Earlier this year, HP made waves in the Linux community by teaming up with System76 on a developer-focused laptop. Called “Dev One”, the notebook comes preloaded with Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS. This new HP machine is quite impressive, as you can read in our review.
Of course, seasoned Linux veterans already knew of another major computer manufacturer selling a Linux-based development machine. Yes, Dell has been releasing “Developer Edition” XPS models for many years – these computers come with Canonical’s Ubuntu pre-installed. Dell’s XPS 13 in particular has been praised by professional reviewers and consumers alike for its balance of power and elegance.
Next month, you’ll be able to buy Dell’s latest “Developer Edition” XPS in the US, Canada and parts of Europe. You see, starting in August, the company will start selling the Dell XPS Plus 13 Developer’s Edition which is certified for (and comes with) Ubuntu Linux 22.04 LTS. The laptop is powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors and can be configured with up to 32GB of 5200MHz LPDDR5 memory. For storage, you get a standard PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD. Media fans will appreciate the quad-speaker setup and optional 4K+ OLED display.
“Its clean design includes a sleek, lattice-free keyboard, a row of capacitive touchscreens, a clear glass touchpad, and edge-to-edge interfaces. The modern look is powered by 28W 12th Gen Intel Core processors (compared to 15W on the previous generation) and supported by larger fans that provide 55% better airflow without increasing noise or temperature, plus advanced battery technology ensures you can go the distance without interruption And with Express Charge 2.0, your laptop delivers about 80% battery life in less than an hour,” Dell says.
Jaewook Woo, Product Manager, Linux Operating System, Dell Technologies explains, “XPS is a portal to innovation for Dell, from its application of advanced technologies to experimentation with new user interfaces and experiential design. By bringing the improved performance and power management features of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to our most advanced high-end laptop, Dell and Canonical reinforce our shared commitment to continue to deliver the best computing experience for developers using Ubuntu.
If you don’t want to wait until August, you can buy a “regular” Dell XPS Plus 13 today and install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on it yourself – just replace Windows 11 with this Linux distro. If you decide to wait until August, however, it’s unclear how much Dell will charge for the latest “Developer Edition” variants.
