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Lenovo Cuts the Windows Tax and offers Cheaper Laptops with Linux Pre-installed
Lenovo is doing something that many aren't.
Update
Much later coverage:
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Lenovo slashes Windows tax with cheaper Linux laptops
ThinkPads now come with penguins and smaller price tags
Lenovo is quietly offering Linux pre-installed on some laptops in the US and Canada, undercutting the Windows tax by around $140 (around €130) or CAD 211 (around €144) depending on the model.
A Reddit user flagged the move after spotting Lenovo selling the ThinkPad X1 Carbon cheaper with Fedora or Ubuntu rather than Windows. Other users chimed in, noting that Lenovo has been quietly doing this since 2020, but the hefty price difference now highlights just how absurd Windows licensing costs have become.
On the US and Canadian Lenovo websites, the same laptop model can be ordered with a Linux distribution instead of Windows, saving a tidy sum. Not every Lenovo laptop offers the choice yet. Ranges like ThinkPad, Yoga, Legion and LOQ still have patchy Linux support, and buyers have to dig through the operating system filter on Lenovo’s site to find eligible models.