This one goes for $960 USD right now. . .
Do you want a convertible or really a tablet?
I dont see how a desktop OS could reasonably work on a tablet, like really, the experience must suck.
KDE Plasma has got a lot of work on that support
- rotating activates tablet mode, increasing padding and decoration sizes etc
- Dolphin has long press functionality etc
Tablet. Convertible is the “worst case” alternative.
→ F41 Change Proposal: KDE Plasma Mobile Spin and Fedora Kinoite Mobile (Self-Contained)
I trust these maintainers to put appropriate efforts in this, and in the meantime, the alternatives are acceptable as long as they are stable, which is less an issue in terms of the GUI but more one of drivers and hardware compatibility of existing devices. The major issues are imho 5g hardware with drivers in the vanilla kernel (the kernel supports several, but not all 5g adapters used in current devices), and support of the ARM SoC of tablets. The latter is a tablet issue, the first a general issue we currently face in 5g, partly still 4g. The two obviously complement each other in a negative way when it comes to tablets as most tablets with 5g have ARM, not intel/amd.
Be careful with generalizations. Not everyone switches to a tablet for the same reasons and with the same intentions/expectations/needs. Also, you could focus on a slightly less cursing formulation in here
I’ve been experimenting more and more with 2-in-1 machines. Unfortunately, I haven’t touched any 4g/5g machines, so I can’t comment on exact make and model.
Two things I wanted to comment on.
Interface
You mentioned you were going to run KDE on it, and that’s great. Just know that not every application is “mobile friendly”. Some things expect a keyboard, some things have very small click spaces. My least favorite is things that go full screen, but expect you to his “esc” to get out of full screen mode.
If you already have Fedora KDE installed, I recommend installing Plasma Mobile and trying it out. On discover just install plasma-mobile and plasma-mobile-sounds. Or, if you are ok with the command line do
dnf group install kde-mobile
dnf group install kde-mobile-apps
Log out and then back in selecting the “Plasma Mobile” desktop.
Refurbished
In my aquasitions, I’ve mainly gotten older and/or refurbished 2-in-1 machines. They worked great, most everything worked. (I’m not sure why cameras are so hard) Then I bought a new Gen4 lenovo yoga. Youch. At least the touch screen worked. But it’s taken several months for kernel drivers to catch up and get things working.
Summary. Don’t dismiss refurbished machines. Yes, your mileage may vary. But getting genuine refurbished machines often get’s you better linux support, and a good machine at a good price.
That’s the plan Your proposal for F41 was actually the trigger for this “project”
It’s for a friend, and most applications she uses should be fine. For word processing and such, she will get an additional bluetooth keyboard anyway, although the major use case will be browsing.
Absolutely, that’s a major concern with 5g: the hardware for that is quite new, and I tend to check precisely in advance if kernel drivers are available for that. But for many of these devices, it is a mess to get information about the specific hardware in advance. I just had that issue with finding a 5g notebook for myself. I keep searching if there is some 5g device that is on the market and where some information is existent about support in the kernel, but something older, may it be refurbished or not, is indeed an alternative if I cannot find anything in this respect, then likely with 4g. But refurbished indeed is a good point, as it adds devices to the list that may fit the needs but that ain’t provided any longer. I didn’t think yet in this respect, thanks for that incentive
This is more or less the “feasibility stage”, it is not urgent to get something. I now just start to check the situation and then we’ll see what makes sense.
In any case, looking forward to see KDE mobile in action
From that list, i would say the Thinkpad L13 Yoga might be the best of the bunch. The Yoga models have their own issues documented here on the forums but they seem to be good enough for your use case.
How about Librem 11?
Thanks! The device sounds generally interesting, but it seems to be not available with 4g/5g. Their forums also mentions that users need to get something external for that. I’m a little worrying of getting it shipped from the US as well (warranty issues and such).
Replying lately.
I don’t understand the “4g/5g” well. Maybe that is supporting 4g/5g network by a SIM card?
I think Starlab’s Starlite may be good for running Fedora. I found someone was running Fedora Linux on it.[1][2] There is also Fedora Mobility SIG[3] that may help you.
Yes, exactly. It means you put a SIM of your provider in the slot and then you can use mobile Internet all the time, without the need for WiFi or other means to connect to the Internet. For people who use WiFi only to connect to the Internet, it literally replaces WiFi and mitigates the major issues around it.
I indeed no longer think an appropriate tablet with 4g/5g will be released soon, nothing that can be assumed to work reliably. There is an issue with all possibilities.
I was already talking to Starlabs in UK, they are very nice and have already checked if Fedora KDE & KDE Mobile work out and according to them, both work fine natively. I expect I will order that one in February or March, but some other things have higher priority at the moment
All right. Thanks for clarifying the 4g/g5.
