9mo ago

What is a good Linux Tablet for University

I need a tablet for uni and I want to run Linux on it. It doesn't need to be the fastest but it should be able to run Rnote and a web browser comfortably. It doesn't need to come with Linux, I am comfortable with installing and managing my system. I thought about buying a Microsoft Surface since they seem to be supported prettty well but I want to see what alternatives there are.

It needs to have a Stylus for writing. I have around 450€ to spend and would go a little higher. Also I will probably buy a used device

30 comments

I recommend using pen and paper and then digitizing later, assuming this is for notes. It will help you internalize the lecture or reading better in the moment and the act of digitizing your notes will reinforce your knowledge and provide you with better material for tests.
I think the only digital option that could come close to this would be an e-ink tablet but those kind of suck. Better to spend $50 on paper and pens than $500 on a tablet that isn't as good for the purpose.
- At work we have ~10 people using remarkables and every one of them loves it. They just released a color version too. Extremely good for notetaking according to them. You can write and then OCR the writing, getting the benefits of pen and paper and digital.
  
  699 €
  Yeah, no thank you.

I personally got a surface go 3. Put fedora on it and the surface kernel and it works pretty good - GNOME's interface honestly works better for touchscreens then windows. Just be aware that some config might be needed - I had an issue with the keyboard that required making a udev rule (I documented it on the surface kernel github issues page).
- Another vote for the surface go. I'm running a go 2 with nix!
  
  I agree but also I saw the words "vote" and "nix" and nearly had an aneurism.
- I kind of disagree. I had a miserable experience with my 1st gen Go. The cameras were hard to set up and the power states were really buggy; after going to sleep a few times, the system (Debian Testing) would get unstable with weird graphical glitches and I'd have to reboot.
  
  I had issues with debian-based distros as well, that's why I switched to fedora. I also think the go 3 has better support in general. The cameras are still annoying but things have gotten better, with Firefox getting libcamera support.

As an alternative suggestion, consider using a linux laptop with a drawing tablet.
I use a wacom intuos s with bluetooth to takes notes on xournal++, although rnote should work as well.
- Yep this would be the best option ! However, 450$ for laptop + drawing tablet? This seems like a dream offer...

Honestly you could look at an external touchscreen display. The idea is that you have a laptop and then a screen with a stylus.
Other option is a 2 in 1

I might recommend a 2-in-1 Thinkpad. I can’t speak for all models, but my 1st generation Surface Go brought me misery when running Debian Testing on it - power profiles weren’t supported quite right and the camera was hard to set up.
If you have the budget, the Star Lite seems pretty nice as a Linux tablet, although you should do your own research - I don’t own one. Personally, I have a Thinkpad E16 for college.

I have an older, second hand Thinkpad Yoga but it has served me really well with Fedora installed on it.
I also have a PineTab 2 but that has been a little bit of a rough start and still doesn't feel that great as a day to day device just yet
Honesyly I think I prefer the laptop form factor over tablet + smart cover. Even my old Android Asus Transformer I used almost exclusively in laptop mode to do anything productive.

https://www.minisforum.com/page/v3/index.html
- It's... Not great? Sure it's performant but that's there is going for it, the rest is really not that good for a tablet. They should have made this a gaming laptop and it would've been fine.
  
  Zero complaints with mine. Linux daily driver, no issues at all. If OP didn't actually mean a FULL Linux experience, then that's something else, but this is the best one out there in tablet form with stylus afaik.

So... It's not without it's challenges and I obviously cannot speak to how long it will last (particularly the hinge seems like it might long term be an issue), but I really love my p8 mini laptop. It's a small 2 in 1 laptop that comes with a stylus, meets your price point and runs Linux pretty well. It has some quirkiness ... Like when you boot the login screen is a blank screen until you close the lid to suspend and reopen. But otherwise is fairly peppy, and the pen works great. I'm using endeavoros with plasma but have just switched to sway. The latter greatly improves battery life. My biggest complaint is the placement of Q and Tab as well as / and .

Thinkpad Yoga?

I used a thinkpad x1 tablet with rnote for a long time. It was really great except for the battery life.

If you need to keep the budget down, you could probably find an end of service 2 in 1 Chromebook and make it a chultrabook.
- Nah. I already did that once and the mrchromebox.tech site even says not to buy a chromebook for Linux. It's honestly not that great of an experience
  
  I'm inclined to agree. I wasn't a fan when I tried it on my EOL one as an option.

I’ve integrated a Boox e-ink tablet with my Linux system using syncthing. Note taking is a treat and can be done right onto PDFs or e-books.

Chuwi tablets work fine with linux in my opinion

Get a surface or some 2:1 laptop

I don't think Linux is well supported in tablet land. I had a surface in uni and it was quite nice.
- As others have said gnome is better than Windows UI wise

30 comments