The best Linux laptops of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

3 days ago 2

Once a favorite among coding and programming professionals and niche hobbyists, Linux has been steadily rising in popularity over the years. Since it's open source, there are plenty of different Linux distributions available for you to try out and see what works best for your skill level and needs. Linux can even be used to revive an old laptop or desktop to give it new life as a learning tool for beginner programmers. And while Mac users have some catching up to do in terms of distro support, there are plenty of Windows-based laptops with comparable performance and battery life that can also run Linux.

What is the best Linux laptop right now?

Buying any laptop can be daunting, let alone one for an operating system you may not be familiar with. So ZDNET experts went hands-on with Linux-capable laptops from Lenovo, Dell and more to test user-friendliness, performance, and battery life. Our pick for the best Linux laptop overall is the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD is our top pick due to its more affordable price and customization options. If you're looking for something more beginner-friendly or for a Linux-capable Mac alternative, you can keep reading below to find out more about the rest of our picks for the best Linux laptops.

Also: These are the absolute best Linux distros for programming

The best Linux laptops of 2025

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s is an excellent workhorse of a laptop that features full support for Linux as well as Windows for users who prefer dual-boot systems. With AMD's latest Ryzen AI 7 processor and 32GB of RAM, you'll have plenty of power to tackle web browsing, office work, and video streaming.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD

ZDNET staff writer Cesar Cadenas got to test out the ThinkPad T14s, and while he was impressed with the sheer processing power the laptop has, he found the 1920 x 1200 resolution display left him wishing for a 2K model instead. In lieu of high resolution, you get an anti-glare coating and Eyesafe certification to improve visibility and reduce eyestrain. He was also able to get 12 hours of use on a full charge while in Best Power Efficiency mode, though Best Performance dropped that to 7.5 hours; however, with the laptop's fast-charge ability, you can get up to a 70 percent charge in about an hour.

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The Dell XPS 13 has been a favorite among casual laptop users, students, and business professionals alike, and for good reason. The laptop is able to be configured to be almost tailor-made for your Linux skill level and usage needs. You can select up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD for plenty of storage and memory as well as either a Snapdragon X Plus or Elite CPU for enhanced performance.

Review: Dell XPS 13 (2024)

The 13.4-inch display is offered in both a standard LCD and OLED option with 1920 x 1200 and 3K resolution, respectively. Resident ZDNET laptop expert Kyle Kucharski got to test out the Dell XPS 13 (2024) for himself, and was impressed with both the 17-hour battery life and bright, bold colors the display was capable of creating, even without the OLED panel

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 is an excellent AMD-based laptop that supports three different versions of Linux: RHEL x86 64-bit, Ubuntu x86 64-bit, and SLED/SLES 15. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor uses the brand's new AI engine for better power efficiency and performance, letting you multitask with fewer issues.

Review: Acer Swift Edge

ZDNET's Cesar Cadenas did some hands-on testing with the Acer Swift Edge 16, praising its incredible display and lightweight design. He even pushed the CPU to its limit by opening several dozen tabs in Google Chrome (a notorious CPU hog), and "not once did [he] experience any drops in frame rates; everything ran smoothly." Customers who bought the Acer Swift Edge also love the large display and lightweight design.

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Mac users looking to dip their toes in the Linux pool have limited options for supported distributions. But if you're willing to make the switch to a Windows laptop that's also Linux-capable, the Asus ProArt P16 has comparable performance to MacBooks. The 16-inch display offers 4K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate as well as an AMOLED panel for bolder, more accurate colors. It also supports touch inputs, which is great news for digital artists.

Review: Asus ProArt P16

The AMD Ryzen AI 300 series CPU, 32GB of RAM, and Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card give you plenty of power and performance for everything from photo and video editing to graphic design and animation. During testing, ZDNET's Kyle Kucharski also discovered that it's even a decent laptop for gaming, if you don't mind being limited by the 60Hz refresh rate.

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Whether you're a seasoned Linux user or just starting out, a laptop with a great battery life is important if it's doubling as your main device. The Microsoft Surface Laptop offers up to a 22-hour battery life on a full charge, meaning you can work all day and then tinker with Linux well into the evening before you need to think about plugging in.

Review: Microsoft Surface Laptop

The compact and lightweight design also makes it perfect as a mobile workstation for remote professionals and business travel. It's available in both a 13.8 and 15-inch display option, both offering a 120Hz refresh rate. ZDNET's Kyle Kucharski got to test out the Microsoft Surface Laptop for himself, and was impressed with the improved performance of CPU and RAM-intensive programs like Adobe and DaVinci Resolve.

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My choice for the best Linux laptop is the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD. Lenovo is no stranger to offering Linux support for their laptops and desktops, and the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 takes the cake. It also offers several configuration options to help tailor the laptop to your specific work, learning, or hobbyist programmer/coder needs. It also has a more affordable price than some other options on the market, retailing for about $1,500. This makes it a great option for beginners and hobbyists who might not want to drop a lot of money on something they may not use much.

Best Linux laptop	Price	Processor/graphics	Battery life
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD	$1,500	AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360/AMD Radeon 880M	12 hours
Dell XPS 13 (2024)	$1,000	Snapdragon X Plus or Elite/Qualcomm Adreno	17 hours
Acer Swift Edge 16	$1,000	AMD Ryzen 7 7840U/AMD Radeon integrated graphics	7 hours
Asus ProArt P16	$2,300	AMD Ryzen AI 300 series/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060	10 hours
Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024)	$1,400	Snapdragon X Plus or Elite/Qualcomm Adreno	22 hours

*MSRP at time of writing. Please note that actual retail pricing may vary depending on the seller as well as available deals and promotions.

