Hi Linux nerds,
I’ve started up classes recently, and with being a recent convert and all, was a little curious to hear if anyone had any recommendations for a tablet capable of handling the workload of a student and that runs linux. I’m a bit of a neophyte when it comes to hardware (especially tablets, I’ve never had one in my life), though I’ve got enough experience to run Fedora on my PC.
My needs are pretty simple, I just need to be able to run libreoffice and take notes on the machine during lectures. Any insights as to where I should be looking?
I currently run a ThinkPad Yoga L13 Yoga G4. Works wonders with EndeavourOS+KDE Plasma. I study engineering and I both take notes with Xournal++ and the integrated pen (other wacom compatible pens work too) and run heavy workloads like code compiling and a crap ton of MATLAB. There are some quirks specific to Linux, for example acpi does not recognize when the device is folded into tablet mode (but on Windows it works). I worked around it with two widgets with which I manually turn the tablet mode on and off. Other stuff also, I wrote a blog post on it if anyone is interested.
For all my bachelor I used a ThinkPad Yoga 370, but the dual core processor couldn’t really hold up to my computation workloads. Everything worked out of the box, always Arch Linux and I tried both Gnome and Plasma in my time with it.
What you’re looking for is PostmarketOS. On their website you can also see what tablet devices it runs on more or less perfectly and on which ones some of the features are missing.
I think their website answers all of your questions.
while it’s a bit more than a tablet, I scooped up a gen 3 yoga x1 thinkpad off ebay for somewhere around $300 USD. i’m running bluefin on it and it works great for most of my general computing tasks. the screen folds back into a tablet mode and the keys recess when it does. that functionality “just works” on a fresh bluefin install for me.
the stylus that sits inside the body of the laptop doesn’t function and i suspect that it is a (non-replaceable) battery issue. i bought a larger lenovo stylus for the device after some research and it works great (plus i can replace the battery). it’s a CCAI21LP1520T4 model. i think it was about $35 USD.
the only downside is it’s a bit heavier than a tablet and it can get kind of warm over time but i’m doing development on it and have several docker containers running for that purpose. that might be a me problem.
i like that it has a headphone jack and an sd card slot. there’s also a sim card slot but i doubt that’s usable with linux.
Try the sim card, I have a Lenovo ThinkPad and it works
guess i’ll have to yoink it out of my phone when i get some motivation. thanks!
Similar expierience, got an Inspiron x360 for $150 - works great and its capable of doing so much more than a usual tablet since I have the same Debian Stable install as on my Desktop and work Laptop.
And everything worked out of the box, which kinda baffled me to be honest.
Surprisingly Microsoft surface with GNOME disto what models works better u can find here https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface/wiki/Supported-Devices-and-Features#feature-matrix
say no to apartheid tech
I can second this. I’ve got a Surface Go 2 that I’ve been using for a couple of years now and have fully transitioned to Kubuntu a year and a half ago or so. Been working pretty much flawlessly. My cameras don’t work, but I don’t need them regardless, the pen and the keyboard cover work out of the box, so does the touchscreen. You might want to make a few changes here and there to adjust for missing functions, but it’s been a pretty good experience so far. The Surface’s battery also lasts a lot longer and the Surface itself doesn’t get too warm anymore either, compared to Windows 11
+1 for the Surface Go 2. I use on of these with NixOS GNOME, and it’s lovely. For Pen use I like Rnote. You could also use Plasma Mobile on it. The Go 3 is not really better, so don’t get it unless it is in the same price range, and avoid the 64 GB eMMC model.
The surface pro 5 is the most supported surface. I have been using it for a few years and it is pretty awesome. Pair it with a brydge keyboard and you have a hell of a laptop. I understand though brydge discontinued their surface keyboard
A side note. Tablets are good if you like to handwrite or take notes on slides or documents. If that’s your plan, some software like xournal++ is probably the best, instead of LibreOffice. Otherwise, if you plan to still mostly if not only write via keyboard, consider sticking to a normal laptop. They are often cheaper and you’ll write way faster than you can with a tablet.
