The best laptop for Ubuntu is nothing unique in terms of hardware.
Unlike Windows or Mac, Ubuntu isn’t a paid operating. Therefore, you can get it for free and install it on any laptop of your choice.
Ubuntu is the operating system of choice for many programmers and developers. Many programmers choose to install Ubuntu on their programming laptops because of the vast development features it offers without restrictions.
It is for this reason that we always recommend people to get Windows-based laptops primarily as they are cheaper, easier to use and available in several configurations. You can install Ubuntu OS for free.
As much fun as it sounds, Ubuntu is a full package that comes with all the essentials you need to run your programming and development career. It is the Linux operating system of choice for many developers because it has such a strong and well-supported community.
Let us now have a look at the reviews. The list was updated on May 2017.
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| 9/10 | 13.3" IPS FHD Touch | Intel Core i5-6200U | 8 GB LPDDR3 | Intel HD Graphics 520 | 128 GB SSD | |
| 6/10 | 13.3" IPS FHD Touch | Intel Core i5-6200U | 6 GB DDR 3 | Intel HD Graphics 520 | 256 SSD | |
| 8/10 | 14 inch IPS FHD Touch | Intel Core i7-7500U | 8 GB DDR 4 | AMD Radeon R5 M430 | 1 TB HDD 5400 RPM | |
| 6/10 | 14 inch HD Touch | Intel Core i7-5500U | 8 GB DDR 3 | NVIDIA GeForce 920M | 1 TB HDD 5400 RPM | |
| 5/10 | 15.6″ FHD | Intel Core i7-6500U | 8 GB DDR 3 | Intel HD | 256 GB SSD | |
| 5.5/10 | 15.6″ FHD | Intel Dual Core i5-6200U | 8 GB DDR3 | NVIDIA GeForce 940MX | 256GB SSD | |
| 8/10 | 15.6″ FHD | Intel Quad Core i7-6700HQ | 8GB DDR3 | GeForce GTX 960M | 1 TB + 8 GB HSSD | |
| 6.5/10 | 17.3" FHD | Intel Core i5-7200U | 8 GB DDR4 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 940M | 256 GB SSD |
Contents
Best Laptop for Ubuntu Reviews
Now, what we have prepared is a short review on all the laptops that qualify for Ubuntu. This will without a doubt help you decide what you need to buy.
We have shortlisted the best laptop for ubuntu based on screen size. We understand some of you prefer mobility, while others prefer a workstation. Therefore, this list should help you find what you are looking for.
If you are reading this article, then most probably you have already made up your mind on getting a laptop for Ubuntu. However, find the best laptop for Ubuntu depends on your needs and requirements.
Just as is the case with any other field, the hardware that you get reflects the complexity of the projects that you will work on. Finding the right hardware for Ubuntu is quite easy if you know exactly what your needs are.
This operating system can run on the most basics of hardware as well as on the most powerful of PCs.
13.3 inch Best Ubuntu Laptops
This screen size is perfect for mobility. These laptops are not just sleek and thin, they are also budget friendly and tend to have much longer battery life.
1. Dell XPS 9350-1340SLV Laptop – Premium Grade Ultrabook
This is one of the finest 13.3-inch laptops for Ubuntu user. Like all of the laptops in this list, this laptop also comes pre-installed with Windows 10. However, booting Ubuntu would not be any issue at all. Ultrabooks for programming are a hot selling products. Why? because they are easy to carry around and offer a huge battery life.
This is not the top model for ultrabooks by Dell. It has been chosen purely based on the mobility aspect that it provides. It weighs only 2.8lbs and measures at 0.6 inches in thickness.
This laptop comes in several configurations. This particular one offers Intel Core i5-6200U processor along with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD. All of these components are an essential requirement for smooth and lag free work environment.
The outer body of this laptop is classy and has an aluminum hard covering that ensures the laptop is sturdy as well as stylish.
Another fantastic aspect of this laptop is the screen. The laptop uses a high-quality IPS panel Full HD touchscreen. It gives vibrant and beautiful colors. This should be helpful if you are a graphic designer too.
Pros
- Beautiful design and high build quality
- Light and thin makes it perfect for mobility
- The hardware is more than enough for quality programming on Ubuntu system.
Cons
- Expensive due to its premium design.
- Lacks the 7th generation Kaby Lake processors
2. Acer Aspire V 13 V3-372T Touch Notebook – Budget Ultrabook
Granted, the Dell XPS 9350-1340SLV above was a bit expensive. This was mostly because of its exquisite looks and premium grade material used for construction.
If you are looking for almost the same hardware, a thin profile, at a much cheaper price tag, then this is the laptop for you.
This is a reasonably stylish and sleek laptop for Ubuntu. Regarding hardware, this laptop is almost the same as the Dell laptop above. However, it costs significantly less.
At the core of this laptop lies the powerful Intel Core i5-6200U. Along with that this laptop offers 6 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD. One of the biggest attractions of this laptop, other than the price tag, is the 12.5 hours battery life.
