I've recently moved from macOS and iPhone to Android, and I'm now looking for a modern laptop that will work well with Linux and my phone. I've used Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Mint before, including dual-booting on a Surface Laptop 3, but its age and short 3–4 hour battery life are becoming frustrating. I found a good deal on a 2026 Dell XPS 13 with an Intel Core 5 Series 3 320 processor. Dell has a reputation for supporting Ubuntu, but I'm wondering how well this newer model works in practice. Are there likely to be problems with the webcam, speakers, Wi-Fi, graphics, or other hardware?
4 Answers
Dell XPS machines have generally been some of the better-supported laptops for Linux, partly because Dell has offered certain models with Ubuntu preinstalled. Check the hardware details for the exact XPS model in a compatibility wiki or hardware database before buying, since small model differences can matter.
Coming from macOS, GNOME may feel the most familiar because of its clean layout and workflow. Fedora is also worth considering for very new hardware because it tends to ship newer kernels and drivers than some beginner-focused distributions. Mint is easier for many newcomers, but its hardware support can lag behind. KDE Plasma is another good option if you prefer more customization, and Ubuntu or Fedora should both be reasonable starting points.
The laptop should be usable, but test it before committing if possible. Boot a current Ubuntu or Fedora live USB and check the webcam, microphone, speakers, suspend, brightness controls, fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi, and battery behavior. A live session won’t reveal everything, but it can catch major compatibility problems early.
Use a recent distribution and kernel because this hardware is very new. Ubuntu 24.04 is officially supported on this platform, and Dell may provide an optimized installation image for the specific model. The webcam could be the main complication: newer XPS cameras sometimes use a MIPI interface and may need additional proprietary firmware or drivers. Audio and other components should be more straightforward once the system is fully updated.
That matches my experience with a similar XPS. The initial installation worked, but I needed a post-install update and extra firmware before Wi-Fi, video, and sound behaved properly. Using a USB-C hub with wired Ethernet or a spare USB Wi-Fi adapter can make installation much easier.