ThinkPad T420 Pinebook Pro
Upstream kernel
Open BIOS 1
Sane bootloader BIOS uBoot
Open display firmware
Open wireless firmware
Wireless kill switch
Bluetooth 5.0
Storage 500G 64G
Upgradable storage
RAM 16G 4G
Upgradable memory
Weight 2.2kg 1.3kg
Battery life 3.5-5.8 hours 6-8 hours
Replacable battery requires screwdriver
User-serviceable parts some
HD video playback good luck
Usable web browsing good luck
Price $150 (eBay) $200 (Pine store)
Release year 2011 20192

The Pinebook Pro is a decent laptop. It is lightweight, has a good display, and a good battery life. I am happy with Pine64 as a company and think that it is a good product. There is a place for it in my life. Pine64 has their heart in the right place and I support them and buy their products because I want them to succeed.

But, is this the best the modern laptop industry can come up with? As a workstation, it doesn't compete. The performance of the ARM CPU is absolutely put to shame by the 8 year old T420, even for basic tasks. Is this 8 years of advancement in the state of the art?

Get your shit together, laptop vendors. Fuck's sake.


1: Aftermarket via coreboot

2: Limited release, full release in 2020