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Orion Ubuntu Laptop Review: The Powerful MacBook Pro Alternative

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The choice of a new laptop for many consumers is still seen as the head-to-head comparison of Microsoft’s Windows 10 or Apple’s macOS. The third option of moving to a Linux-powered machine has always been a much trickier prospect. A dizzying range of Linux "flavors" coupled with the mysteries of hardware support stops many adept users from making the switch. What if you had an off-the-shelf approach to Linux hardware that just worked?

Ewan Spence

Setting up a computer to use a Linux distribution, even an accessible one such as Ubuntu, is not a straightforward process. Compatibility with hardware is a constantly shifting target, and most laptop manufacturers would rather you stay with the bundled operating system. Which is where Entroware comes into the story.

The UK-based retailer specializes in “providing Ubuntu Linux-based computing solutions and services.” It stocks a wide range of laptops, desktops, and servers that run Ubuntu. All the hard work of setting up hardware, configuring drivers, and ensuring compatibility is taken care of.

I’ve spent some time with its Orion laptop to get a flavor of mobile computing, Ubuntu style.

Ewan Spence

My review unit was set up with an Intel Core i3 processor running at 2.4 GHz, 8 GB of DDR3 memory and 250 GB of SSD for storage. All of this is configurable on the website when you order the laptop so you can bump up to an i7, increase the RAM to 32 GB, and choose the amount of storage you want (up to 4 TB on the primary SSD and another 2 TB of secondary storage). Price is dependant on the options, but my review configuration came in at  $650 (£530) plus tax.

The Orion has a plastic construction, which is almost inevitable at this price point given the chip specifications, but it has a solid feel to it. There is very little flex in either the base or the lid of the laptop. It also helps to keep the weight down. The Orion comes in at 1.8 kg, still slightly more than the MacBook Pro but not enough to make a huge amount of difference. There’s also no branding on the lid of the machine and part of me thinks that keyboard warriors picking up this laptop will be happy to have a blank canvas for their full collection of EFF stickers.

Ewan Spence

Design wise there’s nothing spectacular on show here. It’s almost but not quite ‘generic laptop’ but that’s fine. This isn’t a laptop you pick up for looks, it’s one you pick up for software. That said the fact that the screen overlaps the hinges and lifts the rear of the keyboard up by a few millimeters to create a comfortable typing angle is appreciated.

The extra bulk also helps with heat distribution and airflow inside the laptop. The Orion stayed cool to the touch throughout my review. A quick look down the two sides of the Orion and you will find a plethora of ports on offer; ethernet, VGA out, SD card, HDMI, 2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, and separate microphone and headphone jacks. It’s a world away from the current minimalist approach taken by more mainstream laptop manufacturers.

Ewan Spence

For me, one of the best things about the Orion is the keyboard. It has a familiar chicklet style keyboard, but unlike the fashion for ultra-thin laptops that sacrifice the key action, the Orion’s keys have a decent amount of travel that fits well with my style of typing with no discernible flex in the action. Where you would normally find the Windows key is an Ubuntu key or Entroware’s own logo (you can customize this at purchase). This is one of the best keyboards of any laptop I have come across in recent times.

Ewan Spence

The trackpad is probably the weakest link of the package. It can be quite coarse in registering movement so making very small moves can be tricky. Tap to click and double tap clicks are also very narrowly defined so it takes much more time to get used to than when I have reviewed other laptops. There was a point where I was considering digging out a mouse to help drive the OS. After experimenting with a number of settings I settled on a good compromise, but it still feels a touch awkward.

The screen is also crisp and sharp. Running at 1080-pixel resolution it is the equal of many Windows 10 laptops at higher price points (although it is not touch enabled). Ubuntu packs more information onto the screen than the touch-focused Windows 10 and the ‘trying to look like iOS’ macOS, so it feels much more information heavy to me than other computers. That fits in well with how I like to work on my computer.

Next: Using Ubuntu on the Orion…

And so to the operating system. Entroware will sell you the Orion with no OS and leave you to go about the installation yourself, but the value for me is in having Ubuntu pre-installed and set up. I chose the long-term stable release of Ubuntu 16.04 for the review machine, other options are available.

The desktop environment is subtly different to Windows or macOS, but the basic UI elements are all in the same place. It doesn’t work in exactly the same way as the more popular OS choices but it is 95 recent similar so the learning curve for the UI is very shallow. Given the vast majority of Windows users have had to transition to Windows 10 in the last few years with no major upsets, moving to Ubuntu should not be a problem.

Ewan Spence

Because of the rise of cloud-based services over that same period, far more work can be done in the web browser than on the machine. That means if you are already hooked into systems like Gmail or Outlook the bundled Firefox browser will ensure you still have full access.

Of course, you’re going to miss out on almost all of the "named" applications you would find on the other platforms, but there are alternatives to many of these. Ubuntu gathers these in a central repository which acts much like the app stores of Windows and macOS, and naturally, you can install third-party applications. Anyone considering a move to Ubuntu specifically (or Linux in general) needs to have a clear idea of what they want to achieve with their laptop.

For me that means I need a suite of tools that will allow me to produce my podcasts and radio shows. Thankfully tools for audio editing, ID3 tagging, file uploads, artwork generation, blogging, and studio management are all available as open source projects so a move to Ubuntu would not interrupt my workflow. Thanks to Audacity being available on all three platforms my audio editing software would actually remain the same.

Core functions such as email, office documents, web browsers, and chat clients are all baked into Ubuntu and are already present out of the box.

Ewan Spence

Entroware’s range of Ubuntu laptops and desktops make the process of moving away from macOS or Windows 10 much easier - you have hardware that will work with the software, a robust environment to work in, and the ability to work with far more control over your data and app choices than the mainstream alternatives. You will need to make some compromises and understand a new ecosystem, but for many people, the choice is a valid one.

The Orion laptop is good workhorse machine that allowed me to get on with my work with very little fuss. I’m confident that if I were to switch then I would not be disadvantaged. Everything needed for a successful transition is offered by Entroware at a competitive price.

Disclaimer: Entroware supplied an Orion laptop for review purposes.

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