Finally, a Linux laptop with a brilliant display and performance that rivals my MacBook

I love a good laptop or desktop with Linux pre-installed. If the hardware has the beauty and power of equal parts, that’s even better. At a German company Tuxedo Computer Send me a new one InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 To review, I knew it would be something special.

I was not disappointed.

The company works with several ODMs (original design manufacturers) to create, design and develop laptops. Tuxedo Computers is constantly in contact with these ODMs to evaluate customizations in terms of chassis, colours, various display panels, keyboards, cooling, CPU/GPU options, and more.

Also: This is the best Linux desktop of 2025 (so far)

Additionally, software engineers at Tuxedo Computers can stay in constant contact with ODMS to have access to technical documentation, allowing existing drivers to be adapted or new drivers to make the laptop as compatible as possible. Tuxedo computers can also ship with one of the Tuxedo OS (the default) or you can choose from Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, or Xubuntu. All of this is what I wrote.

You can also order a laptop without an OS and build it with a custom logo instead of the default Tuxedo Computers logo.

My experience

When I first took my laptop out of the box, I didn’t notice what made me the most tripping: the keyboard. The laptop I received had a German Qwertz keyboard layout. During setup I switched it to Qwerty as long as I ignored the characters on my keyboard and typed them as normal. For example, the Y key was usually where the Z key resides.

Also, are you ready to throw away the windows? Five factors that will help you decide between Linux and MacOS

Speaking of keyboards, the InfinityBook Pro Gen 9 keyboard is nothing special. It works well and isn’t like the scary MacBook Butterfly Keys, but it’s not the ultimate hacking keyboard. Key is quiet and doing good. I call this a Goldilocks keyboard: it’s not too soft or too hard. They’re just right.

As far as trackpads go, that’s a different story. From my perspective, Apple has created a gold standard that compares all trackpads. The InfinityBookProGen 9 trackpad may not be on that level, but it is one of the better trackpads I’ve experienced with a Linux laptop. It’s smooth and reactive, with both physical and tap-to-click enabled by default.

The following problem was the default solution: Out of the box, the laptop chose the best possible resolution, everything was too small in my aging eyes. Everything was perfect after being quickly changed to a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

I also installed Linux on my 8-inch mini laptop. This is my new favorite computing method

The Tuxedo OS uses the KDE Plasma Desktop. This also helps to improve your performance to an impressive level. The laptop handled everything I threw without blinking my eyes. Also, get Tuxedo Control Center. Here you can look at the performance of your system. It also allows you to quickly switch between power profiles (default, cool and breezy, PowerSave Extreme, Tuxedo default, or user-created custom profiles).

What really hit me the most about this laptop was how sophisticated it was. Yes, it’s Clevo hardware, but Tuxedo Computers did an amazing job of becoming their own product and ensuring everything works seamlessly.

The InfinityBook Pro Gen 9 weighs about 3.09 pounds, and is about 0.09 pounds more than the MacBook Pro 13″ so it’s lighter and lighter, making it a portable option.

Also: Trust Scorecards from Linux Foundation aims to combat the rising threat of open source security rise

As for the display, it’s beautiful. The images are sharp and fully support the SRGB color range, so you know they will be accurate. The biggest part of the display is matte anti-glare coating. This is one of the few times I really realized that the matt and anti-glare combination makes a huge difference.

ZDNET purchase advice

I’m not going to lie. Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook Gen 9 It’s one of the best Linux laptops I’ve ever tested. It’s as beautiful as it is high performance, and it’s one of the best displays I’ve seen on a Linux laptop, which makes it one of the review units I don’t want to send back. Just move the cursor and you can see it from any angle, so there’s a smile on my face.

If you’re in the market for pre-installed laptops with Linux, Tuxedo Computers’ InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 is a sure-fire choice. Remember (and if you buy one (and it’s called from the US), switch the default keyboard to the QWERTY layout. Otherwise you can trip when typing.

Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen 9 Tech Specs

• Omnia Display: Glare-free 3K (2880 x 1800) with 16:10 ratio, 120 Hz refresh rate, and 400 knit brightness
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (8 cores, 16 threads, 5.1 GHz Max, and 24MB cache)
• GPU: AMD Radeon 780m (12 GPU cores and 2.7 GHz maximum clock speed)
• RAM: 16GB DDR5 5600 MHz
• Storage: 500GB SAMSUNG 980 VNME PCIE 3.0
• Default keyboard: German de qwertz
• Battery: 80wh lithium polymer with up to 17 hours of idle, 13 hours of video playback, 9 hours of web surfing
• Ports: Left side: Kensington security slot, USB-A 2.0, USB-C 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbit/s | Displayport 1.4 | Power Delivery DC-in*), and 2-in-1 audio (headphones + microphone). Right side: Card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen1. Backside – HDMI 2.0B (HDCP 2.3), USB4 (40 gbit/s | Displayport 2.1 | Power Dervircy DC-in* | DC-Out: Max. 15 watts (5 v/3 A)), RJ45 port 1 GBIT (LAN).
• Webcam Privacy Slider
• price: Starting at $1,057 From a tuxedo computer