Hello linix@lemmy, I got fixed on the idea of replacing my iPad with a 2in1 like the thibkpad X13 for uni since I use the keyboard with my iPad a lot. The only time I need to take handwritten notes is in chemistry, mathematics and to annotate PDFs. Does anyone here have experience with convertibles running Linux? What would be the best one for palm rejection and writing?
I was unable to find reviews on reasonably modern hardware. Until now I have my eyes set on an Thinkpad X13 since it is Ubuntu certified at least. Thanks :)
I’m using a Dell Inspiron 2in1 and from the linux side everything runs great. In the three years I have this laptop I tried multiple distros and all worked fine. Besides that the biggest problem was to find a program to make handwritten notes. I really recommend Rnote as it has matured very well over this year and is the only option if you need an infinite canvas to draw on.
I can’t recommend you the hardware tho as it is really aweful. The trackpad gets stuck sometimes and does not come back up with the keyboard showing the same symptoms now, the aluminum chassis gets greasy really fast and the hinges aren’t the best either. Also you must use the cheapest version of all Dell pens because the screen is only compatible with that one pen.
Don’t get a Lenovo yoga they kinda suck
Not sure about the ThinkPad yogas, only used a non -thinkpad one but I’m sure someone will chime in
From what I hear, ironically enough the surface pros are pretty good for Linux
You are right. On an university install event I installed fedora on a fairly recent model of it with secure boot and everything. As I have heard it works really well.
Surface pros work, but they’re not ideal for linux. Expect struggle during the installation, and be aware some parts of the hardware won’t work.
The thinkpad yogas (at least the models i worked with) work just fine with Linux (Except maybe the fingerprint reader but i never bothered to get it working).
When you need a software recommendation for handwriting/annotating then i strongly recommend xournal++. Imho the best there is and i prefer it over any windows application (onenote sucks balls). Have used it for 5-6 years now.
I have a 2-in-1 Lenovo Yoga 6 13" that I’ve installed Linux on. I’ve given up on the fingerprint reader working. The part manufacturer doesnt make drivers for Linux nor do they provide the necessary information for someone to make one themselves.
I use a thinkpad x1 yoga 4th gen with Ubuntu 23.10. Works great. Palm rejection has given me a couple problems, but only sometimes… I have not had time to troubleshoot yet though. I tried xournal++ first but was very unhappy, then tried the snap version of onenote which was much worse and landed on Rnote. Rnote is great!
I second a Thinkpad yoga. I’ve been using the x11 version for about a year now and it’s fantastic. My fingerprint reader also works (kubuntu 23.04/10)
I’m using the HP Envy x360 convertible 15-eu[some numbers I don’t remember]. It’s working pretty good. Only things that don’t work are the fingerprint reader and it doesn’t detect when you flip it over automatically but I just use a GNOME extension that allows me to manually toggle the onscreen keyboard.
I bought a used Thinkpad Yoga 370, with a 7th gen i5, 8gb ram (single slot sodimm, which is a real pity) which I later upgraded to 16gb. Also the pen slots right into the frame of the laptop for storage and recharging, so you don’t need to carry it around separately, though it may be a bit small for some people. I personally find myself comfortable with it.
I went right to arch (btw), as I was on both on my old laptop and my desktop, the archwiki has a page dedicated to this laptop, listing which features work and which don’t. If you mess around with the fingerprint sensor and python-validity package you can get it to work, but I don’t use it anyway. The rest works out of the box, though I have never tried the modem (my version lacks antennas and the module) and the express card reader.
I use xournal++ to take notes in uni. I tend to make a huge journal for each course (easily 150+ pages at the end of the semester), so make sure to disable autosaves as sometimes they hang up the whole program while trying to save.
At first I was using gnome on wayland, which has pretty good palm rejection, autorotation and sensor/webcam remapping and works great out of the box in general. Later moved to i3 on xorg as somehow a tiling window manager made more sense to me on a touchscreen device (android is kind of a tiling window manager if you think about it). Currently on i3, using touchegg to use custom gestures for the WM and specific programs. I am currently wondering whether to move to hyprland as I noticed slightly worse palm rejection on i3/xorg when compared to gnome/wayland (still very usable though), but I still want a tiling window manager and customizable touch gestures, which Hyprland should have a plugin for.
I general I find this laptop great, the x1 yoga should be good too, but I have never tried it on linux.
Nice post !
I have a thinkpad yoga x380 and although I dont use the stylus or tablet mode very often, it works really well when I do. Running fedora 38.
Back in the day I used a surface pro 3 dual booting windows and linux. Linux didn’t have the drivers to support the pen back then so I used windows and one note for note taking.
I have a Lenovo Yoga 6 13" that I’ve had a pretty good experience with. Screen rotation didn’t work properly on Ubuntu 20.04 when I tried it back then, but I switched to Fedora 36 KDE, which worked great for over a year. I’m now on Debian 12 + KDE with an equally good experience. Fingerprint reader is not supported, but I didn’t want to use it anyway.
Hardware wise dell xps 13 2-in-1 is a good choice. However folio is horrible, magnetic stand is way too weak and I still cannot figure out deep sleep/hibernation. Aslo fingerprint scanner doesn’t work.
Another thing is that Linux is not the best choice for a touch device. I’ve tried gnome and kde and they both suck. I’ve also tried plasma mobile and it feels like nearly days of touch screens.
I have experience with a Fujitsu Lifebook U9310x.
My general advice would be, if you’re going to use Linux on a convertible, install Fedora. It has the best and newest implementation of Gnome, and Gnome has the best support for convertible, touchscreen and on-screen keyboard support.
On Fedora, the experience was almost as good as on Windows, whereas I had issues with Debian not correctly switching modes when I fold the keyboard back, not popping up the onscreen keyboard and not correctly rotating the screen.Disclaimer: I haven’t tested Ubuntu because I personally dislike it. But if it’s certified for your hardware, that would be the first thing I’d try.
Hardware advice: Don’t get a Fujitsu Lifebook U for writing. The keyboard sucks badly, to the point where about every 50th keystroke simply doesn’t register. There’s a Lifebook E convertible now which is more budget-friendly and has a better keyboard, but it’s too thick and heavy for use as a tablet.
Thinkpads consistently have the best Linux support, so that’s what I’d have bought if I hadn’t got a 60% discount on the Fujitsu from work.Thanks, I think I will try a bunch of distros once I have the hardware.