If it is true portability and mobility that you are after, then this is the best laptop for Ubuntu. You can stay away from the power socket for almost half of the day.
Pros
- Ample storage for a budget ultrabook
- A reasonably powerful hardware makes it suitable for working on Ubuntu system.
- Offers a long battery life
Cons
- A bit heavier compared to the market standard for 13.3″ laptops.
- Only 6 GB of RAM can hamper the performance when dealing with larger workload.
14 inch Ubuntu Laptops
This size of laptops are still quite portable, but at the same time are also comfortable for viewing. For many, 13.3-inch screen size is just too small. Therefore, 14 inch is the best bridge between portability and comfort.
3. Lenovo Flex Full HD Touchscreen Display 80VD000CUS
The name itself is a good hint towards the flexibility of this laptop. It is called “flex” because the 360-degree rotating hinges allow the user to use this laptop in 4 different ways. The screen can be bent back, converted into a tent mode or just be used as a tablet.
Different modes will suit various applications. For instance, if you want to watch a movie then just go for the tent style. This laptop offers the latest 7th generation Intel Core i7-7500U processor. That is just beginning of the story for this laptop.
This is a touchscreen laptop. It offers a superior IPS panel that has a great color reproduction. On top of that, it is FHD. Therefore, it is also great for multi-tasking.
For less than $800, this laptop not only offers an excellent processor, it also boasts 1 TB of HDD, 8 GB of DDR 4 RAM and even a dedicated AMD R5 M430 graphics card.
This is hands down one of the best Ubuntu laptops that you can get. It is an all rounder laptop with all the essential components.
Pros
- Convertible form factor adds another dimension to how you can use the laptop.
- Perfect blend between performance and mobility.
- Dedicated graphics card makes it great for even game development.
Cons
- A bit expensive for budget conscious buyers.
- The laptop disappoints with a lack of SSD; the HDD is only 5,400 RPM.
Although there are a handful of convertible laptop types, there are two that stand out the most: hinge rotate and detachable.
Hinge Rotate
With these convertible laptops, the screen rotates 360 degrees and goes on top of the keyboard to act like a tablet. They keyboard gets disabled once in the tablet mode.
These convertible laptops generally offer better specs at a given price because the hardware is located in the base and therefore easier to manufacture. However, they are less portable and heavier. Therefore, their primary use is not as a tablet.
Lenovo Flex Full HD 80VD000CUS is an example of Hinge Rotate convertible laptop.
Detachable
With these convertible laptops, the screen detaches from the keyboard to act as a tablet.
They generally have weaker hardware; however, they are highly portable. They can be easily used in tablet mode.
4. Dell Inspiron Touchscreen – High-Performance Affordable Laptop
This is yet another fantastic 14 inches best laptop for Ubuntu.
In fact, it is one of the cheapest laptops suitable for Ubuntu in this list. Yet it features an Intel Core i7 processor.
This laptop harbors Intel Core i7-5500U processor. This is from an older generation; however, the performance is more or less the same as compared to current gen models. On the plus side, the older generation processor brings down the price point.
As far as the budget is concerned, this is one of the best laptop for Ubuntu. However, it does have a few drawbacks.
Furthermore, this laptop offers an ample 8 GB of memory and a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 920M graphics card. Remember that this is an entry level graphics card and you should not expect it to play the AAA titles on high settings.
Pros
- Affordable 14 inch laptop that has the hardware to perform heavy duty work
- NVIDIA GeForece 920 despite being an entry level graphic card, gives you added performance benefit when designing.
Cons
- Only offers HD resolution
- The processor is two generations older.
15.6 inch Ubuntu Laptops
For most of the users out there, this is the most preferred screen size of laptops. By default, people tend to go for this size. This is the most comfortable screen size to work on.
There is an abundance of laptops in this screen size. A majority of the laptops ranging from budget to high-performance category are found to be in 15.6″ screen size.
There are high chances that your choice of best laptop for Ubuntu would be a 15.6″ laptop.
5. HP 15-ay018nr 15.6-Inch Laptop – Best Performance/Dollar Value
This affordable laptop by HP is packed with all the features that you would need and with the best of quality. It has a 15.6-inch wide display with screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This ensures that images are displayed clearly and in good colors.
Built in IPS panel gives wide viewing angles and enhances the experience. This laptop packs an Intel Core i7-6500U processor. This is a dual core processor with hyper threading enabled. It is a low voltage processor. Therefore it can ensure a much longer battery life.
Ample storage is provided with 256 GB of SSD. Along with that, this laptop also offers the rare optical drive. Most of the brands are opting out the optical drives to maintain a thin profile.
This is a laptop that is less than an inch thick, yet at the same time manages to offer an optical drive. This is quite the achievement.
Along with that, it offers 8GB of memory that should be fair for all sorts for work on Ubuntu.
Pros
- One of the best performance/dollar value thanks to the amazing discount.
- Thin and light for a 15.6″ laptop.
Cons
- Certified Refurbished label can put some people off.
- Since this is a certified refurbished laptop, the warranty is limited to only 90 days.
