I’m getting a new laptop with hardware that supports Linux very well. Although my old thinkpad is still working, i need something with better CPU and higher RAMs (when i am able to afford) for work. I could get a new Thinkpad too but recently Intel made suspend/standby in Linux to be unreliable.
I notice that for the Linux first vendors, there are 2 types: ones who design their own chassis (Framework, Starlabs), and those who use an existing ODM design and put their own software tweaks on (Sys76, Tuxedo, Novacustom).
For the ODM, these vendors usually go with either Clevo or Tong Fang. From most comments i read, Clevos are criticized for being flimsy, weak hinges and the batteries can get swollen.
Anyone with laptops from these vendors? How is the quality? I heard great things about coreboot, but if the hardware sucks then theres no point.
I bought a Tuxedo Polaris (Clevo) in 2020 for work.
The display backlighting was somewhat uneven from the start. The keyboard print rubbed off quickly, the rest of the laptop kept being mostly ok for 5 years, except for a dent or two. It also encased the first SSD that I’ve ever had die, possibly due to excess heat. It’s not high quality, but not flimsy either. Most colleagues had macs or dells, and they were in a significantly better shape after that time. I’d say that the clevo, in terms of build quality, is a bit below Lenovo, even though it actually used a metal chassis instead of plastic.That being said, I feel the software support for buying a new mainstream laptop is better than what I’ve gotten from Tuxedo. Of course, the nvidia card was a problem (no suspend for half a year, after that it worked… rarely), but even the RGB keyboard did not have a driver until a couple of years after launch. TuxedoOS was Ubuntu and highly opinionated in wanting KDE, but the custom tuxedo fixes were not readily available in any other distro. Given that the selling point was the Linux support, I’ve felt that even essential drivers were updated way too late. Tuxedoos switched to Debian recently, so maybe it will be better, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. In conclusion, I couldn’t really justify paying the premium for Linux support anymore. Community support of mainstream vendors seems way better than what these small companies can offer for niche products.
I now have a Lenovo with Cachy and it’s been working great from day one, only needed to reload the Bluetooth module at times. Also don’t need to wait months until driver updates arrive. Even suspend works fine now with Intel and Nvidia.
going from system76 to kfocus has taught me that there’s a BIG delta between linux-first vendors and that the price tag has little to no bearing on the difference. i’m glad i saw this before buying a tuxedo; thank you for sharing.