Devices offered

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Available distros

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Target Systems

Multimedia
^{(Capable computers for daily usage)}

Professional
^{(Devices boasting enough horsepower for professional tasks like 3D modelling, video editing or AI training)}

Libre
^{(At least one device offers open firmware)}

System 76

A well-known manufacturer of Linux machines and developer of their own distribution called Pop!_OS (indeed a weird name). With their products they mainly aim at professionals and those who don’t just expect their devices to work and last, but also come with a distinct design. I’ve personally used their operating system for a long time and was very happy with it, and given their good reputation you won’t do anything wrong shopping for a nice system from them (except when you choose Ubuntu as distro – that would indeed be wrong, if you ask me).
As of now however, they unfortunately only sell devices with standard US keyboard styles.

“System76 proudly engineers and manufactures open source hardware, software, and firmware at our factory in Denver, Colorado. Our user-driven products give creators, makers, and builders the means to bring forth the future.”

system76.com/about

✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Developing their own distro, custom-tailored to their devices’ capabilities
‏‏‎✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Strong focus in productivity and ease-of-use
‏‏‎✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Devices come with all-open & auditable firmware, making them exceptionally private and safe
‎✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget

• Homepage: system76.com
• Chatrooms: chat.pop-os.org/login
• Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System76
• FAQ: support.system76.com

Devices offered

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Available distros

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Target Systems

Multimedia
^{(Capable computers for daily usage)}

Professional
^{(Devices boasting enough horsepower for professional tasks like 3D modelling, video editing or AI training)}

Gaming
^{(Specifically designed for gaming performance)}

Tuxedo Computers

A well-known Germany-based vendor with a long history and good reputation. As with almost any other vendor on this list you’re able to personalize your device before ordering. Their expertise make them a good choice to buy a new device from if you happen to live on the european continent.

“A Nextcloud serves as the basis for the myTUXEDO Cloud. The myTUXEDO Cloud is subject to German data protection and the resulting obligations – data that is stored here is kept safe on the one hand, and on the other hand, it remains in Germany, as the servers are located in German data centers.

[…]

If you have bought more than one device from TUXEDO Computers, you can combine the 10 GB that come with each device to one bigger cloud space.

tuxedocomputers.com

✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Great selection of devices among all sizes
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Custom made software to access any hardware functionality on laptops
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Devices come with free 10gb Cloudspace & additional features hosted in Germany, EU
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget

• Homepage: tuxedocomputers.com
• Chat: tuxedocomputers.com
• FAQ: tuxedocomputers.com

Slimbook

A competent manufacturer from Spain with a great selection and acceptable pricing. While their website loves to be partially spanish on accident I never felt lost, its design is tidy as are their machines. People who don’t just want a workhorse but also something that looks good will find their laptop here – although their all-in-one PC admittedly looks somewhat like an Apple iMac. If you’d like to see and hear more about them checking out Nick (“The Linux Experiment”) on Youtube is a good next step as they send him test units on a regular basis. All in all a very competent, very spanish place to buy a device.

“Our mission is to offer a quality product at an affordable price, covering the area of ultrabooks or notebooks, which nowadays are very expensive.

Now we have also decided to launch a mini PC and a All-In-One as powerful as a desktop computer.”

Slimbook.es/en/FAQ

✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Developing their own distro, custom-tailored to their devices’ capabilities
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Great and unique system apps & features, including system-wide biometric user authentication (“Slimbook Face”)
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Additional hardware like an RGB keyboard, video capture device or USB-C dock available
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget

• Homepage: slimbook.es
• Forum: slimbook.es/en/forum
• FAQ: slimbook.es/en/faq-clients

Star Labs

A small but very intriguing manufacturer that’s currently (Summer ’22) offering exactly 3 devices: A very affordable laptop, a modern and powerful Ultrabook, and a competent mini-PC (as well as old stock for lower prices). All three of them boasting coreboot+edk2, meaning they’re almost entirely free of proprietary firmware that could be malicious. You might’ve never thought about it even after Snowden, however these guys surely did. Given they also offer every single part of their devices for repairs to the point you could just buy them separately (not recommended) this is for sure a good place for a purchase.

“We’re still the same. We have a beer machine and a coffee machine. There’s a 5-month-old Border Collie running around. Blue October is always playing. We use Linux and our own hardware. Linux support and customer service is our number one priority. We work long hours and never switch off.

We love what we do.”

starlabs.systems/pages/about-us

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Devices come with all-open & auditable firmware, making them exceptionally private and safe
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All replacement parts for repairs are directly available in their online shop
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget

• Homepage: starlabs.systems
• FAQ: support.starlabs.systems/kb/faqs

Purism

This manufacturer purely focuses on a full set of secure & private devices, going new ways in the process. All of their devices come with physical switches to physically disconnect things like cameras, microphones or mobile data, giving you peace of mind. Their laptop also offers either their own distribution “PureOS” or QubesOS, a system openly endorsed by non other than Edward Snowden as his first pick. Their phone is a Linux Phone, meaning neither Android nor iOS is running on it. While all of this of course will currently limit your user comfort to a certain degree (don’t even try gaming outside of the few apps that are available), it is a way to achieve true safety and privacy that didn’t get watered down by investors demanding illogical compromises to maximize selling numbers.
While this is definitely not what you’re currently looking for if you “just want your device to work”, it might be very interesting for those who’re looking for something new to feel safe with.

