Can a Linux laptop really replace my MacBook? it’s surprisingly close

Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook Pro 14

ZDNET Highlights

• The Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 is now available on the official site for around $1,137.
• With a powerful CPU and a great display, this laptop exceeded my expectations in every way.
• It is manufactured in Europe, so be careful when choosing your keyboard during the ordering process.

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I like a good laptop or desktop that comes with Linux pre-installed. It’s even better when said hardware is equal to both beauty and power. When the German company tuxedo computer pitched me InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 Going into the review, I knew it would be something special.

and it was.

The company collaborates with many original design manufacturers (ODMs) to design, manufacture and develop laptops. Tuxedo Computers is constantly in contact with those ODMs to evaluate customizations in terms of chassis, colors, various display panels, keyboards, cooling, CPU/GPU options and much more.

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Additionally, Tuxedo Computers’ software engineers maintain constant contact with ODMs to gain access to technical documentation, enabling them to customize existing drivers or write new ones to make laptops as compatible as possible. Tuxedo computers may ship with Tuxedo OS (the default), or you can choose from Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, or Xubuntu, which I’ve written about.

You can also order the laptop without an OS and have it built with a custom logo (instead of the default Tuxedo Computer logo).

my experience

When I first took the laptop out of the box, I didn’t pay attention to the thing that bothered me the most: the keyboard. The laptop I got had the German QWERTZ keyboard layout, which I had never used before. During setup, I switched it to QWERTY, which worked fine as long as I ignored the letters on the keyboard and typed as usual. For example, the Y key was where the Z key normally was.

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Talking about the keyboard, the InfinityBook Pro Gen 9 keyboard is really nothing special. It works well, and while it’s certainly not like the dreaded MacBook butterfly keys, it’s no ultimate hacking keyboard. The keys are silent and have good action. I’d call it a Goldilocks keyboard: not too soft or too hard; This is absolutely correct.

As far as the trackpad is concerned, it’s a different story. From my perspective, Apple has set the gold standard by which all trackpads are evaluated, and although the InfinityBook Pro Gen 9 trackpad may not reach that level, it is one of the better trackpads I’ve experienced on a Linux laptop. It’s intuitive and responsive, with both physical clicks and tap-to-click enabled by default.

The next issue was the default solution. Out of the box, the laptop defaulted to the highest resolution possible, making everything too small for my aging eyes. After a quick change to 1920 x 1080 resolution everything was perfect.

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Tuxedo OS uses the KDE Plasma desktop, which also helps increase performance to impressive levels. The laptop handled everything I threw at it without blinking. You also get the Tuxedo Control Center, where you can take a look at system performance, as well as the ability to quickly switch power profiles (from Default, Cool and Breezy, PowerSave Extreme, Tuxedo Defaults, or a user-created custom profile).

What impressed me most about this laptop was how polished it looked. Yes, it’s Clevo hardware, but Tuxedo Computers has done an amazing job of making it their own product and making sure everything works seamlessly.

The InfinityBook Pro Gen 9 also weighs in at about 3.09 pounds, which is about .09 pounds more than my MacBook Pro 13″, so it’s nice and light, making it a portable option.

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As far as the display is concerned, it is beautiful. The images are clear and fully support the sRGB color gamut, ensuring accurate representation. The best thing about the display is the matte anti-glare coating. This is one of the few times I’ve seen the combination of matte and anti-glare actually make a significant difference.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

I’m not going to lie; Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook Gen 9 This is one of the best Linux laptops I’ve tested so far. It’s as beautiful as it is high-performing, and with one of the best displays I’ve seen on a Linux laptop, this will be one of those review units I don’t want to send back. Just moving the cursor around brings a smile to my face because it’s so intuitive and easy to see from any angle.

If you’re in the market for a laptop with Linux pre-installed, the InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 from Tuxedo Computers is a solid choice. Just remember, if you buy one (and you’re from the United States), switch the default keyboard to the QWERTY layout; Otherwise, you may get stuck while typing.

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Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 Technical Specifications

• Omnia Display: Glare-free 3K (2880 X 1800) with 16:10 aspect ratio, 120 Hz refresh rate, and 400 nits brightness
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (8 cores, 16 threads, 5.1 GHz max, and 24MB cache)
• GPU: AMD Radeon 780 M (12 GPU cores and maximum clock speed 2.7 GHz)
• RAM: 16 GB DDR5 5600 MHz
• Storage: 500GB Samsung 980 VNMe PCIe 3.0
• Default keyboard: German DE QWERTZ
• Battery: 80Wh Lithium Polymer with up to 17 hours idle, 13 hours video playback and 9 hours web surfing
• Ports: On the left: Kensington security slot, USB-A 2.0, USB-C 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbit/s | DisplayPort 1.4 | Power Delivery DC-in*), and a 2-in-1 audio (headphones + mic). Right side: card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen1. Rear – HDMI 2.0b (HDCP 2.3), USB4 (40 GBit/s | DisplayPort 2.1 | Power Delivery DC-in* | DC-out: max 15 Watts (5 V/3 A)), RJ45 port 1 Gbit (LAN).
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• price: Starting from $1,057 from tuxedo computers