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
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.
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.
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’d consider a Pixel with GrapheneOS, not Linux per se, but with FDroid it’s probably the best FOSS tablet experience
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).
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.
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.
Get a surface or some 2:1 laptop
Thinkpad Yoga?
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.
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.
Kinda outside my price range. And there’s probably no used devices yet.
Well anything that is linux-first WITH stylus support isn’t going to be cheap.
The cheapest Linux tab I can think of is the DC-Roma II ($250), but it’s RiscV and meant as a development platform. No stylus support.
Similar in features is the Juno Tab 3 ($699), but it’s an n100 based tablet, and I don’t think it has stylus support.
Maybe you can find a used Lenovo Tab and root it to install Linux? I know you’re unlikely to do so on a Samsung.
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 .
I don’t think Linux is well supported in tablet land. I had a surface in uni and it was quite nice.