“Cybersecurity and privacy protection are critical concerns in the industry, both happen to be rooted in digital freedoms where control over the technology you use is paramount. For too long, the tech industry has used products and services that control the user and create an unsafe environment. Purism is invested in creating a fully user-controlled computing environment, with quality services and products that people will find convenient to use and beautiful to look upon. An environment you can reliably trust.”

puri.sm/about

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Devices come with all-open & auditable firmware, making them exceptionally private and safe
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Truly innovating a completely new environment in terms of services and connectivity

• Homepage: puri.sm
• Forum: forums.puri.sm
  Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purism_(company)
• FAQ: puri.sm/faq

Laptops with Linux

A shop with very competitive pricing. They’re selling devices without branding from OEMs like Clevo (a company that others, like Slimbook, work with during the design process). By apparently skipping the design process they can offer devices to prices as low as possible with a wide arrange of possible Linux distributions preinstalled. While the devices might not be as tightly integrated into the system software-wise, they’ll of course work very well. A nice place to buy if the concept of brand identification is a foreign concept to you and you just need a proper, Linux-compatible device.

“Because we find it very important to maintain the freedom and openness of Linux in general, we give a part of our profits to various Linux developers, Linux based distributions and Linux communities. When you buy from us you therefore indirectly stimulate the development of your chosen Linux OS.”

laptopwithlinux.com/about-us

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Personalize your laptop with an own logo and your name engraved on the palm rest‏

• Homepage: laptopswithlinux.com
• FAQ: laptopwithlinux.com/faq

Lenovo

Manufacturers of Thinkpads, which are very popular especially in the Open-Source community. Given how big they are and the country they’re located in there are some good reasons not to buy directly from them in my personal opinion. It’s up to debate if they can compete with specialized shops that don’t just sell Linux devices as a side venture. I recommend checking out other competitors.

“I do not particularly trust big global companies, they do shit way too often.”

Natasha Nox

✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ It’s Lenovo
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Available basically anywhere

• Homepage: lenovo.com
• Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenovo
• FAQ: support.lenovo.com

Ubuntushop.be

This one comes from Belgium and, as their name already implies, once started solely selling machines with Ubuntu preinstalled. Nowadays however they’re offering a lot more. Their website is sorted by distribution – a weird choice, however you might prefer it if you already know what you prefer. They also offer a really special “Ubuntu Wooden Design Kubb”, a mini computer inside a small wooden box with 4 different designs available. Even though their website might not look up to date, with over 20 years of experience and obvious success this is a competent choice to buy a new device from.

“We have been doing Linux free software for more than 20 years, and regularly contribute to developers. Unfortunately, more and more stores are using linux to boost their sales due to disappointing windows computer sales. If you are considering purchasing a Linux computer in a store that does not do OEM installations, you should distrust this (all computers, windows like mac, are supplied OEM).”

www.ubuntushop.be/index.php/en/frequently-asked-questions

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Unique offers like a wooden computer, recycling or gift cards (unusual for small shops)
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Devices for dualboot easily configurable

• Homepage: ubuntushop.be
• FAQ: ubuntushop.be/index.php/en/frequently-asked-questions

Minifree Ltd

A small 1-person company with the aim of providing fully-libre Thinkpads as well as a flashing service in case you already have one but want it to be free of potentially not trustworthy firmware. While the devices are not new they’re highly trusted workhorses in the Open-Source community and can therefore be very well serviced while being affordable and safe (and good for the environment too). And even though Debian, one of the oldest and most trusted Linux distributions, is preinstalled by default requests are always possible in case you already have another favourite distribution.

“The aim is simple: make it easy to have a computer that was made to run entirely on Free Software at every level, meaning no proprietary software of any kind. That includes the boot firmware, operating system, drivers and applications.”

minifree.org/about

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Main components of devices are configurable to your needs and budget
‎✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Devices come with all-open & auditable firmware, making them exceptionally private and safe
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎1-Person company – you’re always talking to the person in charge with the necessary knowledge

• Homepage: minifree.org
• FAQ: minifree.org/faq

Nitrokey

Nitrokey’s not just selling Google-free, extremely secure smartphones, but also their so-called “NitroPads”. Those are the same highly trusted Lenovo Thinkpads Minifree also sells with similar open firmware, however possibly without some other details like a better touchpad/keyboard.
Additionally they also sell a ready-to-use Nextcloud box for your home and more security gear. If you’re looking or a one-stop-shop to be all-secure, Nitrokey is greatly recommendable and also trusted by global companies.

