ARM Laptop for linux
Posted by FunApple@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 52 comments
I need to get a lightweight smol laptop for traveling to/from work. Primarily I will just code something and browse web. Searching thru variants I found out that macbook air will fit most nicely for me. But the problem with mac is that it's apple and macos. I use windows daily and have feeling that using mac might be a mental issue, while despite I'm not using linux, I had to use it for some tasks and having variety of desktop interfaces is much better than to being forced to use the only one and new for you.
But I've got a problem in searching for laptop on ARM. Variants are mostly or even more expensive than macbook air, or just have different issues according to reviews.
Is there something I might look at? How even good is linux on arm usage nowadays?
Fratm@reddit
Does it have to be ARM? Framework's new 13pro has amazing battery life according to their datasheets, and they are very linux friendly if you want to go linux.
1-800-I-Am-A-Pir8@reddit
having a snapdragon laptop myself:
Stay far away from arm laptops for desktop linux use. Drivers for all the goodies: wifi, bt, power mgmt, graphics aren't ready.
iamapizza@reddit
You haven't mentioned why arm though? If your primary usage is browsing and coding you could just get a regular laptop and use that. Even a lightweight chromebook runs Linux.
int23_t@reddit
Battery life probably. You can get like 7 hours or so on a decent x86 laptop on linux while optimising everything. I get like 5.5 on my gaming laptop(because my GPU is powered off on idle and my setup idles at less than 1% of CPU that's clocked down to 600MHz, and it has a huge battery)
An ARM laptop with a decent battery can still get more than that though, 12 hours is doable on ARM if they don't cost cut the battery. And it's something some people might prefer.
RvstiNiall@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/1swbcdz/hp_chromebook_11_gen8ee_show_me_another_device/
base_13@reddit
well framework 13 pro in default config x86 and supports 20 hours of 4k streaming on battery
RvstiNiall@reddit
I second this. I have a HP Chromebook 11 Gen8EE, 4GB ram, 32GM EMMC running Void Linux. I regularly get 16-18 hours of battery life with normal use. With Wifi and Bluetooth turned off, battery life goes up to around 18-20. It's perfect for typing in neovim.
RvstiNiall@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/1swbcdz/hp_chromebook_11_gen8ee_show_me_another_device/
Responsible-Key8163@reddit
Honestly if Linux is the goal, I’d be cautious going ARM unless you specifically want to tinker. x86 ultrabooks still have way better compatibility. Linux on ARM has improved a lot, but it can still be uneven.
JLX_973@reddit
Honestly, using ARM on Linux from a laptop is still kind of a pain. Very little is truly designed around that use case, so it still feels like a lot of tinkering. The latest Intel Panther Lake laptops actually look pretty efficient, with battery life getting very close to MacBook Air territory. If you pick one with a large battery, around [90\ \mathrm{Wh}], a lot of them can last roughly [13]–[15] hours with light use, which is more than enough for a full workday away from a charger. On top of that, unlike in the past, performance on battery is no longer heavily restricted. I’d suggest looking into models like the Lenovo ThinkBook 14+, Honor MagicBook 14 Pro, and Xiaomi Book Pro 14. Unfortunately, these are all very recent devices, so international availability is still limited, though that should improve over the coming months. You may need to be a bit patient. That said, if I’m being honest, the overall value for money is still probably in favor of the MacBook Air.
arjanjnl@reddit
It maybe it's to large for you. I saw it on kickstarter a while ago: https://argon40.com/products/argon-one-up-cm5-laptop-core-system
It's a laptop based on a Raspberry PI CM 5.
PeanutNore@reddit
I've been wanting to get my hands on one but I don't want to spend $600. I have a CM5 in a Clockwork Pi uConsole and it's actually a pretty decent computer (especially in the 16gb RAM flavor). In a standard laptop form factor it could totally be a daily driver.
roundart@reddit
Macbook Neo is a low risk foray into ARM based processor laptop
DadoumCrafter@reddit
If you want a small ARM laptop that runs Linux, the safest bet is to take an M1 or M2 Macbook Air anyway.
