I compared this premium Linux laptop to my MacBook Pro – it won in surprising ways

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Tuxedo Computers is a German company that has been making computers pre-installed with Linux for over two decades, and I’ve had the pleasure of testing a few models. When a company asked me to try their latest hardware, i InfinityBook Max 15I couldn’t say no to the laptop, which starts at $1,800.

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This Linux laptop immediately impressed me. It has a solid design, a bright screen, and a cute Tux icon instead of the Windows logo for the Super key.

Although it has its quirks, I found the laptop to be the right balance of form and function. No, it’s not a powerhouse, but if you’re looking for a well-designed aluminum device with enough juice to get you through the day (and you’re a Linux user), it might be right there.

What I loved

The first thing that struck me was the chassis, which is made of a matte black aluminum housing. As soon as it’s in your hands, you know it’s one well-built machine. The hinge is sturdy (but still opens easily enough), and the 4.1-pound weight is enough to make you wish you had a hand truck to haul it. It’s definitely heavier than my 13-inch MacBook Pro, but not the biggest laptop I’ve used.

The display is really good. We are talking about a 15.5-inch screen with a brightness of 500 nits and a refresh rate of 300Hz. For me, the display matches my MacBook Pro (especially in full brightness), and has minimal glare — a big plus.

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While the speed of the InfinityBook Max didn’t blow me away, it was no small feat. I installed Ollama AI, pulled a few models, and ran some standard tests. My reaction to this was lukewarm. I was expecting great speed, but the average GPU struggled with AI tasks. It’s not usable, but it’s no match for some of the machines I’ve used with high-end GPUs.

When I turned to more general productivity tasks, the InfinityBook Max 15’s performance improved significantly. I installed DaVinci Resolve 20, and it ran like a champ. In fact, DaVinci Resolve worked better on the InfinityBook than on my MacBook Pro.

Although it couldn’t keep up with my iMac M3 Ultra with 96GB of RAM, it held its own. I certainly wouldn’t want to give anything more than 15 minutes to this laptop, but a short clip will do just fine.

Another consideration

I have one major concern: the battery didn’t last as long as I would have liked. During my first test, I had the performance profile set to “Automatic,” which is full performance.

When I set the profile to Cool and Breezy, I found that it delivered the best performance. When I switched to extreme Powersave, battery life was no longer an issue.

By default, I was lucky to get six hours of battery life; on Cool and Breezy, I was able to squeeze another four hours out of the battery. With Powersave’s extremes, however, my brain ran out of juice before the battery did. I had been using the laptop for about 12 hours before it died.

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Another concern was the noise. While the InfinityBook Max didn’t feel as small as some laptops, it didn’t offer much power. If you listened to Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” on YouTube, it lacked clarity and depth. But for watching videos in a quiet room, it was great.

While the trackpad wasn’t as smooth as the MacBook Pro’s, it worked very well. Tuxedo even had gestures set up for the trackpad, which was a nice touch.

I had a nit to pick with the keyboard, but not with the instruments — the key action is great, each one feels solid and easy to press. In fact, the keyboard on the InfinityBook Max was much higher than the keyboard on my MacBook Pro.

The problem with the keyboard is that Tuxedo always seems to send me a non-US keyboard, so I have to guess where some of the characters I need are. I get it, the company is based in Germany, but it’s something to consider when buying one for yourself. That said, once I got used to the layout, I found the keyboard quite nice.

ZDNET shopping advice

I would recommend this one Tuxedo Computer InfinityBook Max 15? That depends on your needs. If you’re looking for a solid gaming laptop or one for local AI, this device can work, but I’d suggest upping the RAM and specing it with the best GPU your budget can afford. (The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 is the best option available.)

If you improve those two features, you will have a mechanical beast that can do anything. Of course, removing both the RAM and GPU will cost you a total of $3,605 USD, which is what the laptop costs, regardless of the operating system.

Also: 8 things you can do with Linux that you can’t do with macOS or Windows

I really enjoyed my time with the InfinityBook Max 15. Can I replace it with my MacBook Pro 13? Maybe not, but that’s because I really like the small form factor.

Details of Tuxedo InfinityBook Max 15 tech

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H (16 cores, 22 threads, up to 5.1 GHz).
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 or RTX 5070 (8GB GDDR7).
• Display: 15.3-inch “Omnia” display, 2560 x 1600 (16:10), 300Hz, 500 nits, 100% sRGB.
• Memory: Up to 128GB DDR5 5600MHz/6400MHz (dual slots).
• Storage: 2x M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSDs up to 8TB.
• Weight: 4.1 kilograms
• Ports: 2x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort and 5x USB
• Battery: 99Wh Battery and USB-C Charging with 140 Watts
• Cooling: A low-profile cooling system that keeps the laptop quiet and cool under light tasks and dissipates up to 165 watts from two processors at full fan speed.
• Basic price: $1,801.07