Hi, lets talk about 2in1 laptops and tablets. Which ones are the best for running linux on them, which ones are your favorites right now, what do you like using them for, etc. I find myself really missing having a 2in1 sometimes, especially for the portability aspects of them.
Update:
I have been thinking about what my usecases for it will be and I’m definitely leaning more towards a tablet for it’s better portability. I think the StarLite will be the biggest contender so far.
Some of the main things I would like to be using it for will be:
-navigation in my vehicle
-videos
-music
-browsing/online research
-weather station
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What about the Starlite 5
Ok this is sexy. I wasn’t even looking for something like this but now I want one.
Fuck, me too and I’ve actually got a convertible tablet already that works pretty well on Linux (Lenovo X12, better bang for the buck than a Surface which was my previous favorite).
That’s an incredible looking slab, thanks for the recommendation!
I am using input by a pen a lot, to draw in my PDFs. It seems like Starlite doesn’t support that? I hope I am wrong, this is a major reason for 2-in-1s, isn’t it.
It has a pen.
Nice!
I was just looking at this, to pair with a custom keyboard and run in portrait mode for editing software. Have any shipped yet? All the YouTube videos I’ve seen are just people talking about screenshots
Per latest updates people should start getting their hands on first units early December. I have pre-ordered mine almost 3 months ago now and can’t wait!
Waiting too! I just found their updates page today. Did you get the pen as well? Curious how it will do in Krita
No pen. I used to have one with Surface Pro but in the end I never used it.
Plus if I decide I really need it the StarLite uses this open standard meaning you can use whichever pen later.
I have the HP envy 360, I have the Ryzen 5000 series not Intel. I’m a software engineering student that also leans heavily into the enthusiast side in terms of any kind of software, and I haven’t ran into anything I can’t do with this. I don’t game on it though so I can’t speak to that, I use other hardware for it. The touchscreen works well, I picked up some styluses for it that have different tips based on what I’m doing and I’ve done anything from note taking to art. I also fold it for watching YouTube and stuff sometimes or reading. The battery life is pretty good, if I’m doing heavy stuff i usually have to plug it in before I hit the end of the day. Lightweight stuff I’ve had it last a couple days.
The laptop comes with windows 11 but I have a dual boot setup. It runs fantastic in Linux or windows, this thing is a little powerhouse. The only issue I had on install of linux (I’m using debian) was that it didn’t recognize my wifi adapter but it wasn’t a hard fix. Otherwise it just feels fantastic to use. Its light, sleek, and stylish in a modern way if those are bonuses for you. Feels good to type on, and has an aluminum case. Other than my steam deck it’s probably my favorite piece of tech I own.
I recently picked up an older MS Surface model and it has been really good. I don’t know where tablet bleeds into 2in1, but it’s a tablet that has a magnetic keyboard that pops on and off and accepts USB connections for stuff like mice with a USB to USB-C adapter or via a surface dock. Prices start at around $70 on ebay for older models in decent condition and run up to around $2k for the highest end models directly from Microsoft. Being x86 they accept any compatible OS (including Linux) and installs just as easy as any laptop (minus the later models that need the touch driver installed manually on Linux or a Windows re-install). If you go with a surface and buy an older model make sure you get 8gb of ram instead of 4.
As far as setup goes, I went with Gnome, enabled the on screen keyboard, then added the “custom hot corners” Gnome plugin to get a working on screen keyboard everywhere (without the plugin it only works in Gnome and Gnome apps). Afterwards (since I went with an older model that didn’t need the touch drivers) it’s fully ready for use like any other device.
There’s also the PineTab2, though from the sounds of it it’s not really ready to be used as a tool, more so just for development and experimentation. I did find two good blog posts about it’s state when researchign devices which would be worth reading if you were considering buying a PineTab2 and wanted to know what to expect:
https://ivonblog.com/en-us/posts/pine64-pinetab2-review/
https://ivonblog.com/en-us/posts/after-3-months-of-daily-driving-pinetab-2/
Did you use the linux-surface-kernel? This project is awesome for getting as many functions of a surface running as possible. There are lots of useful information and tipps for every surface model too.
