Best Cheap Linux Laptops to Buy on a Budget in 2022

Our top recommendation for a low cost linux laptop, that is still powerful is the Syqua Linux Laptop 14 Inch N5095 which is a low cost general purpose laptop with Ubunutu linux pre-installed

Compared to other operating systems, Linux offers a dedicated environment for programmers that is free and more dedicated to users’ privacy and security. Therefore, Linux’s popularity has increased exponentially over the years. Whether you’re looking to buy a laptop with pre-installed Linux or want to run it in parallel with Windows operating system, you’ve come to the right place, because its not trivial or easy to locate good laptops that you can be confident have proper Linux support. Read on to find interesting specifications of the top Linux laptops you can buy at the most affordable prices today.

Linux Hint has created its own Linux Laptop to meet the needs of engineers and students looking for a low cost and high quality laptop with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed at the factory. This laptop is only 4.5 pounds and has a brilliant 14 inch display that plays amazing quality movies. The keyboard and touchpad are sturdy, reliable and responsive. You won’t have the headache of wondering if it will work with Linux because its factory tested by the Linux Hint team to ensure its working correctly with Ubuntu.

Dimensions: 14.1 inch / IPS / 1920*1080 / 325*207*20mm / 16:9
CPU: CPU Intel N5095, 4 Cores, 2Ghz
GPU: Intel® UHD Graphics
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB SSD
Network: Ethernet and Wifi
Bluetooth: Yes
Camera: 1.0 million pixels
Color: Silver
OS: Ubuntu 20.04, 64 bits
Availability: Globally, but shipping in USA is lower price
Price: US $499.00
Buy from: Direct Website, Amazon

NovaCustom based in Netherlands, ship their Linux Laptops globally. NovaCustom allows a wide array of customizations to their Linux built laptops, including amount of memory, processor, drive size and more. The NS51 is a 15.6 inch screen with a touchpad and large size keyboard. You can also select which distribution of Linux you want. The NS51 we tested at LinuxHint has Ubuntu 22.04, an i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 250 GB SSH hard drive. With a powerful Intel I5 and large screen this is a good choice for a moderately high spec laptop built by a team that specializes in Linux Laptops.

Dimensions: 15.6 inch / 1920*1080
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7, Quad Core (8 threads) processor, 2.4 GHz,
Intel Xe Graphics
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 250GB SSD
Network: Ethernet and Wifi
Bluetooth: Yes
Color: Silver
OS: Many Linux Options
Availability: Ships Globally
Price: US $900 but varies based on options selected

NovaCustom NS51 Series 15.6 inch Coreboot Ultrabook is a highly customizable and high spec laptop that comes with a choice of linux distributions that can be preinstalled by the manufacturer

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3. Pinebook

CPU: 1.2GHz 64-Bit Quad-Core ARM Cortex A53
Graphics: ARM Mali 400 MP2 GPU
RAM: 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM Memory
Storage: 16 GB eMMC 5.0 (upgradable up to 64 GB)
Display: 11.6″ IPS LCD (1920 x 1080)
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Battery Life: Up to 8 hours and 45 minutes when fully charged
Weight: 2.293 lb
OS: Linux
Size: 299mm x 200mm x 12mm (WxDxH)
Availability: Globally
Price: US$ 99.99

Pinebook is a low cost light weight laptop for linux with an ARM processor from Pine Store

4. HP Chromebook 14

9210 CPUs
RAM: 4 GB
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 500
Storage: Up to 32 GB eMMC storage
Display: 14-inch HD Display
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Weight: 3.4 lb
Battery Life: Up to 5 hours when fully charged
OS: In-built Windows 10 home, compatible with Ubuntu 16.04 and higher versions
Availability: Globally
Price: US$ 279.00 (Full HD Version)

HP Chromebook 14 is a Celeron based Chromebook from HP with a 14 inch screen for under $300

5. Pinebook Pro

CPU: ARM Cortex-A 72 1.8 GHz, 64-bit Dual-Core Processor
Graphics: Integrated Graphics Card
RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM
Body: Magnesium Alloy Shell
Storage: 64 GB eMMC, which is upgradable
Display: 1-inch Full HD IPS Display
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Battery Life: Up to 6 hours when fully charged
OS: Ubuntu 16.04 and higher versions or any other Linux Distro
Weight: 9 lb
Availability: Globally
Price: US$ 219.00

Pinebook Pro is a higher end ARM laptop option with NVME storage potential

6. Acer Aspire 1 A114

CPU: Intel Celeron N4000 Dual-Core processor
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 64 GB eMMC
Display: 14-inch Full HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 3.64 lb
Battery Life: Up to 6.5 hours
OS: Windows 10 OS with any Linux distros on dual boot
Price: US$ 299.00

Acer Aspire 1 is dual core Celeron 14 inch laptop from Acer

7. Acer Chromebook 514

CPU: Intel Celeron N3350 Dual-Core processor (Turbo up to 2.4 GHz)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage: 32 GB expandable storage
Display: 14-inch Full HD Display with an IPS LED-backlit keyboard
Battery Life: Up to 12 hours
Weight: 3.09 lb
OS: Chrome OS with any Linux distros on dual boot
Price: US$ 325.00

Acer Chromebook 514 is a 14 inch Chromebook based on Celeron from Acer

8. HP Stream 14

CPU: AMD A4-9120E 1.5 GHz Dual-Core processor (Turbo up to 2.2 GHz)
Graphics: AMD Radeon R3
RAM: 4 GB Non Expandable RAM
Storage: 64 GB
Display: 14-inch Diagonal HD Display with a Bright View WLED
Screen Resolution: 1336 x 768 pixels
Battery Life: Up to 14 hours
Weight: 8 lb
OS: You can install either Windows or Linux OS. Unfortunately, you cannot dual boot the two because of insufficient space
Price: US$ 349.99