“In the last decades, countless incidents became public and showed that proprietary IT systems had severe vulnerabilities or even backdoors. The Snowden revelations gave us clarity about how backdoors are even being implemented intentionally in critical IT systems. As long as IT systems are proprietary, backdoors can remain undetected for a long time. That is why we at Nitrokey focus on Open Source and make our software and hardware developments available to the public. This enables our users as well as independent third parties to check and audit the security of Nitrokey products.”

Nitrokey.com/about

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget
‎✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Devices come with all-open & auditable firmware, making them exceptionally private and safe
✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Shipping globally with no huge extra costs

• Homepage: nitrokey.com
• FAQ: www.nitrokey.com/documentation/frequently-asked-questions-faq

Juno Computers

This one was a new for me too. Given they operate from two locations (England & USA) they can offer good shipping prices for more countries globally. Their online reviews also seem really good. Unfortunately they only cover a single distro, Ubuntu, which I personally can’t recommend due to their way of software distribution (Snaps). However it is stable and well supported – and nothing stops you from trying it out yourself beforehand as explained on the previous page. Surely a nice shop to consider.

“At Juno, we have been studying the market and notice the laptop industry is moving more and more towards eliminating the most useful ports, such as Ethernet, USB ports, and SD card ports – forcing their clients to purchase costly adapters and cables. For this reason, our Jupiter laptop is designed to be one of the most complete laptops in the market, offering users comfortably.”

junocomputers.com/about-us

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Good availability in some other countries than EU or NA

• Homepage: junocomputers.com

Entroware

A small manufacturer from England. While their selection is fine and the 3-year warranty certainly nice, many of their current systems (Summer ’22) come with a 10th generation Intel which isn’t that new anymore. Yet, given they’re already in business since 2014, they’re worth mentioning.

“Our focus on quality assurance and attention to detail means that our machines are built to work perfectly with our selected Linux distributions and applications. With our sights set on innovation and brand new technologies, we are constantly evolving to provide the best possible experience for open source conscious individuals and businesses. We intend to play an active role in the Linux community and to build the devices you want.”

entroware.com/store/about-us

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Gives 3 year warranty by default

• Homepage: entroware.com

NovaCustom

A promising manufacturer from the Netherlands. Given their global free shipping via UPS it might be extremely interesting for people who doesn’t live in a western country. I did not hear about this vendor before, however their Trustpilot Score as well as offerings are excellent. Those include coreboot devices, laser-engraving, a Linux distro of your choice or even dualboot and more.

“NovaCustom respects your privacy. For example, we do not use Google Analytics. You can reach us not only via e-mail, the phone or WhatsApp, but also via the privacy-friendly Signal. Furthermore, we always check that the privacy impact is as small as possible when we install the operating system. Even when we install Microsoft Windows!”

configurelaptop.eu

✅ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎All devices are completely configurable to your needs and budget
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Gives 3 year warranty, 5 year firmware updates
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ 7 Years of replacement parts guaranteed
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Free worldwide shipping

• Homepage: configurelaptop.eu

Vikings

If you’re into alternatives to closed mainstream hardware like me, Vikings is definitely worth a shot. I’ve looked for shops selling the Power9 systems for quite a while and only stumbled over them while researching for this blogpost. Their offerings seem quite convincing and might be very interesting for anyone looking into this very niché topic.

“Vikings is the world’s first professional hosting company with a fully libre hosting platform stack. Our services are based 100% on libre boot firmware, libre software and are powered by certified green energy. We’re your one stop source for libre hosting services as well as libre servers & workstations.”

vikings.net

✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Selling IBM Power9 Workstations, a truly open platform that’s also powerful
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Devices certified by the Freedom Software Foundation
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Unique in selling server-class libre hardware

• Homepage: vikings.net
• FAQ: wiki.vikings.net

Framework

A new vendor that popped up a few years ago made up of former employees from other competitors like Apple, Dell, Lenovo etc., Framework is dedicated to rewrite the rules of consumer electronics towards a brighter future. Their devices are specifically made for you or any repair shop to be able to repair it. This also leads to them not just being customizable, but also majorly upgradeable. For example, their first laptop could be upgraded from Intel 11th generation to 12th generation, something not seen in laptops for the last two decades. They also listen to any criticism people bring up about their devices, leading to exactly those improvements most important. This included Linux support which, while they don’t ship it, they actively work with multiple communities to make sure all distros work great on their device.
If you wish to make an actual difference, got the money and feel comfortable installing Linux yourself using this guide, I highly recommend you give Framework a shot.

“The conventional wisdom in the industry is that making products repairable makes them thicker, heavier, uglier, less robust, and more expensive. We’re here to prove that wrong and fix consumer electronics, one category at a time. Our philosophy is that by making well-considered design tradeoffs and trusting customers and repair shops with the access and information they need, we can make fantastic devices that are still easy to repair.”

frame.work/about

✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ No compromises on repairability and reusability
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Devices outstandingly customizable
✅‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Excellent support

• Homepage: frame.work
• Forum: community.frame.work
  Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framework_Computer
• FAQ: frame.work/support