After Testing This Linux Laptop, I Understand Why MacBooks Are the Better Choice

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Tuxedo Computers is a German company that has been making computers preinstalled with Linux for more than two decades, and I’ve had the pleasure of test-driving one. many models. When the company asked me to try out their latest hardware, InfinityBook Max 15I can’t say the same about a laptop whose price starts at $1,800.

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This Linux laptop impressed me immediately. It has a solid build, a great screen, and a cute little Tux icon in place of the Windows logo for the Super key.

Although it has its quirks, I found the laptop to be the perfect balance of form and function. No, it’s no powerhouse, but if you want a well-crafted aluminum device that can get you through the day (and you’re a Linux user), this might be the one for you.

what i liked

The first thing that impressed me was the chassis, which is made of matte black aluminum housing. As soon as it’s in your hands, you know it’s a well-built machine. The hinge is tight (but still opens easily), and the 4.1-pound weight isn’t so much that you’ll think you’d have to have a hand truck to haul it around. It’s certainly heavier than my 13-inch MacBook Pro, but not the heaviest laptop I’ve used.

The display is quite good. We are talking about a 15.5-inch screen with 500 nits brightness and 300Hz refresh rate. For me, the display is on par with my MacBook Pro (especially at full brightness), and it also has low brightness – a big plus.

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Although the InfinityBook Max’s speed didn’t blow me away, it was no slouch. I installed Olama AI, extracted some models, and did the usual tests. My reaction to this was a bit lackluster. I expected plenty of speed, but midrange GPUs struggled with AI tasks. It’s not unusable, but it’s not on par with some machines I’ve used with high-end GPUs.

When I turned to general productivity tasks, the InfinityBook Max 15’s performance improved significantly. I installed DaVinci Resolve 20, and it ran like a champ. In fact, DaVinci Resolve ran better on the InfinityBook than on my MacBook Pro.

Although it couldn’t keep up with my iMac M3 Ultra with 96GB of RAM, it held its own. I definitely wouldn’t want to render anything longer than 15 minutes on this laptop, but a short clip would work fine.

some thoughts

I had one big concern: the battery didn’t last as long as I had hoped. During my initial testing, I set the display profile to “Default”, which is full performance.

When I set the profile to Cool and Breezy, I found that it gave much better performance. When I switched to PowerSave Extreme, battery life was no longer an issue.

By default, I was lucky to get six hours of battery life; On Cool and Breezy, I was able to squeeze another four hours out of the battery. However, on the PowerSave Extreme, I ran out of brain juice before the battery drained. I was using the laptop for about 12 hours before it shut down.

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My second concern was the sound. Although the InfinityBook Max didn’t seem as thin as some laptops, it didn’t offer much power. When listening to Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” on YouTube, it lacked intensity and depth. But it was fine for watching videos in a quiet room.

Although the trackpad wasn’t as silky-smooth as the MacBook Pro’s, it worked very well. Tuxedo also had gestures set for the trackpad, which was a nice touch.

I had a few things to pick with the keyboard, but not with the mechanics – the key action is fantastic, each feels sturdy and easy to press. In fact, the InfinityBook Max keyboard was much better than my MacBook Pro’s keyboard.

The problem with the keyboard is that Tuxedo always sends me a non-US keyboard, so I have to guess where some of the letters I need are. I get it, the company is based in Germany, but it’s something to consider if you’re buying one for yourself. That said, once I got used to the layout, I found the keyboard quite nice.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

Would I recommend it? Tuxedo Computer InfinityBook Max 15? It depends on your needs. If you’re looking for a hard-core gaming laptop or a laptop for local AI, this device could work, but I would suggest increasing the RAM and specifying it with the best GPU as per your budget. (The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 is the best option available.)

If you improve those two elements, you’ll have a machine that can do anything. Of course, maxing out both RAM and GPU will cost you a total of $3,605 USD, which is expensive for a laptop regardless of operating system.

Too: 8 things you can do with Linux that you can’t do with MacOS or Windows

I really enjoyed my time with the InfinityBook Max 15. Would I replace it with my MacBook Pro 13? Probably not, but that’s mostly because I prefer the smaller form factor.

Tuxedo InfinityBook Max 15 Technical Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H (16 cores, 22 threads, up to 5.1 GHz).
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 or RTX 5070 (8GB GDDR7).
• Display: 15.3-inch “Omnia” display, 2560 x 1600 (16:10), 300Hz, 500 nits, 100% sRGB.
• Memory: Up to 128GB DDR5 5600MHz/6400MHz (two slots).
• Storage: 2x M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSDs for up to 8TB.
• Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Ports: 2x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort and 5x USB
• Battery: 99Wh battery with USB-C charging 140 watts
• Cooling: Low-profile cooling system that keeps the laptop cool and cool under light tasks and dissipates up to 165 watts from the dual processors at full fan speed.
• Base Price: $1,801.07