Linux computer company System76 may starting to design desktops in-house, but it’ll probably be a few years before the company can design and manufacture its own laptops. But the company continues to source existing hardware components and put them to use in computers that ship with Ubuntu Linux. And one of the most interesting new models from System76 in years is the Galago Pro.
While most of the company’s laptops are big and powerful, the Galago Pro is a thin-and-light laptop that measures less than 0.6 inches thick, weighs less than 2.9 pounds, and supports up to a Core i7 Kaby Lake-U processor.
System76 unveiled the laptop in early March and has been taking pre-orders for a little while. Now the company’s CEO says the Galago Pro is on track to ship in early May.
An entry-level model will sell for $949 (or $899 if you pre-order) and features a 13.3 inch, 3200 x 1800 pixel display, an Intel Core i5-7200U processor, 4GB of RAM, 120GB of solid state storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3, and two USB 3.1 ports, as well as an SD card reader.
But you can also configure the system with up to a Core i7-7500U processor, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 6TB of storage (with a 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD and a 4TB 2.5″ SATA SSD).
Unlike most ultrabooks, the Galago Pro is also easy to open up and the hardware is easy to upgrade. The RAM, 2.5″ drive, and M.2 drive are all easily accessible, and so is the wireless card.
My 3-year-old Gazelle Pro (15-inch, i7) has held up pretty well, but I’d like to try out the Galago Pro as a replacement for my MacBook since I’m more interested in Ubuntu than MacOS.
When they go full in-house design and produce their first document-friendly laptop with a 3:2 or 16:10 aspect ratio, I’ll take them seriously.
“Here we have the RAM… just slides right in… notice it’s not soldered to the board, like some companies….”
haha they like to rebuke Apple with every chance they get. I don’t always like their products but I do appreciate their courage to go after Goliath.
Looks like a great machine. I would actually swap my XPS13 for one like this because of the ethernet port and the RAM upgradability.