6. Acer Aspire E E5-575G-53VG Laptop – Our Recommended Best Laptop for Ubuntu
This laptop has the tendency to top any of lists out there these days.
After all, it offers some of the best value in the market. It is for this reason, that for the short time that it has been in the market, it has already received more than a 1,000 reviews on Amazon.com alone.
This is a laptop that is built for performance at cheap. It offers Intel Core i5-6200U processor. This is entirely reasonable for a notebook that is less than $550. Along with that, it offers 8 GB of DDR 4 RAM and even a NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics card.
To top it all up, this laptop not only offers a backlit keyboard but also promises a battery life that can last for 12 hours.
Pros
- Dedicated graphics card along with a mid-end processor makes this an amazing deal.
- Long battery life and slim design excellent for portability
- Offers USB Type-C along with other latest features like DDR 4 RAM.
Cons
- Not powerful enough to be cut out for heavier work.
7. Dell 7559-2512BLK – Best High Performance Laptop for Ubuntu
This is a relatively high-performance laptop, and for that reason, it is also quite expensive. However, if you are looking for the best laptop for Ubuntu, then you need to make a bit of investment.
If you are after a career in development, then considering spending on a quality laptop like this.
This particular laptop offers a high-performance Intel Core i7-6700HQ. Thi is a quad core processor with hyper threading enabled making it one of the most powerful for multimedia laptops.
Along with that, it offers a decent hardware to go along including a powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics card.
The hardware is quite fantastic and worthy of being used in complex projects.
Not only does this best laptop for Ubuntu has a battery life of 10+hours, but it also has a slim profile.
Pros
- The i7-6700HQ is one of the fastest processors for laptops
- Offers a great mid range graphics card that should be able to handle all kinds of gaming.
Cons
- Although slim, it is a bit heavier compared to the rest of the laptops listed here.
- Lack of an SSD can break the deal for some enthusiasts.
17.3 inch Best Ubuntu Laptops
This is the screen size that is preferred by those who use their laptops as a workstation.
If you don’t move about much, then you will value these machines. 17.3 laptops offer better performance/dollar, but at the sacrifice of mobility and portability.
8. Acer Aspire 17.3 Full HD Laptop
There are many 17.3 inch laptops in the market. In fact, if you are looking for a workstation machine, then it is better to go for 17.3″ laptops.
This is not the most powerful 17.3″ laptops, but it does have a great hardware at a reasonable price tag making it top of our list.
It boasts an Intel Core i5-7200U processor, 8 GB of DDR 4 RAM and 256 GB of SSD. These are the core requirements for any developer and programmer. A fast configuration like this should help you work seamlessly.
Moreover, this laptop also manages to have a NVIDIA Geforce 940 MX graphics card. This is a mid-range graphics card that is capable of performing gaming at moderate graphics.
However, most importantly, you can use this graphics card for works that require graphical rendering or simulation.
Pros
- Large and comfortable screen.
- Features the latest generation of hardware including 7th gen processors, DDR 4 RAM and SSD.
- A dedicated graphics card enables gaming.
Cons
- Heavier and thicker than most laptop. You will mostly be using it as a workstation.
- The battery life is lacking. Therefore, this is not the most portable laptop.
Although you can develop and program on any laptop and environment, i.e., Windows, Mac, or Linux, most of the professionals out there prefer Linux Ubuntu. Therefore, it is important you get familiar with this operating system.
Other than the various amount of tools Ubuntu provides, having the knowledge of using this OS makes your CV stand out from the rest. It tells the employer or the contractor that you know what you are talking about and that you can take your work seriously. Seriously enough to learn how to use an entirely new operating system.
Just a small fact,
The Ubuntu project is publicly committed to the principles of open-source software development; people are encouraged to use free software, study how it works, improve upon it, and distribute it. – Wikipedia
This goes to tell that programming and software development is at the heart of Ubuntu operating system.
All the applications and critical programs will be found in the Ubuntu software center. Ubuntu, being one of the most secure operating systems, is easy to download and install for use.
FAQ
Should I Buy an Ubuntu Laptop Instead of Windows?
There are many laptops that come pre-installed with Ubuntu Operating. An example of this includes Dell XPS Developer Edition, System 76 Oryx Pro, etc.
The idea behind this is that if you get a laptop with Ubuntu Pre-installed, you can save yourself from the hidden cost of a Genuine Windows.
However, we are of the opinion that you should always invest in a Windows laptop first and then install Ubuntu on it. Here is why:
- Laptops that come pre-installed with Ubuntu cost always the same as compared to Windows. (A simple search in the market can reveal this to be true).
- If you are new to Ubuntu, you will actually benefit from having Windows side-by-side.
- Things that are not compatible with Ubuntu can be used on Windows.
- If gaming is also on your list, then you must have Windows.
Should Ubuntu be the Linux OS of your Choice?
If you are starting out, then by far the majority of the opinion is with using Ubuntu or Mint. Mint is basically a version of Ubuntu Itself.
Ubuntu is one of the most powerful, well supported, stable, and compatible Linux OS in the market. Therefore, this should be your starting choice.
