Though the desktop market is dominated by Windows OS, developers often use Mac OS or Linux-powered computers for their development needs. Linux provides an ideal environment for developers regardless of which programming language they're using. Today, we're going to look at some of the best Linux laptops available for developers. Whether you're a frontend pro or work at the backend, these laptops have you covered. Some of these laptops come with a popular Linux distro, while others are powered by an in-house custom Linux distro built by the manufacturing company. Most of these custom builds are one of the popular distros (under the hood) with a custom skin. Some of these laptops provide ample hardware customization options while making a purchase. If budget is not an issue, you can build a fairly powerful laptop configuration. Most of these laptops are available internationally or can be shipped to your destination. The first one on this list is the one I bought via one of my friends in the US.
Get at least 16GB RAM for your laptop. It's the minimum required to run virtual machines, containers, and whatnot. Ample RAM, SSD, and a powerful processor are what you need for a responsive machine.
So, let's get started and check out these feature-packed Linux laptops to take our software development process on another level. Check the specs of each one of them and pick the one meeting your needs.
1. Lemur Pro
This laptop is a workhorse for almost every type of developer. Unless you're doing extremely CPU-intensive tasks, this laptop works like a charm. It has a plethora of custom build options to get your personalized hardware configuration.
I'm using this laptop for the last 6 months and so far it has exceeded my expectations. Following are some of its prominent features.
- i5 or i7 processor (4 cores - 8 threads)
- 14.1" 1920×1080 FHD display
- Up to 40GB DDR4 RAM
- Up to 4TB M.2 SSD
2. HP Dev One
This laptop is one of the best deals when it comes to comparing the price against the hardware configuration. It's sturdy and comes with good battery life. It comes with preinstalled Pop!_OS built by System76 which makes it one of the best picks in this list.
With its powerful hardware specs, you can multitask on it—with ease. Following are the vital hardware statistics of this awesome Linux laptop.
- AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 5850U Processor
- 14" FHD LED (1920x1080)
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 1 TB PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ M.2 2280 SSD
3. Clevo NL50NU
I've always been a fan of AMD processors. If you're too, this laptop is made for you. It's powered by AMD processors and offers impressive hardware configuration to fulfill all of your coding needs. Its multicolor keyboard is one of my favorite features.
While building or customizing the configuration of this laptop, you can choose from an array of Linux distributions. These features are available with this laptop.
- Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 processor
- Up to 64 GB DDR4 RAM
- Up to 2 TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- AMD Radeon 7 graphics
4. Kudu
Now this one is a powerhouse! If you frequently use virtual machines, containers, and other heavy applications, go for this laptop. It's powered by a powerful Ryzen 9 processor. The design itself is unique with tons of features a programmer looks for in his development machine.
Though a bit pricey, this laptop gives you the raw power to support any coding workflow. Following are some of its important features.
- Ryzen 9 processor (8 cores - 16 threads)
- Up to 64 GB DDR4 RAM
- Up to 4 TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
5. Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition
This is a big one in a small package. Ubuntu Linux and 11th generation Intel processors make this laptop a promising candidate for serious development. It's best known for its sleek design with a premium finish. And, its compact size makes it ideal for developers who travel frequently.
With its premium finish and powerful hardware configuration, the pricing of this laptop is very reasonable. The following configuration is available for this laptop.
- i5 or i7 processor
- Up to 32 GB LPDDR4x RAM
- Up to 2 TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
- 3456 x 2160 OLED Infinity Edge Display
6. Librem 14
And, last but not least is this powerful laptop powered by custom-built Linux distribution which is stable and has a nice interface. It's a handcrafted machine made with premium hardware. Simply choose your configuration and order it. Worldwide shipping is available.
I found its keyboard to be one of the best in its category. Following are some of the hardware configuratin options available for this laptop.
- i7 processor (6 cores - 12 threads)
- Up to 64 GB DDR4 RAM
- Up to 2 TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
- Dual 4K Output support
