Linux tablets have emerged as an effective and adaptable solution for people looking for an open-source alternative to established operating systems.While Linux still holds a small percentage of the desktop market, its popularity is rising by the day. The Tablet market may no longer be the golden grail it was. Instead, the mobile operating system market is where the true competitiveness may be found.
Why Linux on a Tablet?
Use of Linux is superior to other operating systems for a variety of reasons. The main benefit of mobile devices is that they are open-source. As some geeks may already be pointing out, Android is open source as well. But the standard Android phone comes with a heavily customized version of the operating system. It will definitely be loaded with bloatware, proprietary software, and other programme that invade your privacy. Conversely, a Linux-powered phone or tablet will only run open-source software. It implies that anyone may examine the code to look for harmful or troublesome components.In reality, Linux and Android are connected.
Factors to Consider
When choosing a Linux tablet , there are several key factors to keep in mind:
- Hardware Specs
- Linux Compatibility/Drivers
- Battery Life
- Cost
- Linux Distro Preinstalled
Table of Content
10 Best Linux Tablets for 2024
RasPad 3
RasPad 3 transforms the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Linux-powered tablet.. Although it is entirely compatible with operating systems like Ubuntu and Raspbian, it comes with the RasPad OS, which is based on the Raspberry Pi OS.The RasPad has an intriguing physical design. Its body is formed like a wedge rather than being a flat tablet. This implies that the screen is precisely positioned for viewing when it is placed down, and there is plenty room to mimic all of the Raspberry Pi’s connections.
Features:
- Open-source hardware and software.
- Runs Raspberry Pi OS, Retropie, and other operating systems.
- Has several ports.
- Easily extendable.
Specification:
- 10.1″ multitouch screen with 720P IPS display.
- Ethernet, HDMI, audio, three USB ports, and power.
- Uses the Raspberry Pi 4
x86 Microsoft Surface Tablets
Microsoft Surface tablets are available in two variants: ARM and x86. Their ARM tablets run a version of Windows specifically developed for those processors, but it does not appear that Ubuntu Touch (which is also designed for ARM) is compatible.When it comes to their X86 tablets, the situation is different.
x86 Surface tablets are essentially ordinary computers running the standard Windows kernel, there is no reason you can’t install any x86 version of Linux on them.
Features:
- Microsoft SQ1 (up to 3 GHz) with 8 Kryo 485 cores
- 13-inch Display, 450 nits, PixelSense IPS touch, 2880×1920
- Qualcomm’s integrated graphics, Adreno 685
Specification:
- SSD PCI-Express NVMe M.2 128 GB
- 8 GB soldered LPDDR4x Memory
- Stereo Audio Speakers
- 720p HD IR webcam, compatible with Windows Hello
Juno Tab 2
Juno Tab 2 is a well-known maker of Linux-only PCs.One of their offers is the Juno tablet 2 (beta), which has an Intel quad-core Celeron N5100 CPU, an 11-inch 2K IPS touchscreen display, 12 GB of 3200 MHz RAM, and a 128 GB SSD (expandable up to 2 TB).
The operating systems available are Mobian Phosh, Manjaro Plasma Mobile, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, and a few more.The tablet’s pricing starts at $525.
Features:
- Provides various connectivity options
- Has several ports.
- Easily extendable.
Specification:
- Intel quad-core Celeron N5100 CPU
- 11-inch 2K IPS touchscreen display
- 12 GB of 3200 MHz RAM
- 128 GB SSD (expandable up to 2 TB).
PineTab2
PineTab2 began as a Raspberry Pi substitute with its single-board computer, Pine A64. Over time, it introduced other goods under the Pine name. A cheap PineTime wristwatch, Pinebook laptop, PinePhone smartphone, and PineTab tablet are among the items on the list.
These Pine gadgets provide the user complete control over the device and are frequently affordable. Its penchant for tinkering has earned it a sizable fan base among open-source do-it-yourselfers.
With a touchscreen and keyboard, the PineTab2 is made of the same parts as the Pine64 single-board computers. It’s hardly the most elegant device out there, but then again, it doesn’t aim to be.
Features:
- Ubuntu Touch is pre-installed.
- Detachable illuminated keyboard with options
- Multiple LTE, LoRa, and SATA SSD expansion boards
- Mini HD Video Out
Specification:
- Four 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55 CPUs
- 6000 mAh battery
- 10.1″ 1280×800 IPS display
- Single 5MP, 1/4′′, LED flash rear camera
Librem 11
Librem 11 tablet, which runs Linux, is a well-respected tablet in the market. Purism is renowned for its unwavering dedication to user security and privacy, which is demonstrated by both their hardware and their specially crafted Linux distribution, PureOS, which is built with these ideas at its foundation. The tablet has PureBoot installed to further improve security.
The stunning 11.5-inch AMOLED 2K display on this tablet produces vivid, crisp images that improve the user experience in general. When working on projects or watching media, its excellent display increases productivity and enjoyment all around.
The Linux tablet with 8 GB of RAM is ideal for customers who want excellent performance since it can run resource-intensive programme and multitask seamlessly.
