[Nottingham] Looking for a new Linux laptop

[Luke]

> The usual advice is "Get a second-hand ThinkPad off eBay*".

Looking to replace an aging X120e now. Well, actually nothing aging
about it, which is why I hesitate. After the standard RAM and SSD
upgrade, as well as switching to the aforementioned barebones system,
there's nothing really slow about it. So why the upgrade? I quite like
the 2-in-1 form-factor, tbh. I've taken to reading lots of PDFs and I'd
rather not have a laptop *and* a decent tablet of the same size. It'd also
be good to test out a fanless machine. My budget's a little higher than
the OP's, at around £500. So far I've got the Asus ux305ca in my sights,
but it's not 2-in-1. It's as-yet unpriced successor is the ux360ca and
*is* 2-in-1, so I'll hold fire until pricing is released for that. If
anyone has any practical experience with one of those machines, or the
Core M processors they come with, happy to hear it.

I've developed a bit of a mistrust of Lenovo, unfortunately, given the
Superfish and other bits and bobs. I know a clean Linux install rolls
over all of that, but then there's the Intel AMT which is basically
gameover if you ever wanted true privacy (and to use the internet...).

Anyway - for £150 you can get decent x220 and similar machines
second-hand, which is clearly not a bad way to go if properly refurbed.
So in essence, I concur :)