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Good things: - up to 64 GB RAM - both M2 NVME SSD and a SATA slot, so I could add my current SATA SSD. - 2 kg - 10/100/1000 Ethernet - 5 USB ports, mixed t

Good things: - up to 64 GB RAM - both M2 NVME SSD and a SATA slot, so I could add my current SATA SSD. - 2 kg - 10/100/1000 Ethernet - 5 USB ports, mixed types - VGA (maybe much needed anymore but OK) - HDMI - headphone/mic jack - mic only jack (but why another one?) - webcam on top of the screen - card reader - pretty inexpensive Bad things: - Intel i5 only - only 2 mouse buttons but this is a Linux laptop: it must have 3. Maybe they can't find any company building 3 mouse buttons touchpads. - it has a numberpad, which is standard on 15" laptops, but the keyboard is offcenter with the screen. - US keyboard only, but I could live with that if it was the only bad thing. My fingers remember where keys are. Neutral - 1080p 16:9 is OKish for me. 16:10 or 16:12 (that is 4:3 [1]) would be better. Unknowns: - how easy is it to open and replace parts? - is RAM soldered or replaceable? Apparently it's replaceable because they write that you can "upgrade later". - what's up with "Most USB data transfer cables on the market include a proprietary flash component that interferes with their usability. With our USB data transfer cable no such component exists" at $59.99? Weirdness: - an optical drive? Well, maybe that could turn into an extra slot for a SSD, with a caddy. - bluetooth No Thanks? Compared to "No SATA Drive" or the several "Select" menus, is that a statement against bluetooth? - the two "censored" European AC Adapters. - the VPN service, almost suspicious. [1] Remember that 16:9 is 4:2.25. We used to have 4:3 screens even wider than the horizontal 36 cm of most current 15" laptops. They shortened our screens.

endorphine 3y ago
Why is i5-only a con? I heard that for ThinkPads at least, the i7 would have lower battery life for no significant gain. Not sure if that's true
- pmontra 3y ago
  My current laptop is an i7. It's a 4th gen i7 so a 13th gen i5 is probably better but I'd like to stay on i7. I don't care much about battery life, there is at least a wall socket everywhere I work at home.
activiation 3y ago
> only 2 mouse buttons but this is a Linux laptop: it must have 3. Maybe they can't find any company building 3 mouse buttons touchpads. Isn't pushing 2 buttons at the same time on a 2-button mouse the same as pushing the third button on a 3 button mouse?
- unwind 3y ago
  Yes but that is a very limited third button. You cannot do chording (e.g. left+middle buttons together) using that approach. Some specialized applications use chording. Edit: spelling because phone.
  - activiation 3y ago
    Just curious, which popular app uses that?
- arp242 3y ago
  Yeah but half the time I get it wrong and accidentally left or right click when I intended to middle click.
duskwuff 3y ago
> - bluetooth No Thanks? Compared to "No SATA Drive" or the several "Select" menus, is that a statement against bluetooth? And if you do want Bluetooth, the only option is an ancient USB dongle. (Only supporting Bluetooth 4.0 suggests that this hardware is ~10 years old.) https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-usb-bluetooth-40-micro-adapter-tpe-usbbluv4 https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-usb-bluetooth...
- tredre3 3y ago
  And they sell it for 43 USD? That same dongle is available on ebay for $4 including shipping.
  - duskwuff 3y ago
    Welcome to the FSF's "Respects Your Freedom" scam. https://ryf.fsf.org/products https://ryf.fsf.org/products The vast majority of products sold with this certification are grossly overpriced versions of commodity hardware which happened to already meet the FSF's expectations. In many cases, the only customization performed by the "manufacturer" was rebranding and/or repackaging the item.
- Cheeeetah 3y ago
  There is M.2 E-key, so bluetooth should come from the wireless card.
jrockway 3y ago
They definitely have 3 button trackpads. I have a cheap Windows laptop from work and it has 6 buttons!
saltminer 3y ago
> - headphone/mic jack > - mic only jack (but why another one?) Simple: some people use headsets that have a TRRS connector (stereo audio and mono mic on one cable), others have headsets with a TRS (stereo audio) and TS (mono for the mic) connector, while others use a separate headphone and mic (e.g. ModMic). Of course, many headsets these days use USB, but there are plenty of 3.5mm ones still floating around, and if you search "headset" on Amazon, the first two options are 3.5mm. There are, of course, adapters (TRS + TS <-> TRRS), but most people don't have one/don't want to buy one/don't know they exist. (I only have one because an old headset came with it.) It's probably only a couple cents extra to achieve much wider compatibility.
wesapien 3y ago
VGA, mic jack, 16:9, optical drive...yea pretty weird for 2023

endorphine 3y ago

Why is i5-only a con? I heard that for ThinkPads at least, the i7 would have lower battery life for no significant gain. Not sure if that's true

pmontra 3y ago
My current laptop is an i7. It's a 4th gen i7 so a 13th gen i5 is probably better but I'd like to stay on i7. I don't care much about battery life, there is at least a wall socket everywhere I work at home.

activiation 3y ago

> only 2 mouse buttons but this is a Linux laptop: it must have 3. Maybe they can't find any company building 3 mouse buttons touchpads. Isn't pushing 2 buttons at the same time on a 2-button mouse the same as pushing the third button on a 3 button mouse?

unwind 3y ago
Yes but that is a very limited third button. You cannot do chording (e.g. left+middle buttons together) using that approach. Some specialized applications use chording. Edit: spelling because phone.
- activiation 3y ago
  Just curious, which popular app uses that?
arp242 3y ago
Yeah but half the time I get it wrong and accidentally left or right click when I intended to middle click.

duskwuff 3y ago

> - bluetooth No Thanks? Compared to "No SATA Drive" or the several "Select" menus, is that a statement against bluetooth? And if you do want Bluetooth, the only option is an ancient USB dongle. (Only supporting Bluetooth 4.0 suggests that this hardware is ~10 years old.) https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-usb-bluetooth-40-micro-adapter-tpe-usbbluv4 https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-usb-bluetooth...

tredre3 3y ago
And they sell it for 43 USD? That same dongle is available on ebay for $4 including shipping.
- duskwuff 3y ago
  Welcome to the FSF's "Respects Your Freedom" scam. https://ryf.fsf.org/products https://ryf.fsf.org/products The vast majority of products sold with this certification are grossly overpriced versions of commodity hardware which happened to already meet the FSF's expectations. In many cases, the only customization performed by the "manufacturer" was rebranding and/or repackaging the item.
Cheeeetah 3y ago
There is M.2 E-key, so bluetooth should come from the wireless card.

jrockway 3y ago

They definitely have 3 button trackpads. I have a cheap Windows laptop from work and it has 6 buttons!

saltminer 3y ago

> - headphone/mic jack > - mic only jack (but why another one?) Simple: some people use headsets that have a TRRS connector (stereo audio and mono mic on one cable), others have headsets with a TRS (stereo audio) and TS (mono for the mic) connector, while others use a separate headphone and mic (e.g. ModMic). Of course, many headsets these days use USB, but there are plenty of 3.5mm ones still floating around, and if you search "headset" on Amazon, the first two options are 3.5mm. There are, of course, adapters (TRS + TS <-> TRRS), but most people don't have one/don't want to buy one/don't know they exist. (I only have one because an old headset came with it.) It's probably only a couple cents extra to achieve much wider compatibility.

wesapien 3y ago

VGA, mic jack, 16:9, optical drive...yea pretty weird for 2023