Ubuntu for ZBook Studio G8/G9

[Phaet]

I am considering to purchase a ZBook Studio G8 or G9.

These are allegedly compatible with Linux (Ubuntu).

But I cannot find any information about how to get devices with Ubuntu pre-installed.

When I install Ubuntu myself, would the latest LTS kernel support the devices?

I tried to find the most current Linux Hardware Matrix, but found only old issues with info up to just G7.

I would appreciate any information.

Thanks.

[Matt429]

Hello Phaet,

We do certify our ZBook Studio line with Canonical and offer factory preloads of Ubuntu 20.04 with them. You should be able to configure a ZBook Studio G8 or G9 with Ubuntu 20.04 (I just checked in the US HP.com store, pick the "Customize and Buy" option instead of a set configuration).

Here are some links to Canonical's certification webpage for both:

https://ubuntu.com/certified/202104-28965

https://ubuntu.com/certified/202201-29844

And a link to the search results for the Studio line of Mobile Workstations:

https://ubuntu.com/certified/laptops?q=studio&limit=20&vendor=HP

As far as compatibility goes, you can find the mix of certified hardware on each listing. Canonical lists configuration certifications on their webpage, meaning that not all "configurations" they certify include all hardware that the platforms were certified with. You should be able to look through the list of certified Studio laptop configs to find the hardware you want to order. Any mix of hardware _should_ work, so long as it has been certified in at least one config.

As far as the kernel in use, a certified platform with a preloaded Ubuntu image will use a kernel from Canonical's OEM branch, not the generic version. The version of the kernel depends on the platform you get, but will continue to be upgraded just like the generic ones. I do not know off the top of my head what the G8 and G9 Studios ship with.

Ubuntu 22.04 is not yet certified on these platforms.