I’m looking at buying a new laptop which will run EndeavourOS exclusively, no dual boot no modding no nothing.
The choice is either Lenovo or MSI (neither have NVidea grahpics and both have intel i5/i7 chips with integrated graphichs).
Which brand is likely to be more Linux friendly?
There’s also an option for a Asus but again i’m only looking at whether i’m likely to run into Linux issues, the specs are virtually the same for all.
Obligatory comment that recommends Framework, as they support linux out of the box.
Aside from that, more important than the brand is the laptop model. Some parts (like fingerprint, camera or touchpad) may not work with linux, and that depends on the model, not the brand. So I’d suggest searching for the model you’re interested in, and then combining that search with Arch (usually has the latest - but sometimes unstable - packages, so you’ll see what’s probably possible), Debian (wide user base, but older packages, so you’ll see what definitely works) and then EndeavourOS, to see any issues that may come up that are really relevant for you.
Framework has horrible reviews…
I would probably go with a Dell but to be honest, I don’t think any brand feels worth the money.
I’ve watched and read a lot of reviews. I don’t think any of them were horrible. There were legitimate criticisms like the keyboard flex and the lid flex, but most of what I’ve seen that’s almost ubiquitous is the price per performance worse than other makers. Its fair, but I also think it’s a fair tradeoff for modularity and reparability.
Dont buy Lenovo, both of mine broke after a year of light usage at home. Keyboard buttons on one, trackpad on the other.
They have a reputation from old that they are built like tanks, but Lenovo changed all that and now it’s plastic and shitty components.
You can still get a solidly built Lenovo ThinkPad. You just have to ensure you get a T14s or X1 Carbon. Sadly the models that retain the magnesium and carbon fiber aren’t very fun to replace parts in.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T14s-Gen-6-laptop-review-The-AMD-version-returns-with-the-Ryzen-AI-7-Pro-360.923414.0.html#c12325014