6 KiB
+++ title = "A 2025 review of Mobile Linux with postmarketOS v25.12" date = 2025-12-31 draft = true
[taxonomies] categories = [ "reviews", "mobile-linux", "aarch64" ] tags = [ "postmarketOS", "v25.12" ] +++
{% note(header="Note") %}
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Ubuntu support (general Linux support)
{{ figure(src="/images/Thinkpad-X13s-review/X13s-neofetch.png", alt="Neofetch", caption="Running Neofetch") }}
This is an updated table based on my testing on Ubuntu 23.10/24.04/24.10:
| Core Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi/Bluetooth | Works |
| Touchpad | Works |
| Touch Screen | Works |
| Fingerprint Reader | Works |
| Webcam | Can work |
| Speakers | Works-ish |
| Headphone port | Works-ish |
| USB-C ports | Works |
| SIM Slot | Not tested |
- Not in the default configuration ** Can be enabled in Ubuntu 24.10 with steps in this review *** They are very low due to active speaker protection not being enabled source
Phosh
The animations in GNOME Shell are really smooth and great with the touchpad! See the video below for yourself!
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
I was able to connect to two different networks without issues. While Bluetooth was testing with my Pixel Buds-A I did notice some odd "audio glitching" but it would happen randomly and the audio would keep playing during these moments but would sometimes stop for a second or two then continue playing.
{{ figure(src="/images/Thinkpad-X13s-review/Bluetooth-devices.png", alt="Bluetooth devices", caption="Settings listing Bluetooth devices") }}
USB-C port
Fingerprint Reader
Video decoding
YouTube works and here are some stats for the nerds:
{{ figure(src="/images/Thinkpad-X13s-review/YouTube-Encoding-Nerd-Stats.png", alt="YouTube Encoding", caption="YouTube Encoding at 1080p @ 60Hz") }}
{{ figure(src="/images/Thinkpad-X13s-review/YouTube-Encoding-Nerd-Stats-2.png", alt="YouTube Encoding", caption="YouTube Encoing at 2160p @ 60Hz") }}
As you can see it reports that videos are able to decode up to 4K@60 without issue, the videos are smooth and audio matches without issue.
Speakers
The speakers which are really low for some reason and do not get better even at the lightest volume for some reason, perhaps driver/PipeWire/Kernel updates will help in the future but I'm not sure.
Ubuntu 24.10 note: they do not work better with 6.11 in this release as they are still pretty low due to active speaker protection not being enabled.
Headphone/Microphone port
The headphone port and even at the lower volume it has a lot of cracking in the output and it gets worse as you increase the volume. I tested two different headphones with the same result. Now using a USB headset (though the USB-C port) seems to work without issue so that is a workaround though you'll need to use an adapter to do this. I have not tested a headset with a microphone yet since I mainly use a USB-A headset so I don't use the port much.
Widevine/DRM
Now streaming sites that use Widevine DRM like Max and Disney+ do not work at all when you try to load a video. I tested Firefox (snap default install) and Vivaldi (they have an ARM64 Debian release). Now I was able to get Max and Disney+ to work (but not Netflix currently) with Brave by using the Widevine Installer from the Asahi project and these steps from Brave. Now this can break at any time with how Widevine is but it does work currently at this time.
Battery
Checking upower -d shows the battery should last 5.8 hours while Lenovo quotes 25-28 hours on Windows. I tested the system with no changes including TLP and with the 6.5 kernel from Ubuntu and I saw about that while doing the following things:
- Writing this review using helix, nano, Text Editor
- Researching how to fix the Widevine issue so basic web browsing including some YouTube here and there
- Downloading updates, installing new applications including snaps and Debian packages
Suspending does not seem to work correctly as the display is still on when the lid is closed but it does turn off if you use the menu to suspend. The battery does still seem to drain while suspended much higher then one would expect when in that state. This system does work with S0ix and we can confirm with this output from this command:
aaronh@drack:~$ cat /sys/power/mem_sleep
[s2idle]
Cameras
For a really nice and portable system this would be an ideal candidate for remote working but since the camera does not work that might be the biggest deal breaker. I imagine support would be added in the future but it depends on how important it is to you. This part is short as I'm not able to detect it with any software that I can find like camaeractrls, websites and such.
Closing marks
Once Ubuntu 24.04 is released with the 6.8 kernel I believe things will get even better as it has a lot of changes, here is a small list of a few articles with information:
This system is a great little portable machine with an ARM64 CPU and works great on Ubuntu. If you are looking for a system that is fanless for working on documents, web browsing, watching some YouTube videos and a little development work this is a great option! With that said if you travel and use streaming services that might be a deal breaker for you but I hope that it improves in the near future.
Additional tracking
There are some more resources for updated information about Linux on this device: