non windows laptop?

olb81

i dislike windows laptops, constant updates, slow performance.

are there realistic alternatives? i know of linux but wouldnt know how to set it up?

can you buy laptops that run linux already, or maybe dos?

and why isnt there an android laptop available?

vm2pensioner

Have you considered a Chromebook? I have found they are fine for general use.

sammyjammy

I've not had a windows laptop for at least six years, just a chromebook, excellent for browsing internet, emails etc, has google docs and sheets wwhich replicate Word and Excel as long as you aren't doing anything fancy. No need for antivirus etc, they do updates for a limited number of years so just be mindful of that.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6680548/non-windows-laptop

MacOS is the second most common OS on a laptop after Windows but its a very distance 2nd then we have Linux and then ChromeOS

ChromeOS is a relative of Android but its not the same thing… both are built on a Linux kernel but then the rest of the ChromeOS is basically the Chrome webbrowser as its a cloud first based machine.

Google have however announced thats changing, they are unveiling the new OS in September and its expected to basically be Android 17 running on a laptop but reengineered for x86 architecture. You can run Android on a laptop today by using the opensource BlissOS which is based on Android 15.

The problem is that Android is written to run on ARM processors that you find in phones (and Macbooks) whereas windows machines using Intel or AMD run on x86 processors which means fundamental changes need to be made to how the OS interacts with the hardware.

ARM based laptops exist today, as mentioned all modern Macs are ARM, and non-Mac ones exist too but like Mac they are at the pricier end of the market. So in principle the Kernel could run on the CPU fine but you need someone to create all the drivers/instruction sets on how it is to interact with all the other components like the ram, display, GPU and basically no one has… its a massive task with limited users.

By all accounts a lot of developers of Android apps favour Macs because the code can run on the CPU directly and the emulation software in MacOS deals with all the other bits without anyone having to write code for them. As such apps run quicker than on a Windows, Linux or Chromebook machine because those all need the the emmulation to translate the CPU work for x86

Note MacOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Android and iOS all ultimately stem from Unix, though whilst Mac is a direct discendent from Unix, Linux was a recreation in 1991 and is unix like but no shared code

TadleyBaggie

Laptops running DOS?…, before 1995 perhaps.

Personally I wouldn't use anything that doesn't run MacOS.

kaMelo

as mentioned all modern Macs are ARM

I'm pretty sure Apple have used Intel processors exclusively in their computers since the mid 2000's.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6680548/non-windows-laptop

Dell have toyed with supplying laptops with Ubuntu loaded, I think they still do so today but you may struggle to find one. There are also refurbed laptops on ebay or Amazon which are loaded with Linux, usually Ubuntu but there are a few other flavours of Linux available too.

I suppose the main questions really are, how technically minded are you and what do you want to do with your laptop? If it's purely web browsing/emails etc then a Chromebook, as suggested upthread, is probably all you need. If it's a little more than that then Linux may be more suitable, if you need a specific piece of software it may only be available on Windows. Before you go choosing something make sure you know what you want it to do.

Something to bear in mind in terms of support, most Linux flavours have a much shorter support timeline than Windows, to stay in support upgrading the OS is necessary and whilst it's usually a smooth process it's not without problems now and again.

QrizB

can you buy laptops that run linux already

If you don't mind a preloved laptop, there's https://minifree.org/

However, have you ever used a Linux / BSD / Unix machine before? They take a bit more effort to maintain than Windows or MacOS does. If you "know of linux but wouldnt know how to set it up" you might not be ready for the learning curve of looking after a Linux machine.

Vitor

Look at a Chromebook. It gives you a laptop interface and runs Android apps from Google Play. Putting ordinary phone Android straight onto laptop hardware would generally give you a worse laptop than ChromeOS.

It's a shame OP bought a Samsung A17 as per other thread, if you had an S-series these run Samsung Dex which turns the phone into a laptop by adding external display and keyboard.

TadleyBaggie

I'm pretty sure Apple have used Intel processors exclusively in their computers since the mid 2000's.

Err no, Apple switched to their own ARM-based Apple M-Series processors around 2020. In fact the upcoming MacOS 27 will not support any of the previous Intel based processors at all.

Neil_Jones

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6680548/non-windows-laptop

What "constant updates and slow performance" would that be then on Windows laptops?
Hardware you generally get what you pay for, so if you pay £100 for something that is slow and low on memory it will perform like a piece of junk.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82110756#Comment_82110756

They think you can get laptops that run DOS as the main OS so make of that what you will.