HP today released its Dev One Linux laptop. Designed for programmers, the 14-inch clamshell is offered at a lower price than previous HP Ubuntu-based clamshells.
Starting at $1,099, Dev One starts cutting costs by opting for an AMD processor over Intel and skipping the discrete graphics card. HP’s latest Linux laptops, part of the ZBook line of workstations, cost over $2,000 and were offered with Intel Xeon processors and Nvidia RTX GPUs.
Linux roots
Previous workstations used Ubuntu 20.04 preinstalled with software packages aimed at data scientists. However, Dev One runs Pop!_OS, a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu by System76.
System76 also manufactures its own laptops, desktops, servers, and the Launch mechanical keyboard. The HP Dev One marks the first laptop to run Pop!_OS without “System76″on the lid, although you can download Pop!_OS and install it on your system.
With today’s Dev One announcement, System76 has added automatic tiling and workspace functionality to its OS for multi-desktop shortcuts. Dev One owners can also take advantage of System76 client support.
Denver-based System76 still plans to sell systems under its own brand, CEO and founder Carl Richell told TechRepublic in May when discussing the System76-HP partnership. The CEO expressed his hope that the laptop will provide “opportunities to accelerate our internal development and production, especially in relation to the supply chain.
The chief executive also insisted that HP maintains the open source aspect of Linux, with “every line of code”for Dev One being open source. Richell also pointed out the need to write an open source Linux application to program the buttons on the HP 935 Creator Mouse , which is pressed next to the laptop.
Specifications HP Dev One
Dev One is powered by a 16-thread Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U octa-core processor, clocked at 1.9-4.4GHz, with integrated Radeon graphics.
There are also two sticks of 8GB DDR4-3200 RAM, which can be upgraded by the user up to 64GB. The memory appears to be HP branded as the laptop’s product page recommends HP RAM for upgrade “due to some non-industry standard 3rd party memory modules”.
The 0.75″thin HP Linux system is also equipped with a 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD that delivers 3200MT/s serial transfer rates (other speeds not reported).
Dev One’s 14-inch, 1920×1080 display claims a maximum brightness of 1000 nits in its specs, but the small print reduces perceived brightness to 800 nits due to the protective glass.
The laptop promises up to 12 hours of battery life. Specifically, HP made this measurement by running text editing, Chrome web browsing in full screen, and local playback of 1080p MP4 video at 24fps and 16 percent volume.
For all that coding, there’s an optional Linux keyboard with a Super key, extra backlighting, and spill protection.