This is awesome and I love it. Maybe they could even take a few more dollars off by not having any OS installed (bypassing the labor costs of imaging an SSD). Iβll be installing my own copy anyway, so Iβm fine with a blank SSD.
this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/165736
At least in the U.S. and Canada, that is.
This was brought to my attention thanks to a Reddit post where a user (presumably a resident of Canada), had posted how Lenovo was shipping laptops with Fedora and Ubuntu at a cheaper price compared to their Windows-equipped counterparts.
Others then chimed in, saying that Lenovo has been doing this since at least 2020 and that the big price difference shows how ridiculous Windows' pricing is.
Cutting the Windows Tax
When I dug in further, I found out that the US and Canadian websites for Lenovo offered U.S. $140 and CAD $211 off on the same ThinkPad X1 Carbon model when choosing any one of the Linux-based alternatives.
US pricing on left, Canadian pricing on right.
Interestingly, while the difference in pricing is noticeable, your mileage may vary if you are looking for such laptops on the official website. Not all models from their laptop lineup, like ThinkPad, Yoga, Legion, LOQ, etc., feature an option to get Linux pre-installed during the checkout process.
Luckily, there is an easy way to filter through the numerous laptops. Just go to the laptops section (U.S.) on the Lenovo website and turn on the "Operating System" filter under the Filter by specs sidebar menu.
Yes, it's as simple as that. You can do the same for the various official online regional storefronts that Lenovo runs to see whether Linux-based operating systems are being offered on their laptops in your country.
Closing Thoughts
It is good to see that Lenovo is offering Linux in its laptops. In fact, there is another big-name laptop manufacturer, Dell, who also does something similar with its Ubuntu-certified laptops, but both have the same constraint of having limited options for buyers.
Also, as far as I know, Dell doesn't reduce the pricing if you choose Linux instead of Windows. Correct me if I am wrong in the comments.
Nonetheless, I think these manufacturers could do a better job in marketing these Linux-based alternative operating systems to general consumers, showing them how they can save big when opting for these instead of the pricey and bloated Windows.
Otherwise, we might have to start observing Windows Refund Day again.
π¬ Your take on this? Would mainstream users benefit from having Linux pre-installed on their laptops?
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Those manufacturers where you can select either Linux or no OS don't charge extra for Linux.
I mean itβs like maybe a dollar or two for the labor costs, so thatβs understandable. Iβd still prefer just a blank SSD anyway.
It's likely done in an automated way by the same equipment that tests the hardware, so costs are probably more along the lines of a few fractions of a penny, and imo shipping any device without an os at all is a bit silly as they could very likely end up in the hands of someone without the capability or equipment to image them.
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It kinda blows my mind that "no OS" isn't the cheapest option
It's the same reason that you have to pay more to stream videos without ads...
Yeah, smart TVs with no OS are way more expensive than the ones riddled with ads as well.
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I seem to recall in the past Microsoft pressured manufacturers to not sell computers without an operating system, arguing that unscrupulous consumers would install pirated copies of Windows on them. A ridiculous argument, but it was the excuse they used.
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That's great! - But. But, I hope some people check it out carefully. Some years ago, Lenovo middle-man'd the SSL root certificate on laptops so they could inject ads into Https web pages. (And spy on users? Steal passwords? Manipulate bank accounts? I hope not...)
I wonder what they could hide in an own Linux install?
Dell did the same thing - in the same year too.
You should always clean install your OS. Let the guys wanting to spy on you put some effort in.
Really?! Do you have a source? I'd like to look this up!
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-remove-dells-superfish-2-0-root-certificate-permanently/
Itβs actually called eDellRoot, not Superfish though.
You can safely assume that probably every manufacturer did or still does similar thing - whether theyβre caught is another story though.
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Do you have any reputable articles of this? Iβm interested cheers
Just look it up. It made the news rounds about 10 or so years ago. It was a big deal at the time. Just about everyone covered it and Lenovo acknowledged it and, IIRC they apologized for it
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I thought OEMs only paid like $10 for Windows?
they tend to make money off it due to the bundle deals and commissions and what-not.
a major oem charging $140-200 is all profit.
Perhaps itβs a direct response to the tarrifs, as well as an instance of a Chinese company finding a way to fuck over an American company now that trade relations across the board between the US and PRC are juddering to a halt.
It says they've been offering this since 2020
It's usually 10% of the device MSRP for windows pro.
There are some very low cost devices that get it for $10 for windows home..
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Here in Europe it was possible to buy almost all laptops and desktops from Lenovo without OS preinstalled since long time, saved a lot of money that way. It's nice that they officially offer Linux now.
I bought a laptop without a Windows license from Lenovo years ago. It came with FreeDOS, if I remember correctly. I wanted to install Linux, so I didn't care. In some areas they've been offering this for a while now.
I have been running popos on my x1 for some years now. Only had problems with audio not working from one day to another, but other than that it has great support from Lenovo. Even the 4G modem has privat official drivers.
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Now they need to make the BIOS updates installable from Linux or ability to flash them from the BIOS. But I like this move, hope more start doing so.
Computer companies tried that for a while like 15 years ago, too.
Except now you don't need to run proprietary software. Everything is online. If Chromebooks work for 90% of users, Linux will work for even more.
The timing here with compatability getting better could be a huge difference maker.
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I'm very new to Linux and a very casual user but I'm really loving it. I also can't afford the existing Linux laptops, and I am on the market for a new machine. So yeah I'd buy a cheap laptop that ships with Linux. If it comes with a discount, that's even better!
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Installing my own OS is half the fun of getting a new computer. Why would I want the manufacturer to install an OS?
Good way to check that all the parts are working before putting whatever you want on it.
you get the discount + you can reinstall it yourself/install a different distro + it shows the general market how much of the cost is due to a Windows license and other OS alternatives, creating more informed consumers
i see it as a benefit
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Idk maybe so you can start using it?
Nothing is stopping you from throwing out the OEM install.
Because laptop manufacturers don't make laptops for people who want to install their own OSes. The average tech illiterate just wants something that works out of the box.
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So when will Asus & Dell do it ?? Actually; now that I think, why aren't FrameWorks, System76, Tuxedo & StarLabs not aggresively competing ??
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Only on North America, you say?
pity.
For at least the last decade, Europe has been abandoning Microsoft in droves.
I suspect soon Microsoft will be unknown in Europe except as "That system they use over there."
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Fantastic development. I got the "last year's" model of a Lenovo Legion gaming laptop for work a few years ago bc it was one of the few affordable models that I could find at the time with a second m.2 slot. Expandable memory was a nice bonus. Love the keyboard, too. Been really happy with it. I run Kinoite on it.
I quite like their laptops but they put the most horrible keyboards I've ever used. I've had chronic rsi and my fingers physically hurt less than 8h of use.
Do they have high end laptops (32g RAM, top i7 or similar, for Android development) at reasonable prices with good keyboards? I've been on Xps for a while.
Free rainbow socks or no deal!
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