I investigated tablets. ZTE Nubia Pad 3D II[1][2] supports 5g. Lenovo Legion Y700 (2025) (= Lenovo Legion Tab 3rd Gen?)[3][4][5] doesn’t support 5g/4g, but it looks cool with the screen size is small 8.8 inches, and a powerful Arm CPU.
However, I am not sure how much these devices are Linux-friendly.
[1] https://www.nubia.com/en/products/tablet/nubia/nubia-pad-3d-ii.html
[2] ZTE nubia Pad 3D II - Full tablet specifications
[3] Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 | Powerful Gaming Tablet | ZAEF0009GB | Lenovo UK
[4] Lenovo Legion Y700 (2025) - Full tablet specifications
[5] Lenovo Legion Y700 2025 Review: Best iPad Mini 7 Alternative? - GizmoVue
Nathan Fedora 41 / Rawhide surface pro 3 says he has Fedora running on a M$ Surface Pro 3 (second hand). The new ones come with 5G but are way too expensive.
I investigated Linux support for the Microsoft Surface series. The [1] is a nice website to check the specifications of the Surface series. According to the [2][3][4], I have the impression that users need to install the Surface-specific kernel to enable the camera and volume up/down buttons while the Surface Linux kernel project[2] is trying to push their patches into the upstream kernel project.
And if you care about repairability, iFixit’s page [5] may be helpful.
Edited: Added the reference of supporting status for each device and feature. [3]
[1] A list of Surface series: Devices Archives - SurfaceTip
[2] Linux kernel for Surface Devices: GitHub - linux-surface/linux-surface: Linux Kernel for Surface Devices
[3] Supported Devices and Features · linux-surface/linux-surface Wiki · GitHub
[4] Reddit - r/SurfaceLinux
[5] iFixit Microsoft Tablet devices
Yeah, the problem is that the related ARM models are not yet eligible for average users who just want a smooth system. The sys has to be Fedora to integrate with the backups and such, so it is intended not as second but primary system for the very user.
I saw a lot of models that are offered with ARM and x86, but are offered with 5g only with ARM (I of course understand that this tailors well to the mainstream of users).
I came to the same conclusion A smooth experience with the default kernel is questionable, but the sys should be a stable Fedora that just updates and works. So no surface as well
Anyway, I guess we stick with a Starlite if nothing else comes up when I re-check if something new was released, and then use a 4g stick.
What makes me wonder most is that no vendor seems interested to create USB-based 5g. Everyone seems to want only the 5g hotspots, but for me, thats another device that needs to be considered and that needs to be charged (most have too less battery time anyway).
The functionality and reliability of the Surface’s Linux support is questionable. However, I am still considering Surface Go 4 as a candidate for my daily driver. I think I can run Fedora’s original kernel rather than the Surface kernel if I give up the built-in camera functionality, and use an external USB-C webcam. The Surface Go 4’s weight is 521 g (1.15 pounds), and the display size is 10.5 inches. That attracts me. I may take a risk.
I can expect that Starlite is one of the best for Linux support in tablets. However, the Starlite’s display is 12.5 inches and its weight is 898 g (1.98 pounds).[1] That makes me hesitate to buy it.
What makes me wonder most is that no vendor seems interested to create USB-based 5g. Everyone seems to want only the 5g hotspots, but for me, thats another device that needs to be considered and that needs to be charged (most have too less battery time anyway).
I found some 5g LTE USB-C dongles below.
- USB Dongle - Enjoy Fast and Secure Wifi with Best 5G LTE
- Amazon.com: Tri Cascade VOS 5G Cellular Travel Internet, Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF Full 5G Spectrum System Global Access Supports macOS, iPadOS, Windows, Linux, USB C Dongle : Electronics
- 4G/5G USB Dongles | Capestone
- https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-5g-lte-usb-dongle.html
[1] StarLite 12.5-inch - Specification and Features – Star Labs®
Yeah but all of them work only in the US with 5g, what is implemented there differs None of them is available in Europe anyway (for obvious reasons
). I am also not sure if they are fully intended for this use case, but I didn’t get deeper into them
It would be great if that condition changes sometime, but I am not very confident.
There exists one device that operates with 5g in Europe (at least the countries I am in regularly), but it is intended for gamers, it’s very heavy and high in power use, and it costs as much as a notebook. So that does not bring any advantage
That’s life
Feel free to report for others, but for this use case, we have to rely on that the default kernel persistently works fine and without issues. Beyond that, the notebook would be fine, as you say, some nice properties. However, if I recall correctly, 5g is available on the Surface only with their ARM model anyway.
Yeah, I understand that. For us I guess it would be ok, if it at least works properly. I consider the lack of 5g as the major disadvantage
Well, it depends on where you want to use a camera, there might be situations in which that could be quite uncomfortable