System76 announces new Darter Pro 15.6-inch Linux laptop with excellent battery life

System76 is a relatively new custom desktop and laptop builder that exclusively specializes in Linux-powered systems. Its laptop portfolio includes several models designed for various budgets, but most of these are quite hefty, while battery life is not particularly impressive. The newly announced Darter Pro model, however, is said to offer improved portability via a lightweight chassis plus an impressively long battery life.

As with all other devices from System76, the Darter Pro is powered by Linux-based operating systems and users may choose among Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (64-bit) and the proprietary Pop!_OS 18.04 LTS or 18.10. As far as CPU selection is concerned, System76 chose to equip the Darter Pro with the latest Whiskey Lake-U Core i7-8565U / i5-8265U quad-core CPUs, which can be coupled with up to 32 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM and up to 2 TB of NVMe SSD storage.

Other standard features include:
•    15.6-inch FHD matte IPS display
•    Intel UHD Graphics 620 iGPU
•    Thunderbolt 3 connector, 2x USB-A 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
•    SD card reader
•    Multitouch touchpad and multi-color backlit Chicklet keyboard
•    GbE port, WiFi +Bluetooth
•    HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs
•    Stereo speakers, hedphone + mic jacks
•    HD webcam with incorporated mic
•    54.5 Wh battery
•    Dimensions: 0.78 × 14.19 × 9.63 inches
•    Weight: 3.6 lbs (base configuration)

Price points and availability information will be announced in the coming weeks.

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