Dell launched its Project Sputnik five years ago, aiming to expand the tiny slice of the OS market controlled by Ubuntu Linux. Now, there are still just a few popular brands that offer high-end notebooks loaded with Ubuntu Linux, but Dell has no less than seven different models in its portfolio, as well as a 27-inch AiO that comes with the same operating system.
In addition to the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition that now uses an Intel Kaby Lake processor and offers Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, up to 16 GB RAM, and display options reaching as high as 3,200X1,800 pixels, the US tech giant also has the following Ubuntu machines ready for purchase:
- Precision 3520 - up to 32 GB RAM, 15.6-inch full HD display, NVIDIA GeForce graphics
- Precision 5520 - Xeon processor, up to 32 GB RAM, 15.6-inch 4K display, NVIDIA Quadro graphics
- Precision 7520 - Xeon processor, up to 64 GB RAM, 15.6-inch 4K display, NVIDIA Quadro or AMD Radeon Pro graphics
- Precision 7720 - 17.3-inch variant of the 7520 with up to 4 TB internal storage support (up from 3 TB for the 7520)
- Precision 7510 - Skylake processor, 15.6-inch 3K display, up to 64 GB RAM, up to 3 TB storage
- Precision 7710 - Skylake processor, 17.3-inch 3K display, up to 64 GB RAM, up to 4 TB storage
Buying laptops without an operating system and installing a Linux distro is always an option, but Dell's machines mentioned above have been tested to work properly with Ubuntu. When using a portable built with Windows in mind, for example, some functional keys might not work as intended.