Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition Now Ships With Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

The sales figures for laptops would have you believe there's only really two operating systems available: laptops running Windows 10 and Apple's MacBook range running macOS. But there's a third option in the form of Linux, and one of the most well-known computer companies ships a premium laptop running a version of it.

That company is Dell, and the XPS 13 Developer Edition laptop just got updated and certified to ship with the latest (extended support and stability) version of Ubuntu. Before now, the XPS 13 Developer Edition shipped with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, but Dell worked with Canonical to certify Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) on the XPS 13, meaning there will be no driver problems from first boot, it will just work, which is great news for anyone using this laptop as an excuse to try Linux.

The LTS following the Ubuntu version number stands for "Long Term Support." It means that Canonical support this version of their operating system for five years and it typically prioritizes stability over the more frequently updated intermediate Ubuntu versions that appear on a six month release cycle.

Although this version of the XPS 13 ($799.99 at Dell) is aimed squarely at developers and enterprise buyers, it should be no less appealing to consumers who want to try something different, don't want to pay the high price of a MacBook Pro ( at Amazon) , or who are tired of dealing with Windows 10 and its constant updates.

If you're interested in the XPS 13 Developer Edition, it's already available in ten configurations with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS pre-installed from Dell's US store. Availability across Europe is expected in early August.