HP Stream 14-inch Laptop is a AMD Dual Core 14 inch laptop

9. Acer Chromebook 13

CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8130u 2.2 GHz processor
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 4 GB LPDDR3 RAM
Storage: 128 GB eMMC, expandable via SD card
Display: 13.5-inch IPS LED Display
Screen Resolution: 2256 x 1504 Touchscreen
Battery Life: Solid life up to 10 hours
Weight: 3.5 lb
OS: Chrome OS with any Linux distros on dual boot
Price: US$ 774

Acer Chromebook Spin is a 13 inch Convertible Laptop, tablet and chromebook based on Intel Core i3

10. System76 Galago Pro

CPU: 10th generation Intel Core i7-8565u 1.8GHz, Quad Core Processor up to 4.6GHz, also available in Core i5
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 8 GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM – extendable up to 32 GB
Storage: Up to 240 GB SSD space
Display: 14-inch Matte Full HD Display
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Battery Life: Up to 5 hours when fully charged
OS: Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS and higher versions.
Weight: 87 lb
Availability: Globally
Price: US$ 1,099.99

Galago Pro is a 14 inch Laptop with Intel Core i5 or Core i7 and Nvdia GPU options from System76 who specializes in Linux systems

11. ASUS Zen book UX331UA

CPU: 8th generation Intel Core i5-8250u processor
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 256GB SSD space
Display: 3-inch Full HD Display
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 2.50 lb
Battery Life: Up to 14 hours
OS: In-built Windows 10 home, compatible with Ubuntu 16.04 and higher versions.
Price: US$599

ASUS ZenBook is a 13 inch Ultra-Slim Laptop with Intel Core i5 and 256 GB SSD storage

12. ASUS Vivo Book S15

CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8265u 1.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor with Turbo up to 3.9 GHz
Graphics: NVidia GeForce MX250 GPU with 2 GB DDR5 Graphics Memory
RAM: 8 GB DDR4 RAM
Storage: 256 GB M2 Solid State Drive, expandable via SD card
Display: 6-inch Full HD NanoEdge Display with 180-degree viewing angle
Battery Life: Up to 6 hours but strong charging capability
Weight: 3.97 lb
OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit with any Linux distros on dual boot
Price: US$ 1,499.77

ASUS VivoBook is a 15 inch Laptop, not super cheap, but powerful with a Intel Core i5-8265U Processor, NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics, and 8GB RAM and 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Conclusion

With the above list concluded, these were our top recommended Linux Laptops to buy if you’re on a budget. These cheap Linux laptops cater to different processor, budget, and hardware requirements of users who use Linux operating systems for daily usage. These are also the newest models with either pre-installed Linux or full support for dual-booting it with Windows. If price is not a concern and you want to get the best of the best laptops for Linux, then take a look at our list of the 11 Best Linux Laptops for Enthusiasts. There are plenty of good models available in the market right now. Thank you for reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Buy a Cheap Linux Laptop?

Yes, you certainly can buy laptops with the Linux operating system already installed. Although this is certainly not as commonly found as laptops with Windows, macOS, or Chrome OS already installed. Out of the 10 laptops that made our shortlist of the best cheap laptops, only two of them actually come with a Linux operating system already installed. These include our Number 3 pick: the System76 Galago Pro, which has Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS already installed, and our Number 4 pick: the Pinebook Pro, which has Ubuntu already installed. Mostly, you will have to buy a Windows-ready laptop for many good laptops, and then, do the Linux installation yourself. Linux is completely free to download, and it is now easier to install on laptops than it ever has been. Therefore, we suggest getting a decent laptop first and then installing your preferred Linux distro.

Is a Linux Laptop Cheap?

The price of laptops that come with Linux already installed can vary just as much in price as any other laptop. For example, there are very significant differences in price between the two laptops in our shortlist above that have the Linux operating system already installed. Our Number 4 pick: the Pinebook Pro, which has Ubuntu installed, costs around $200.00. Whereas, our Number 3 pick: the System76 Galago Pro, which has Ubuntu Linux already installed in stark contrast, will set you back almost a full $1000.00. And that’s quite the difference. You do save money on buying Windows licenses and MS Office licenses. Still, the lack of supply for Linux options means you will likely either pay the exact cost or even more for a Linux laptop.

What Is the Cheapest Linux Laptop?

If you want a cheap laptop that already has the Linux operating system installed, then we would hands-down recommend our number 1 pick, the Pinebook, which has Ubuntu already installed because it only costs $99.99. If you ask us, this is particularly cheap, costing much less than your average Chrome OS Chromebook, generally considered the cheapest type of laptop. However, remember, you don’t need Linux already installed if you want to run it. It’s free to download and relatively easy to install. We suggest getting a decent laptop and then installing Linux on it.

Can I Install Linux on a Chromebook?

Of course, you can. You can install various Linux command-line tools, Integrated development environments, code editors, etc., on your Chromebook to write code, develop apps, create software and do much more. However, Linux isn’t officially supported as an OS by Google for Chromebooks. That’s because installing Linux requires that you put your device into the “Developer Mode” to give you “full write access” to the Chrome OS. By keeping these files outside the normal access, Google ensures the Chromebook’s security and integrity of the OS.

How to Check If My Laptop Is Compatible With Linux?

We are afraid there is no easy way to know whether your laptop is compatible with Linux or not. You have to research online about the compatibility of your laptop and the particular Linux distro you want to install. However, the Ubuntu Certified hardware database is an excellent place to start your research. There, you can check whether your laptop is included in the Ubuntu database or not. The good thing about this database is that if your laptop is compatible with Ubuntu, it will be smooth sailing running all the other Linux distros.