It depends on how much experience you have using the Linux operating system. If you're just starting out, you'll want to opt for a laptop with lower-end components and configurations as well as a lower price. By opting for less sophisticated, less expensive laptops, you can cut your teeth on Linux without losing a ton of money if it turns out not to be your cup of tea.

However, if you're running with more experienced Linux crowds, you may want to consider laptops with more powerful processors and graphics cards to help you create programs or work with Linux source code.

Buy this best Linux laptop...	If you need...
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD	A well-rounded laptop for working in Linux. Lenovo offers full Linux support for the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD as well as customization options.
Dell XPS 13 (2024)	A highly configurable Linux Laptop. The Dell XPS 13 offers multiple configuration options to tailor the laptop to your specific work needs.
Acer Swift Edge 16	A Linux laptop with an incredible display. The Acer Swift Edge 16 is built with an OLED panel for enhanced color and contrast as well as up to 3.2K resolution.
Asus ProArt P16	A laptop for creative pros looking for something on the same level as a MacBook Pro, but with reliable Linux OS support.
Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024)	A Linux laptop with a long battery life. The refreshed Microsoft Surface Laptop offers up to 22 hours of use on a full charge.

What makes a machine worthy of belonging to the best Linux laptop list? Obviously, it has to work with Linux and not require the user to do any of the work to make that happen. Beyond that, here are the key features we considered when completing hands-on testing to compile this list:

Performance: I included laptops with current or last-generation components. This ensures that you'll get the best performance out of your new Linux laptop.
Design: Not all laptops are designed the same way. I chose laptops with both eye-catching, gamer-inspired designs as well as laptops that would fit right in a traditional office setting.
Cost: Since Linux can run on just about any laptop as long as the hardware is supported, you can choose an older model (or even a used one) to load the operating system onto. This means you can save money on upgrades, especially if you're just starting out learning Linux.
Open-source support: Linux is an open-source operating system. You can find tons of online communities dedicated to learning Linux, tweaking source code, and reporting issues.

While we were researching and testing each Linux-compatible laptop on this list, we kept these criteria in mind:

Brand integrity: It may be tempting to spring for that ultra-cheap, unfamiliar brand, but what you'll save, you'll end up paying for later trying to deal with shady customer service or replacing failing parts. Each laptop on this list has been chosen from reputable brands with robust return and exchange policies as well as excellent customer service.
Dual boot: Many Linux enthusiasts may also need or want to run a secondary operating system like Windows or MacOS on their computer for completing certain tasks. Each laptop we've chosen has been verified to be able to run at least one other operating system aside from Linux.
Configurability: No two users will have the exact same needs when using a Linux laptop. Each model chosen for our list has been verified to allow users to drop in new components, expand memory, and add storage drives.

Linux is an open-source operating system, created by Linus Torvalds, that is not only suited for desktops and laptops, but for enterprise-grade servers, container deployments, the cloud, and much more. Linux is available as a distribution and can be downloaded and installed for free on as many machines as you need.

This is a bit of a complicated answer.

Yes, you can run Linux operating systems on MacBooks, Mac Minis, and Mac desktops. But there's a catch: you have to opt for an older model that uses an Intel Core processor instead of Apple's own M1 or M2 chips. Apple's silicon chips are starting to see Linux hobbyists and pros alike build support, but at the time of writing, the only reliable way to get Linux to run on an M1/M2 Mac is to use a virtual machine which is a type of emulation program.

The biggest hurdles you'll have to face when using Linux over Windows or MacOS are the learning curve and general lack of support from brand-name software companies. Since Linux is an open-source operating system, there isn't a single, unified version like there is for Windows 11 or macOS Catalina. This means that it's much more difficult to program applications like games, video players, and even weather apps to work consistently across all versions of Linux. Different versions also mean that just because you're familiar with Ubuntu, that doesn't mean your expertise will be of any use on a machine that runs a different Linux dispo.

Also: Windows, Mac, or Linux? We compare the pros and cons of these computing platforms

When talking about programming and coding, you may come across the term "open-source." This just means that the original code for a program (like Linux or VLC Media Player) is freely available to the public for downloading, distribution, and modifying.

Linux is popular with programmers since it is open-source, which means that it's easy to try and make your own modifications or command lists. Or you can work together with the Linux community to resolve common bug issues or create new support programs for hardware like Apple's M3 Silicon Chips.

The great thing about Linux is that it is an open source operating system. Which means there are a lot of different versions out there on forums and also the Internet Archive. And since there are so many different release versions, newcomers looking to save money on their first dedicated or dual-boot Linux machine can pick up a vintage computer at a thrift store, estate sale, or other secondhand store and likely find an operating system version that will run with it.

A thread on the Linux Mint Forums is full of users who were able to use various versions of Linux Mint as well as Puppy (a version of Linux designed to be run from a flash drive, making it great for hobbyists who restore vintage tech) and Ubuntu on Windows Vista and Windows 98 computers (which intrepid tech hunters may be able to find for a bargain at a thrift store or secondhand online). And Tech Tangents on YouTube, a channel dedicated to restoring and archiving retro computer hardware and software, was able to revive a TeleVideo 950 terminal that was originally released in 1980 and use a version of Linux on it.