Indeed! I need to update this article’s link but thinkwiki.org also used to be outstanding! Isn’t maintained anymore.
Arch Wiki is another go-to:
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I think that you will do well with either the Dell or Lenovo and since the Dell XPS is available I believe that you will like this model.
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Dell + Canonical keeps a list of certified Ubuntu laptops: Dell Technologies and Canonical | Ubuntu
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There is only one “minor” complaint I have, given that I currently own TWO Lenovo Thinkpad models, a very old (but really solid) Thinkpad X201 and a much newer Thinkpad T14 Gen 3 (AMD64). Both units tend to run at somewhat higher default temperatures than comparable units by other reputable vendors in the same range, though not ridiculously so. My T14 Gen 3 is oscillating between 46-47 °C in the warmer of two ACPI measurements, but the other one is cool 20 °C and the fan is silient here, so it’s not ridiculous. However, IF I run some CPU intensive stuff that has Rust code in it, that’ll be sure to shoot the first measurement up over 50, maybe approaching or exceeding 60; then it’ll cool down once that process ends. IF Rust code is constantly running - so if a Web Browser that uses Rust is really working out, this thing will heat up and the normally quiet fan will wake up. Like I said, not a huge deal; the unit manages it well, but a room full of these devices would be noticably warmer!
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Yes, I noticed this as well.
That said I prefer the heat over the added noise as it’s not crazy-damage-to-hardware type of heat.
The Gen 4 and 5 run cooler but also have a bit louder fan noise. What I’ve done, is that on battery it runs only in power save mode so the clock speed is restricted and when plugged in (usually on a desk and not my lap) it switches to max power mode which runs hotter.
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I’d go with Lenovo ThinkPad.
They’re widely considered one of the best laptops for Linux because of their strong hardware compatibility and minimal driver issues. Most distributions like Ubuntu or Fedora run almost out of the box with very little tweaking.
On top of that, ThinkPads are heavily used in enterprise and by developers, so there’s a huge Linux community around them which makes troubleshooting much easier if something comes up.
Overall, they’re not perfect, but they’re probably the safest and most consistent choice for running Linux.
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I agree with this and your comments in general.
I had my first connection to early Thinkpad models from enterprise system work and as a matter of fact, the software I was working with was a migration of Financial Services applications designed for Sun Solaris Unix, being ported to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Incidentally most of that work went VERY well. The primary adjustments we had to make were the number of server images to devote to specific network services. It was all about keeping availability as close to 100%, especially during Market hours as possible.
There were backups to backups, alternative locations, even alternative continents providing the services; needless to say, while cost still mattered, very few expenses were spared when it came to availability!
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I thing For me also Lenovo’s ThinkPad line (specifically the T, X, and P series), It is widely considered the best for Linux.Legendary. Lenovo officially certifies many ThinkPads for Ubuntu and Fedora.
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For me the solid design of the Thinkpad - it even FEELS more solid than many other systems, is a big reason for using them; this is not necessarily the case for less expensive consumer models, for instance I was disappointed in the IdeaPad, though “The price is right”. Some high end Dell models are really good too, but the one model I have on hand is older and MUCH heavier. I have good success with HP, but they’re not necessarily top end, just decent, reliable systems.
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For me HP Probooks hands down. I buy refurbished ones wipe them and install Linux. They function well on Linux and are pretty easy to replace parts for non-tech people. The funny thing is I hated HP on Windows, as the HP software was to intrusive and tried to do much for you.
I also had a System 76 Darter Pro which I liked but it had hardware problems from day one that System 76 didn’t stand behind, it didn’t read out the battery’s mAh correctly so I had to run in on the cord when fully charged ruining the battery, it came with a bad WIFI card that caused crashes and freezes and by the time they figured it out they said sorry your warranty is up although I had reported it right away and the motherboard failed after only three years. I don’t know if I was just unlucky or if they have hardware problems in general.
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@Jymm I’ve not used the Probook model that I know of. The most recent HP model I’ve used is the HP-14 with AMD/Ryzen processor and graphic components. It’s a moderately priced unit that isn’t outstanding, but it’s not terrible either; it’s just solid and does a decent job for the amount of money that I was prepared to pay. As a retiree I have some resources, but when I buy systems I typically get them near the end of their development cycle and thereby get a more affordable price for something that still works reasonably well and that is the case with my HP-14.
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So ThinkPads are the last manufacturer to get rid of the TrackPoint? I think HP did, I feel like Dell still has a few, would have to check. Its not loved by many so I’m surprised it lasted this long. If I’m not alone, show some 
love! 
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HP, Dell and Lenovo notebooks, I used them all. Probably I was lucky enough not to find any major difference and/or drawbacks among these brands.
Supposedly, that was a result of strategy not to choose hi-end because hi-end models are overpriced and their design it somewhat overloaded by a bit more powerful CPU, amount of memory, etc. On the other hand, most numerous consumer-grade models are equally inappropriate for they are intentionally stripped down to lower their cost. That is I suspect that the correct strategy is to select a model somewhere in between of consumer and hi-end models.
Also, I like full-size keyboards and possibly large screens.
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Dell. Simply because you just can’t wrong with these especially when it comes to Linux and the most basic models can be had cheap.
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Yup; I have a Dell Inspiron 5558, an HP-14, and two Lenovo Thinkpad models in my current collection, plus an Acer Chromebook 516. I DETEST Acer for anything other than Chromebooks because they have the worst firmware in the industry, but their Chromebooks have solid value and the hardware other than the firmware is a good deal. Dell has a LONG history of VERY good models, both inexpensive and right up there with the Lenovo Thinkpad. For VERY old units, in their day the Dell Latitude D600 series were excellent; now they are dinosaurs, but antiX Linux can probably run on those old 32-bit laptops!
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Acer made, by accident, a very good low budget laptop
(I have one, it’s fast enough ( even though it uses a N6000 ), strong, reliable, and 100% Linux compatible without any ACPI problems, and I love it to death).
Ofcourse it is no longer on the market because it threatens their bad reputation 
(I guess they converted it into a chromebook now)
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Sometimes it’s just you get a bad one, but my wife’s Lenovo was the worst laptop we ever had.
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Let me guess: Lenovo Yoga ? 
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No I have never heard of a Yoga, I believe it was a lower end Thinkpad. I hated the charger block, the charger cord was to short to use the Laptop while charging unless you used an extension cord, the computer end of the charger never stayed in the charge port but always fell out and the motherboard failed in a little over a year.
I got my wife an HP laptop and she loves that one and has had no problems.
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I think that I had ONE Lenovo laptop (2007-2009 era) that may have used that name, it was a Lenovo series 3000 laptop; I believe the Model was T400 or something like that.