Healthy-Notice9439@reddit
Asahi’s support is not great. A lot of things still don’t work especially on the GPU side.
AvonMustang@reddit
Or just get the MacBook Air like OP obviously wants and install Homebrew (brew.sh) and will have all the "Linux" tools you need for writing code.
plasticbomb1986@reddit
Dont know of much, but weren't there a new arm laptop from framework in the works?
base_13@reddit
not from framework itself but meta computing made a arm board for framework
LawfulnessNo8446@reddit
The only one currently is a 3rd party board by metacomputing (deepcomputing) that is for developers. It's not meant for regular customers.
Additional-Simple248@reddit
I watched a video recently of someone testing an ARM board in a Framework laptop, but I’m not sure if it was an official board or something third party.
LawfulnessNo8446@reddit
It's a 3rd party board
PeanutNore@reddit
You should check out the Argon ONE UP, it uses a Raspberry Pi CM5
24032014@reddit
I’d go with a Mac as even if you need windows or Linux you can just run it on UTM. Also the neo is good enough for casual use if you’re looking for a Chromebook like price.
willowmedia@reddit
Why now give a MacBook Air m1 with asahi Linux a try?
CataclysmZA@reddit
The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is the only other option, shipping with a Mediatek Kompanio SoC.
InstanceTurbulent719@reddit
ARM doesn't have a monopoly on battery life anymore, Intel's panther lake and the previous lunar lake are exceptionally good. The issue is just windows
numbworks@reddit
Your only option are Chromebook 2-in-1s: they are small, ARM and non-Apple. Using Crostini (their Debian subsystem) you can do some light Linux work.
Unfortunately Linux support for Snapdragon CPUs is quite alpha at the moment. It's a pity that Qualcomm doesn't see how many of us would buy a Linux ARM laptop.
livingforknowledge@reddit
By alpha you mean they support all Linux distros? Sorry I'm new to this OS. I'm looking for a cheap option as well. I was looking at snapdragon laptops and wondering if they can be used for Linux but couldn't find reliable info online. Most systems had slow chips and storage. It'll be wiser I guess to spend a little more to get better hardware. I'm willing to assemble parts for a cheap laptop too. Please advice sir.
numbworks@reddit
Please read further here:
"Ubuntu 25.10 ARM64 on this Snapdragon X Elite was working out although you still need to manually install and run the qcom-firmware-extract tool to extract the necessary firmware blobs from the Windows 11 on ARM partition so the Linux drivers can make use of it. Most Snapdragon X Elite laptops for Linux use still require fetching the firmware blobs from the Windows partition with only the Lenovo ThinkPad freely distributing theirs via linux-firmware.git to avoid this nuisance. Without the firmware support you lose out on Adreno GPU acceleration and other functionality."
https://www.phoronix.com/review/snapdragon-x-elite-linux-eoy2025#:~:text=Ubuntu%2025.10%20ARM64%20on%20this,drivers%2C%20and%20GCC%2015.2%20compiler.
livingforknowledge@reddit
Thanks for the info!
baikal718@reddit
All of the software engineers I’ve worked with use Mac. I use a Mac and I’m electro-mech, the only two windows machines I have is one remote server strictly for solidworks and a handheld for gaming. Make the switch, you won’t regret it.
DFS_0019287@reddit
I think some Linux people dislike Apple because Apple is pretty hostile to open-source. They ban GPLv3 programs, for example, which is why they switched the default shell from bash to zsh. They simply wanted to avoid GPLv3.
qetuR@reddit
If I was a laptop manufacturer I would look at this forum and see the huge amounts of people looking for a Linux optimized ARM laptop.
SubjectiveMouse@reddit
Yep. I'm still considering MBA m1 with asahi just for battery life and being able to work fanless. But being limited to 60hz is killing me.
crystalchuck@reddit
Yea, we are dozens
LumenAstralis@reddit
"using mac might be a mental issue"
Well, truer words....
librepotato@reddit
Phoronix has great reporting on the status of Snapdragon laptops. See https://www.phoronix.com/news/Snapdragon-X-Elite-Ubuntu-26.04 for a recent article.