I had a great time with my minisforum v3. Everything worked out of box in fedora and bazzite except the rotation support, which I did w a tray icon anyway.
If notetaking is going to be your primary use, you’ll definitely want to focus on the keyboard experience. Touch-typing on a screen isn’t a fun way to take class notes and a lot of cheap bluetooth keyboards end up being laggy or otherwise unsatisfactory.
I’ve heard good things about Surface tablets and their attachable keyboards. I’ve personally had good luck with two-in-one laptops, where the keyboards are built-in.
When/if you try for a pure tablet experience, be prepared for rough edges. Outside of KDE, Gnome and maybe Budgie, most desktop environments/WMs aren’t designed to work on tablets without keyboards. Getting an on-screen keyboard to act how you want it to act isn’t something that has been solved universally. Another fun wrinkle is that there’s no guarantee that the tablet’s accelerometer will be detected, so it may be challenging to rotate the screen orientation. If you like messing around with settings and downloading half-finished projects from github, then you’ll love playing around with Linux tablets.
If you have money to spend, look for a Microsoft Surface. It’s amazing how good they work with Linux, despite being a Microsoft device designed to run Windows.
Their build quality is really good, too.
Agreed as I’m using a Surface Go 1 with typecover (keyboard) as a daily driver with Fedora.
I’d get a used one to avoid giving money to Microsoft.
ms surface is great for linux usage
Been using the PineTab 2 by Pine64 regularly since it’'s out, even bringing it on holiday, and it’s been good. Some minor problems (e.g. no WiFi initially but now working, still no integrated BT for now but dongles working, etc) but honestly for that price ~$200 from Hong-Kong or ~400EUR from EU store with warranty) I think it’s excellent value for money for a tinkerer.
If convertibles would work for you, the new Framework 12 looks really nice. It’s not the best machine for the money, but very repairable. I have a Framework 13 and I love it.
I’ve got a 12. I really like it.
Get a DIY one and put your own memory and SSD in it. You’ll save £$\€ over the framework prices for those. I paid about £750 total for my maxed out 48GB/2TB one. Then slap something like Fedora on it and you’re good to go.
I got a Lenovo slim pen 2 as the framework stylus isn’t out yet. Pairing required holding the buttons for ages, but works great after that.
The only reason I can’t really buy one is that my job requires a really color accurate display, and the display on it is only like 66% sRGB. I’m hoping they release one with a better screen, cause other than that, it looks so awesome!
For Framework, they just need to release a screen. They did that for 13, and you can just replace it.
Hopefully they will release a decent screen for the 12. The screen on the 13 is 100% sRGB and the 16 is even better.
I installed grapheneOS on a pixel tablet and it works really well.
pixel tab is still overpriced though. it really needs a price drop
Idk I never bought a tablet in my life so I just figured I’m paying a bit more for a device that I’ll truly own and can do whatever I want with. I don’t ever plan on buying devices I can’t do that. It was definitely worth it but I also agree. I paid more for it then the power of the specs.
How is the user experience with Linux?
I’m a Linux /Android/occasional Windows user who after 4 generations of Android tablets, finally gave up and got an iPad (first and only Apple device in decades), because it’s leagues ahead in user experience.
Well, I have a Chuwi Hi8 that I recently managed to get to mostly run on Linux (The hardware is a bit on the strange side: It’s meant to be more an Android tablet than a PC, and outdated as hell). Gnome works pretty well, but scrolling can be a pain if the app isn’t really meant for touchscreens. But it’s good enough for browsing at least…
Maybe the Volla tablet
Searching for “tablet PC” or “Windows tablet” instead of just “tablet” will probably help in your search. Most computers with x86_64 CPUs (Intel or AMD) should be able to run Linux distros fine.
But tablets don’t seem to be a common form factor for PCs. It seems like the term has really been narrowed down to mean one that runs Android or iOS. Very frustrating.
If you can’t find anything that doesn’t have an ARM SoC, you can try postmarketOS, but it will require more work and risk than a “PC” that is a tablet. https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices
