[ahnick]

I just switched from an MBP 2013 to a ThinkPad T480 running Ubuntu 18.04. I'm loving it. Linux support has been really great and I didn't have to install a lot of special drivers. (e.g. trackpad support with multi-touch scrolling worked from the start) A lot of Dell's have that terrible bottom placement of the webcam.

Things to love about the T480:

- Fairly portable at around 3.5 lbs with a 14inch screen. It avoids the dedicated numeric keypad that some larger 15inch models have, while still having good screen real estate.

- Great keyboard as all Thinkpads have. (media keys are working great under linux)

- Very durable having undergone mil-spec testing.

- Camera placement at top with a mechanical shutter if you get the FHD screen.

- 32 GB of ram if you want/need it

- Hot-swappable batteries. No need to turn off the laptop. just flip it over and replace. (You can buy the extended 72Wh battery for extra battery time)

Bonus if you find one on eBay slightly used. You could save over a $1000 for a comparably specced machine.

[namibj]

I have to second how awesome Hot-swap batteries are. While I do need to find a socket for this, having 'just' a T540p (can recommend, nice device), being able to swap the battery in seconds instead of charging >30 min (depending on how large your charger is) is awesome. So if you can hot swap, get another non-protuding battery instead of one that sticks out from the laptop, as that makes it hard to hold it on your palm (works like a charm, and the robustness makes you worry less). In that sense it is easier to use on-the-go than a tablet, due to the ease of holding (just wrap your fingers around the battery, and it will take a couple weeks to get the strength in your arm to do it comfortably if you are not used to such loads).

[dkhenry]

I just made a similar swap from a 2013 MBP to the X1 and so far I love it. One great thing about the T480 over the X1 is you can push the CPU harder in the T480 due to better cooling. I like the size of the X1 so went with the smaller labtop, but so far its been great