What The Hell Are Boutique Laptops?
Heya~ Been a long time since I wrote a blog post, this place looks like it has cobwebs now. Anyways, that's not the point, today's post is Bouqitue laptops... Now, I hear you through the screen, saying "What The Hell Even Are Boutique Laptops?"
That's a damn good question if you ask me, in simple terms, they're laptops by lesser known brands. That sounds like a bad thing does it? Who would by a laptop from a lesser known brand? Hold on my child, let me explain. Yes, they are lesser known, but however, you get full control of the hardware inside them, unlike HP, Lenovo, Dell, or Asus. This is a good thing because you get what you exactly want. Not to mention, SO MUCH CUSTOMIZATION! Like, you can choose EVERYTHING. Whew, calm down there Lyra, don't get too excited. Anyways, these are made possible via ODMs, or Original Design Manufacturers. Pretty much everyone uses them, even big brands. Nobody really makes their own laptops, it's just a few small companies. ODMs just design it exactly how they're told.
A boutique laptop is like ordering ramen at a shop where you pick every single topping. Sure, it takes longer, but it tastes exactly how you want it.
Okay Lyra, we know you love Boutique laptops now, but when are you gonna explain what's so great about your experience with them?
Yes, I will get to that, be patient :D, I got one via Juno Computers, specifically what they marketed as the "Gemini 16 AMD", really that's just a title for it. It's actually a Clevo V560EU branded to be their company. Juno in this case effectively ordered the laptop from Clevo, assembled the SSD and RAM into it, and shipped it off to me. Complete with Linux. Smooth process too, took about 2 weeks. Now, let's get onto its pros.
- Very nicely configured machine, as said, exactly how I ordered it.
- Super Repairable, took me 5 minutes to disassemble all the screws and put a 2nd SSD into it. It puts up no resistance at all, just gentle prying.
- Long lasting battery, 6 Hours on YouTube, 8 hours or more just browsing the web.
Initial Setup: This laptop actually came with Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS which.... while it's Linux, definitley isn't in its glory days like before, I'm not quite a fan of Ubuntu, so I replaced that with Debian.
Boutique Laptop companies, I love ya, but, please stop using Ubuntu as your choice of Linux. Nobody wants that garbage. It'll be wiped by the owner almost certainly. I did that myself already.
Some Cons, However, Fixable.
Even though I absolutley love what I got, nothing can ever be exactly perfect. Here's just some of the small cons:
- Ubuntu came pre-installed (can easily be wiped)
- Driver install can be a bit difficult due to being primarily designed for Ubuntu.
- SSD could be better, it's only a Crucial P310 500GB DRAMLess SSD.
- Speakers aren't great, though this is a consistent problem across most laptops.
Specs and Config
My perfect laptop has to have the perfect specs for me, doesn't it? This is what I requested, in detail:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 260, 8 Cores, 16 Threads @ 3.8GHz, up to 5.10GHz, 16 TOPS<, 45w TDP, up to 54w/li>
- Graphics: AMD Radeon 780M iGPU
- RAM: 64GB DDR5 5600MT/s
- Display: 16in 1920x1200p IPS Matte Panel, 165Hz
- SSD: 500GB NVME SSD, 3.5GB/s Read, 1.6GB/s Write
- WiFi Card: Intel AX210 Dual Band WiFi 6e, up to 2.40Gbps
- Battery: 15.8v 80wH 5070mAH battery
- Charger: 90w
Sent that for what I wanted, costed $1,193 on sale. Lenovo, Asus, Dell and HP wouldn't give you that for only $1.1k would they? Took 2 weeks to ship here to Los Angeles, and overall, it went well, I approve of Juno Computers.
No pain no gain they say? I think quite opposite, less pain more gain!
Experience and Conclusion
Overall, I love it! It's exactly how I wanted it, couldn't ask for anymore except for maybe a LTE/5G Modem, that'd be nice. That was not a option though sadly.
Linux has been wonderful on it, even though it was a little hard to get working drivers. Though, everyone has done it before, so you're definitley not alone on that. I highly recommending checking Juno Computers out, or if not, some other boutique brands, maybe they might have exactly what you've been asking for!
Won't hurt you to try something new, join us, you'll enjoy it!