Want a Dell XPS 13 or M3800 for less? Go for the Ubuntu edition

By Dave LeClair Published February 2, 2015

dell xps 13 2015 review lid angle — Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

Dell has never been shy about offering Linux on its devices in order to make fans of the OS happy while shaving a few bucks off the full price. The savings come from users not needing to spend money on the Windows license. Two of the company’s latest models are getting the same treatment with Dell rolling out an XPS 13 and M3800 Developer Edition, both of which come with Ubuntu 14.04.1 installed.

The M3800 with Ubuntu is available now, and getting rid of Windows 8.1 carves a savings of $101.50 from the price tag. This means the starting price is $1533.50, which is certainly not cheap, but for users planning to replace Windows with Linux anyway, not being forced to spend extra for the OS is a solid deal.

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One major complaint users had about Dell’s previous Ubuntu offering, the XPS 13 Developer Edition, was that they wanted a larger, more powerful model, and Dell is delivering here. The M3800’s 15.6 inch display features a UHD resolution of 3,840 × 2,160. That’s powered by a fourth generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, up to 16GB of RAM and NVIDIA Quadro K1100M graphics.

A minor issue users will have with the Ubuntu version is the fact 14.04.1 does not support the M3800’s Thunderbolt 2.o port. However, Dell is promising that with the upcoming Ubuntu 14.04.2 release, support for it will be added, so users will only have to deal with not having access to the port for a short period of time.

As for the XPS 13, Dell has not started selling the newest Linux-toting model as of this writing. In a Dell blog post, the company said that the fourth generation XPS 13 will be available soon, though it did not offer an exact release date for the updated version.

A key selling point of both models is their size, as the XPS 13 starts at a very light 2.6 pounds, and the larger M3800’s base weight is just 4.7 pounds. Those light specifications are maintained on the Ubuntu-based models. No word on how the switch impacts battery life, however.

Topics

Dell
Laptops

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Dave LeClair has been writing about tech and gaming since 2007. He's covered events, hosted podcasts, created videos, and…

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