Ubuntu 24.10 supports the Snapdragon-powered Lenovo ThinkPad X13s laptop in the official ‘generic’ ARM64 ISO — a notable change.
Although it is possible to use Ubuntu 23.10 on the Thinkpad X13s it requires using of a custom ISO spun-up specifically for this device. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS had no official installer image for this device (it is possible to upgrade to 24.04 from 23.10, albeit with caveats).
But with the arrival of Ubuntu 24.10 in October, the standard Ubuntu ARM64 ISO (which works much like a regular Intel/AMD ISO, with a live session and guided installer) will happily boot on this device.
Which is progress!
To be clear: this is the Ubuntu ARM64 .iso and not the preinstalled ARM64 .img, the latter being used for ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi.
Canonical’s Juerg Haefliger is the driving force behind pluming in support for the laptop, which is powered by a Snapdragon 8cx – not as fast or exciting as the newer ‘Snapdragon X’ SoCs but still halfway competent).
In an update on progress, he says for the Oracular cycle he’s been aided by colleague Tobias Heider, and Heider’s efforts have led to the ThinkPad X13s being supported in the regular Ubuntu ARM64 ISO.
Users download the regular Ubuntu ARM desktop image, flash the ISO to a USB drive, boot from that USB on the ThinkPad X13s, then run through the installer.
Haefliger stresses that users MUST choose the ‘install third-party software and drivers’ option or the device won’t boot once the installation is complete. This is because that option installs important X13s-specific drivers and configuration files.
After that… It should be good.
Of course, Ubuntu ‘running’ on something isn’t the same as ‘it running well’. The overall user experience isn’t going to be perfect or without issues, but it is improving – and has improved since 23.10 and 24.04.
Linux Kernel 6.11 includes a number of notable ARM laptop fixes, amongst which is support for the webcam and possibly hardware acceleration too using a binary blob – not sure of the status on that as of writing as I don’t own this laptop to test.
ARM laptops remain arms-length option for most
If you’re in the market for an ARM-based laptop that can run Linux you may be better off waiting for a full-purpose effort, like the upcoming Snapdragon X Elite laptop from TUXEDO Computers (which will run Linux out of the box).
The ThinkPad X13s is no longer the newest or fastest model, and support for it is (even now) a piecemeal process. It’s also hard to find it brand new, but if you’re patient you can catch a good deal on second-hand units on sites like eBay.
But unless you’re explicitly after an ARM laptop, stick with Intel/AMD devices. Hardware and software support on ARM laptops can be patchy, and not all Linux distributions work with all ARM laptops. You’ll get oomph and less hassle by sticking to AMD and Intel.
For now anyway…