The Pinebook Pro is a $200 laptop with a 14 inch, full HD display, a Rockchip RK3399 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.
But unlike most laptops with specs like those, this isn’t a Chromebook (or a Windows laptop). It ships with the GNU/Linux-based Debian MATE instead.
First announced in January, the Pinebook Pro went up for pre-order this summer, and now it’s started shipping to customers.
The Pinebook Pro is the latest laptop from the folks at Pine64, who also make single-board computers and other products including the upcoming PinePhone, PineTime, and PineTab.
Pine64 has been selling Linux laptops since 2017, when the company launched its first model, the 11.6 inch Pinebook which still sells for $100.
The new Pinebook pro has a bigger screen, a faster processor, more memory and storage, and other improvements including a magnesium alloy cahssis and a higher quality keyboard.
Other features include 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and USB Type-C ports, a 1080p webcam, stereo speakers, and an optional adapter that allows you to add an M.2 PCIe NVME solid state drive if you’re looking for something with faster and higher capacity than the built-in eMMC storage.
There’s also a microSD card slot and support for booting an alternate operating system from a microSD card. And Pine64 includes privacy kill switches for the camera, microphones, and wireless components.
In a recent blog post, the folks at Pine64 explain that it’s taken a little longer than anticipated to ship the first Pinebook Pro laptops as the team has had to troubleshoot some last minute issues and contend with conflict between mainland China and Hong Kong (where the laptops are manufactured and shipped from, respectively).
But the company did manage to get half of its initial production run shipped to customers, who are already starting to share their experiences of receiving and using the inexpensive Linux laptop. The rest should ship in the coming days.
Right now the Pine64 store shows the Pinebook Pro as “out of stock,” but the company hopes to open another batch of orders later this month.
In other Pine64 news, some developers have already started receiving PinePhone prototypes and installing operating systems such as PostmarketOS, Ubuntu Touch, and LuneOS. And the company is still on track to begin producing a “Brave Heart” edition of the phone for early adopters later in October.
You can find more details about the latest Pine64 hardware developments in the company’s October Update.
Sooooo, can I take their software and toss it on my Samsung Chromebook Plus v1? It has similar specs.
Hello! If this link works it will take you to this page:
Pin64 Wiki -> Pinebook Pro Main Page -> Software Download subheading.
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pinebook_Pro_Main_Page#Software_and_OS_Image_Downloads
There are several options there for your perusal, although I haven’t reviewed how a person would install these onto a Chromebook. My child’s experience with a chromebook so far have frustrated me about a toy OS.