Basically none of the laptops are feature complete, and there are various bugs and issues. While Qualcomm has supported their CPU and GPU, all the other components made by partners have varying levels of support.
I would get Intel Lunar Lake or Panther Lake as they can get similar battery life and you won't have to deal with searching for arm binaries for your favorite software.
MaybeTheDoctor@reddit
Have you considered a Chromebook ?
crystalchuck@reddit
MacBook Air or Neo is honestly your best option.
FunApple@reddit (OP)
Yeah, by the look of what is currently on market it feels like it really is the only option, sadly.
dve-@reddit
With nix-darwin (https://github.com/nix-darwin/nix-darwin) you can make at least the terminal virtually the same as on Linux with like 99% of the same programs.
Calrissiano@reddit
ThinkPad X13S
arkane-linux@reddit
I'd just instead opt for an Intel M-series laptop, they are dirt cheap and similarly power efficient, and lack the quicks common to ARM hardware making it much easier to work with.
Otherwise an MNT Pocket Reform.
Or you can always build a cyberdeck with a Raspberry Pi or similar.
I do not recommend the Pinebooks, they have too little RAM and processing power to make them have a good user experience for anything meaningful.
lightmatter501@reddit
Most ARM laptops are functionally Windows (or macOS for apple) only. SDXE barely works on Linux at all and many things are deeply broken.
If your goal is stupidly long battery life, panther lake is the way to go honestly, because the new dell xps has better battery life than anything Apple has by a substantial margin due to having a display that uses less power.
309_Electronics@reddit
Asahi supports M1 and M2 so i would get those. Its sadly the best option these days.
omniverseee@reddit
Mac Air M2 + Asahi
TheZedrem@reddit
I'd recommend checking the new Intel 300 series, Battery life improved quite a bit in the last years.
Current Qualcom Laptops are not made for linux and are missing major drivers.
FunApple@reddit (OP)
Alright, I think I'll stick to macbook sect, thanks for all answers guys!
Really hope ARM laptops situation will be improved over next years.
Njmcq@reddit
I would honestly just invest in a MacBook Neo. If you really don’t like macOS, run your preferred distro in a VM and call it a day — the virtualisation framework built into macOS makes the hypervisors well-optimised for the silicon they run on.
Your other options for small laptops are really in the 11.6-inch school laptop territory, like the ThinkPad 11e models (if you can get them used, and in good condition). They’re x86 machines that have lower-end processors, so don’t expect anything amazing in terms of performance. But they are portable.
saverus1960@reddit
I am afraid small lightweight laptop market will be taken by Macbook neo. I wish there were really suitable options. What a missed opportunity for laptop makers, and which is mainly driven by the incompetence of Microsoft to make Windows viable on ARM. Although we are probably in the year of linux. but still not an important player.
That being said, why not invest in a second hand thin and light laptop like lenovo thinkpad x1, if arm is not an absolute necessity.
Nurmu_YT@reddit
at the moment there is no arm laptop working as flawlessly as an macbook. You simply will not get the efficiency, sleep modes and compatibility.
I personally don't really have issues with software not working. Some things you have to compile yourself but the biggest issue is still battery life or the lack of a proper sleep.
Sleep works better on my x86 laptop than on my arm laptop from a battery drainage point.
And expect hardware acceleration not working properly.
God, I hate qualcomm.
The x2 elite doesn't seem to provide much better driver support.
Lunar lake and panther lake might be a better bet at the moment untill qualcomm gets their shit together or valve steps in and provides some amazing driver support for everyone.
Other laptops like the pinebook are not nearly as powerfull as a macbook but might be enough for your usecase. But still, sleep is not great from what i heard.
Maleficent_Celery_55@reddit
im using linux on an m1 mac and its very fine.