System76 Lemur Pro

From $1049 at System76

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As configured at $1,563, the Lemur Pro is not a cheap laptop—but it doesn’t look, feel, or perform like one, either. The Intel Comet Lake CPU wouldn’t be our first choice if we designed a laptop from scratch, but as an entire system, it’s hard to find much fault with the Lemur Pro—particularly when limiting the field to OEM Linux laptops alone.

As always, “the unboxing experience” isn’t exactly at the forefront of our review criteria—but if it’s important to you, System76 won’t leave you hanging. The inside of the box is gaily printed with fun, golden-age sci-fi motifs that your kids might appreciate even if you don’t, and the laptop is protected by folded heavy cardboard rather than foam bricks. It’s lightweight, eco-friendly, doesn’t leave a mess on the floor, and is highly reusable to boot—as long as you don’t make the unnecessary mistake of cutting it with a knife, that is.