Features:
- Multi-touch 11.5″ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560×1600 @ 60Hz
- 1 TB NVMe hard drive and its 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM
- Shipping with PureBoot and PureOS
Specification:
- 10.1″ multitouch screen with 720P IPS display.
- Ethernet, HDMI, audio, three USB ports, and power.
- Uses the Raspberry Pi 4
JingPad
Jingpad is a robust tablet running JingOS, a Linux-based operating system, that is private and safe. JingOS first gives the appearance of being similar to a combination of IOS and Deepin OS. Additionally, the parent firm permits unrestricted installation of any Android OS that uses ARM architecture.
With its detachable keyboard and trackpad, this tablet is the most popular tablet in the world and boasts an amazing 11-inch 2K AMOLED display.
Features:
- Allows you to freely install any Android OS.
- It has a great 11-inch 2K AMOLED display
- 4+ Linux distros to choose from
Specification:
- 8 cores at 1.8 GHz
- 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 2.4/5GHz dual-band WiFi
- 256GB UMCP storage that supports MicroSD cards
StarLite
Starlite, a rather potent Linux tablet with open-source firmware driven by coreboot and edk II, is available from Star Labs, one of the manufacturers well-known for tiny Linux PCs.
Together with a large 12.5-inch IPS display, a quad-core Intel Alder Lake N200 CPU, 16 GB of 4800MHz LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 2 TB of Gen3 PCIe SSD storage, the hardware is also rather impressive.
Features:
- 6+ Linux distros to choose from
- 4800MHz 16 GB RAM
- 12.5″ 3K Touch Display
Specification:
- 12.5-inch diagonal, LED-backlit, 10-point touch screen with IPS technology; resolution of 2880×1920 pixels @ 276 ppi; aspect ratio: 16:10
- Intel Alder Lake N200 quad-core, 1..00 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.70 GHz, 6 MB Smart Cache
- 16GB of inbuilt 4800MHz LPDDR5 memory
Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga
Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga is a flexible two-in-one laptop that provides outstanding performance for a wide range of applications, making it a great option for developers and designers. The fact that it comes with pre-installed compatibility for several different Linux distributions is one of its unique qualities, which increases its attractiveness to the Linux community.
Users can choose from a variety of Linux distributions, including Fedora, Ubuntu, Mint, CentOS, and Debian, depending on what best fits their needs and workflow. This makes sure that developers and artists don’t need to manually install or configure Linux in order to take use of its strength and dependability straight out of the box.
Features:
- Shipping with PureBoot and PureOS
- 720P HD camera with Dual Array Microphone and Privacy Shutter
Specification:
- AMD Ryzen™ 7 5700U Processor (1.80 GHz–4.30 GHz)
- Home Single Language 64.AMD Radeon™ GPUs
- Camera: 720P HD with Dual Array Microphone and Privacy Shutter
- Bluetooth: Version 5.0 or above.
CPDEVICE Spring PRO
CPDEVICE Spring PRO, With a powerful 1TOPS CPU and an extensive communication range, this gadget is highly capable. Its interoperability with different automotive communication systems is ensured by its support for 250K and 500K CAN bus protocols, including J1939, CANopen, and ISO15765. Software development is made easier with the CP-Comm function, and 4G/5G support guarantees reliable communication no matter where you are.
Plus, it uses a common 26-pin interface for seamless integration with the SPRING GEN2, which simplifies updates. Since it supports CP ISOBUS VT, all VT-capable implements may be controlled from a single controller in agricultural applications.
Features:
- Supports 4G/5G, ensuring steady connectivity anywhere.
- CAN and SocketCAN bus (J1939, CANopen, ISO15765) 250K/500K supported.
- Supports CP-Comm, which makes software creation easier.
Specification:
- CPU Quad-Core 64-bit Cortex-A55, 2.0GHz GPU ARM G52 2EE.
- Built-in speaker *1, support for external speakers.
- Memory: 2GB LPDDR4, up to 8GB.
PineTab-V
Pine64 has given us one more option for the last one. The PineTab-V is an experimental Linux tablet with RISC-V processing that has a detachable keyboard.
The PineTab-V is powered by a StarFive JH7110 processor, which has an Imagination Technology BXE-4-32 GPU and a quad-core SiFive U74 RISC-V CPU.
Features:
- Ubuntu Touch is pre-installed.
- Detachable illuminated keyboard with options
- Multiple LTE, LoRa, and SATA SSD expansion boards
- Mini HD Video Out
Specification:
- CPU: four 1.152 GHz ARM Cortex A53 cores
- GPU: Mali 400 MP2 GPU from ARM
- RAM: LPDDR3 2 GB
- 10′′ MiPi 720p capacitive LCD display
- Li-Po 6000 mAh battery
Conclusion
So this is 10 Best Linux Tablets for 2024. Linux still holds a small percentage of the desktop market, its popularity is rising by the day. The PC market may no longer be the golden grail it was. Instead, the mobile operating system market is where the true competitiveness may be found.