, but is looking a little long in the tooth at this point. Otherwise, though, this is a great option for AMD fans.
Best for Performance
The Kubuntu Focus Zr 1 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a powerhouse, but at 15 inches by 12 inches, over an inch thick, and weighing in at 8 pounds, it’s not a laptop you casually cart around. But if your work requires serious computing power though, be it machine learning (running TensorFlow), local LLMs, big data crunching workflows, or high end video editing, the Zr Gen 1 delivers power in spades.
Inside, the Zr Gen 1 features an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX with 24 cores, an RTX 5090 graphics card, 24 GB GDDR7 RAM (expandable up to 192 GB), two SSDs, one 1TB, one 2TB (you can have up to 4 drives, one of them being a PCIe GEN 5×4 NVMe). Along with the discrete GPU there’s an integrated one as well, which means you can turn off the discrete card to maximize battery life. I spent about 90 percent of the time with the discrete card off and just turned it on when editing photos and video.
The screen is a gloriously large 18-inch LCD display (2560 x 1600 pixels, 168 DPI density) with a max brightness of over 500 nits and matte finish that makes it easy to use even in bright light. It’s one of the better LCD panels I’ve used lately, and gamers will be happy to see the 240 Hz refresh rate. You can also plug in up to 4 external displays. Thanks to the size of the Zr, there’s plenty of room for a full size keyboard with a numeric pad. The keyboard is user-configurable and features a 65,536-color LED backlight system that you can tweak to your liking with the Focus tool.
Kubuntu Focus delivers a very stable Linux experience. Every update is tested and validated on the hardware before it ships to you. Kubuntu Focus hardware is tested for a minimum of 3 years after last sale. If an issue is found, the company works with the developers of the core components, like KDE, Kubuntu, Ubuntu, and the Linux Kernel to fix it before it ever gets passed on to you. The last known-stable version of software remains unchanged until the next version passes all the tests and there are no issues. Kubuntu Focus does this even at the application level, testing everything from dev tools like JetBrains, to consumer software like Dropbox, Steam, Zoom, Slack, and more to ensure everything works before it ships out to you. The result is a level of Linux stability you’re not likely to achieve on your own.
If Your Budget Is Tight
One of the beauties of Linux is that it requires fewer resources and maintains support for older hardware for far longer than Windows or MacOS. That means you don’t need to spend a fortune on a new laptop; you can breathe life into an old one or grab a used laptop off eBay. I have in fact never purchased a new laptop for Linux. I have been buying used for years, working my way through Lenovo’s X-series laptops (starting with an X220, up through a T14 at which point I jumped ship for the Framework), but old Dell and Asus laptops are also great for Linux. If you opt to buy used, have a look at our guide to buying used on eBay to make sure you get a good deal.
The specs to look for depend on what you’re going to be doing. If you’re editing video or gaming, you should probably stick with one of our picks above. If you just need to do typical office work, edit some photos, and watch 4K video, you can get by with a 10th generation Intel i5 or newer processor, 8 GB of RAM (the more the merrier), and an SSD large enough to store your data. If you want an AMD system, stick with a Ryzen 5 4000 series or better.
If you’d like some more help speccing out a solid Linux system, see our step-by-step guide to choosing the right laptop.
What to Look For in a Linux Laptop
Buying a Linux laptop involves a little more research than Windows or MacOS. In addition to the specs, you need to make sure the hardware in question works with Linux. These days almost everything works pretty well with Linux, but there are some exceptions.
Expect to wrestle with Nvidia graphics cards. The company has never been supportive of Linux and probably never will be. I’ve always steered clear, but if you want a dedicated GPU from Nvidia, do your research. The Arch Linux Wiki is a good place to start.
Intel enjoys better Linux support than AMD in general, though that is changing. I personally have used Linux on AMD for quite a while without any issues (though I do have a slightly older system, which helps).
The other thing to consider is which Linux distro you’re going to use. If you don’t already have a favorite or don’t even know what a distro is, I suggest going with Pop_OS!, by System76, a company that also makes three of the laptops in this guide. Pop_OS provides (by far) the best user experience I’ve seen on a Linux laptop. It strikes a great balance between being easy to use for Linux newcomers and being well-stocked with power-user features. It has great documentation and should have you up and running without any trouble. I’ve used it on every laptop in this guide.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: wired.com