I’m on the standard LTS kernel (if I properly remember Debian defaults). I did check out the Linux Surface project before setting it up, though the standard kernal and Gnome config seems to work great out of the box. Even little things like the gyroscope and automatic brightness worked from the start, though it probably varies from model to model.
Edit: only thing that didn’t work out of the box is the camera. Going to tinker around with that at some point, not a super high priority personally but still nice to have.
I myself am currently using a Chuwi Hi10X. I don’t have too many major complaints about it other than its quite underpowered. It does perform decently well until you need something graphics related then just kinda sucks. However I can use Firefox with it without any major gripes aisde from video playback, then I need to use chromium.
The desktop environment you use can actually play a massive part in its usability. I have found that GNOME is pretty much useless. KDE isn’t bad but it’s still heavy. I have been testing Cosmic DE and it has been pretty good. Definitely the best performing of the bunch so when that releases I’ll probably be using that full time.
About a year ago I was lucky on eBay, winning an old Acer Switch Alpha 12 for ~95€ including shipping. I think it was released about 2016.
Even if it shows a lot of signs of wear, it is still a very good device. I received it with Windows 11, but of course I didn’t want use it like that. 4 gigs of ram aren’t enough for that anyway.
So I installed Fedora. (Had to rename the uefi boot entry for it to boot from disk. This is described elsewhere online but if you read this post and wonder how to do it, please dm me and I’ll be happy to help.)
Now this is my primary device for when I’m away from my desktop PC. Gnome is stunning on 2-in-1s IMO, much better than Windows would ever be.
Hardware wise everything works just fine out of the box, apart from the rear camera which isn’t recognized, but I wouldn’t use that anyway.
Honestly, the Switch Alpha 12 is the poor man’s MS Surface and I think it’s a shame that Acer has apparently given up on this device class. For now I’m happy to use this pc for as long as I can.
I currently have an Acer Spin 5 I bought like 3 years ago. It’s an awesome little machine. I use it every day to code on, and once in a while I’ll do some graphic design work on it where I need the pen support. The pen it comes with is too small to be comfortable, so I use a Dell active pen. Everything works on it out of the box except the fingerprint reader. I don’t use fingerprint readers anyway, but there is a way to get it working.
I have a ThinkPad X12 that supports Linux well. The pen works fairly well with Xournal++. I don’t use it that often because I prefer a traditional laptop form factor, but it’s great if you like the Surface style design.
I also have an X12. Ironically one of my issues is that it’s too surface-pro like I’m terms of form-factor. When I saw it online I thought the keyboard connection was more rigid like a surface book (more lap friendly). In terms of specs though it beat the pants off any of the comparable spro’s at the time
I’m using a HP spectre x360 since 2020-12 and I love it so much. I don’t use the tablet functionality often. The touch works pretty well as far as I can say. The notebook, even if it’s 13" ultra portable, is a little heavy for constant tablet usage. Everything else rocks aside of the thumbprint thingy. I use howdy instead.
The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro works decently and is cheap
I’ve been using Ubuntu on a yoga 2 for nearly a decade. I haven’t used the touchscreen in ages but I used to do a lot of inking and it was pretty good out of the box. It only has a 4 gigs of ram though and isn’t upgradeable so it’s not as useful as it was
I have had a wonderful experience with the Surface Pro 4, back in uni, and would have definitely recommended that. Check how the 9 performs with Linux.
That said, despite being crowned the champion for this, I would not recommend anything from the Dell XPS line. Especially not the recent machines, or the convertibles
why, how come you don’t recommend the dell?
Garbage build quality, and poor longevity. Out of the box, they may have been great machines (before the current generation). As soon as you start having problems, you would spend all for your time wishing you got something else
Good to know, thanks.
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I’m interested in 2in1 laptops. Seperately, I’m also interested in tablets that could serve similar functionalities.
Pinetab 2 is pretty good for everyday tasks. Just need to get a wifi dongle.
