This is a follow up for Google Are You Listening? In this post, I’m explaining how to build a Linux Laptop as an alternate to Macbook Pro.

This is a long post.

TL;DR;

Requirements

Laptop should have better hardware and priced lower than a Macbook Pro.

Search

Initially I searched for “linux laptop”, then I refined the search with “best linux laptop nvidia”. This query returned several comparison sites. I went through some of these sites to find the right fit.

Best Ubuntu Laptop: 9 Top picks for 2016 - Pick Notebook_I will go straight to the point with this one. Find the best Ubuntu laptop is not easy - even finding a good laptop for…_picknotebook.com

2017's best Linux laptop: The latest Dell XPS 13 | ZDNet_If you still think laptops are generic and the only difference between them are their price-tags, Dell invites you to…_www.zdnet.com

I went through a few more sites than these.

Decision Making

Both DELL and Lenovo Thinkpads are pretty good supporting in Linux. However, I liked ASUS ZenBook Pro.

ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW | Notebooks | ASUS USA_ASUS,Notebooks,Superior Mobility,UX501 Series,ZenBook Pro_www.asus.com

Why I liked ASUS ZenBook Pro?

Read full comparison here.

Purchase

Zenbook was priced at $1499 in Amazon.

Zenbook screenshot from Amazon

However, the best deal was offered by Fry’s at $1400. So, I went to Fry’s and purchased ASUS Zenbook.

Fry’s Receipt

Opening…

Zenbook comes in a very nice package.

Unopened Zenbook From FRY’s

The package contains a Zenbook and Carry bag. Apple doesn’t provide a carry bag for Macbook.

Zenbook Computer Bag

Zenbook nicely packed inside the box

Zenbook Pro has a very nice finish. Looks really good.

Setup

The Zenbook is preloaded with Windows 10. To my surprise, Setting up Windows was easy. Windows 10 setup was short and simple. 👏😁

After the first time setup Windows 10 went into update mode.

Windows 10 updates itself

During the updates I get to stare at the beautiful blue screen. 😴💤💤💤 The updates took almost an hour to complete. 😅😤😡

Startup

Big surprise. Windows 10 boots fast. I can boot windows 10 in less than a minute.

Shutting Down

Even though startup is faster, shutting down had become slower. At times it took several minutes to shutdown. Looks like windows update process is moved from startup to shutdown.

Windows shutdown still displays “Getting Windows Ready”

Looks like Microsoft forgot to update the title of “update” screen after moving the process to “shutdown”. The title still says “Getting Windows ready”.

Windows Experience

Windows 10 is better than earlier versions. So, good job Microsoft. But it still needs work.

Windows 10 is incomplete. Sorry windows folks, more work needs to be done.

Linux

Even though Windows 10 is better and WSL is a massive step for Windows users, why run Linux commands in Windows? Why not proper Linux? So, I went ahead and looked into installing Ubuntu Linux on the Zenbook.

Ubuntu Linux on Live USB

Creating a live USB drive for booting Linux https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows. Booting Linux using the Live USB drive was easy, everything worked in the dry run.

Then followed https://marclewis.com/2016/02/21/installing-ubuntu-on-the-asus-zenbook-pro-ux501vw/ to install Ubuntu. The steps are easy to follow.

Enable Display Scaling in Ubuntu Desktop

The massive 4k display makes it hard to use the screen without scaling. Fortunately, scaling can be configured.

Adjust the “Scale menu” for best experience

Enabling touch-pad drivers

The touch-pad worked seamlessly when I tried Ubuntu using the live USB. However, the touch-pad did not work properly after installation. I was able to move the cursor, but gestures and taps didn’t work.

After reading several stackoverflow posts, it appeared the right Linux kernel might do the trick. So, I tried different Linux kernels. It is easy to change kernels in Linux.

Touch-pad started working fully when I installed 4.6.0–040600-generic kernel.

Tuning touch-pad and mouse to scale 4K display

The default scaling is 1 that makes using mouse and touch-pad very slow. But configuring is super easy, but finding the right commands and configuration takes time.

First, use the xinput command to display the current settings. It displays the attached devices and their IDs.

Then, display the settings for a specific device. For example to display the settings for touch-pad, execute “list-props” option of xinput.

Finally change the settings for touch-pad. I played with various settings to get the final set of parameters. Following are the list of configurations that I liked for mouse and touch-pad.

Installing NVIDIA drivers

Found a bunch of blogs that explain the install process and followed along. Pretty straightforward to install.

How To Install The Latest Nvidia Drivers In Ubuntu or Linux Mint Via PPA_Upgrading to the latest version of the proprietary Nvidia drivers in Ubuntu (or Linux Mint) was pretty complicated a…_www.webupd8.org

How to install the latest Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus_The following tutorial will guide you through all steps required to install VGA NVIDIA driver on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial…_linuxconfig.org

ASUS Zenbook Linux Experience

Ubuntu Linux Software Experience

Price Comparison

MacBook Pro prices as of March 12, 2017

As you see, a MacBook Pro costs atleast $2400 while Asus Zenbook costs $1500. Zenbook supports Windows 10 or Linux. Of course with Linux, the experience is better in comparison to MacBook Pro.

Stuff that is not available in MacBook Pro

Final Conclusion

If you are willing a spend a little bit of time, you can get better hardware and save $1000.

Gaps

The Gaps are mostly in hardware drivers and userland application availability. The hardware integration can be done by any hardware vendor such as DELL, Lenova or HP. But none of them have an Appstore or have the ability to build one. This is where Google can help with the play store and proper hardware integration. Google has already achieved this in the Android eco-system.

Hope google is listening.