Running Ubuntu 18.04

[jonesypeter]

I'm looking at buying the 'HP Spectre x360 15-ch004na' and wondered if anyone has had any issues running Ubuntu 18.04?

https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=3DL06EA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB

I sold my Dell XPS15 as there were lots of known issues.

Thanks

Peter

[IT_WinSec]

Hi @jonesypeter

I am a GNU/Linux user running various Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint distros and have used them with HP Probooks (1)/Elitebooks (4)/Steam (1) series , without issues. 6 different PCs had no issues installing or running them. On one of the Probooks I could not even install it due to BIOS/UEFI locks and limitations. So, for me it is 6/7. Never used it with Spectre x360.

HP is also known to provide the best and most reliable printer support for Linux based OS >info<

Based on Google searches, it should work fine >> https://askubuntu.com/questions/600528/is-ubuntu-compatible-with-the-hp-spectre-x360

In case of any issues, you can always return it and change it for a different model OR if it is a software issue, you can try different kernel versions. Latest Ubuntu kernel is 4.15 but you may try using different such as older 4.8 or the previous LTS 4.4, along with Ubuntu 16, for example...

You may also post and collect info in the Ubuntu forums OR AskUbuntu communities.

[wahlsn]

I own a Spectre x360 13.3", 4k (ac036ng). A year ago, I nstalled Ubuntu 17.04 on it . At this time I had to use a 4.11 kernel or newer due to some bugs.

Now, I have 18.04 LTS installed but switched to 4.17 kernel already and cinnamon as desktop. Not because of some bugs but as the newer kernels are implementing new power saving techniques. Just by feeling, I would say that Windows is still better here, though.

- Sound works

- Network LAN + Wifi works

- Touchscreen works. Even rotation sensor (that was the main issue with 17.04 and 4.10 kernel)

- Thunderbolt is working (have a lenovo TB3 Dock with 2 external 4k monitors)

- bluetooth is working

- Scaling is not working properly for the gnome desktop. The best Desktop for HiDPI screens I found was cinnamon. Before this, I was into xfce but the scaling is also not usable for me.

So far, I did not find any issue. Just try it.

[CarolinaKawa]

Hi,  

I know you mentioned the touch screen works fine, but I would still like to ask you if you had the chance to use a stylus on it. Does Linux support pressure sensitivity? Do you know if Ubuntu has a better touchscreen support than LinuxMint? 

Does the fingerprint reader work as well? 

Your previous answer was really helpful! I hope you can help me again. 

[IT_WinSec]

Hi @CarolinaKawa

Thank you for posting in the HP Support forum.

It depends on the hardware / computer model and the Ubuntu version. What is your HP computer model ? Generally speaking, YES - Ubuntu generally supports touchscreen functions and also stylus / pressure sensitivity. But it depends on the computer model - its hardware should also support it. The newer the kernel, the better the support for new functions (usually)

Ubuntu's touchscreen support is 99.99% the same as Linux Mint's one - they share the same kernel. From what I know GNOME desktop environment has slightly better support for touchscreen stuff due to the many extensions available (official and unofficial). Ubuntu's default desktop environment is GNOME, Mint uses Cinnamon, MATE, XFCE, etc.

You can post over Ubuntu's forums or LM's forums and ask for specific questions and provide specific PC model.

Additionally, what is perfect with Linux in general is that you can run them in live mode and test without the need to installing the operating system. All you needs is to boot from a bootable USB/DVD and check yourself.

More reading >> https://laptop.ninja/the-best-linux-distributions-for-touchscreens/

In addition, I know people who were using Fedora with GNOME for their 2-in-1 tablet. PC devices. But Fedora is different - I never used it.

Hope this helps.