Hi everyone!
I’m proud owner and user of Framework Laptop 12 (Core i5, 48GB RAM, 1TB NVMe) Sage and here is my super-quick test of few linux distros which can or can’t help you to decide what to choose.
I always performed the installation from an external USB drive, followed by apt update && apt full-upgrade && reboot (or simillar on Bazitte). Then I quickly tested tablet mode. That’s all.
Ubuntu Desktop 25.04
Installation
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(-) Mouse cursor was missing during installation, but the touchscreen worked well.
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(-) The Wi-Fi password input box did not appear, so I had to continue the installation without internet access.
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(+) Nice-looking and straightforward installation process.
OS Experience
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(?) Virtual keyboard in tablet mode on the login screen (I forgot to test, sorry).
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(-) System responsiveness is slow — both OS startup and application launches take longer than expected.
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(-) Dark mode is excessively dark; I cannot distinguish the black window from the black title bar, nor the active window from an inactive one.
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(-) No GUI option to customize dark mode.
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(-) In tablet mode, screen rotation from landscape to portrait does not work.
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(-) Scrolling in Firefox or the terminal using two fingers on the touchpad is not smooth.
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(+) Nice-looking and consistent GUI.
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(+) All hardware works well.
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(+) Tablet mode works well in landscape mode, and the virtual keyboard is good.
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(+) Faster transition from login screen to desktop environment than Kubuntu Desktop 25.04.
Ubuntu Desktop 24.04.2 (LTS)
Installation
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(-) Installation takes longer (still under 15 minutes) even when installing from a USB‑C NVMe drive.
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(+) Nice-looking and straightforward installation process.
OS Experience
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(?) Virtual keyboard in tablet mode on the login screen (I forgot to test, sorry).
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(-) No GUI option to customize dark or light mode.
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(-) Scrolling in Firefox or the terminal using two fingers on the touchpad is not smooth.
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(+) All hardware works well.
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(+) Nice-looking and consistent GUI.
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(+) Tablet mode works well in both landscape and portrait modes. Virtual keyboard is good.
Kubuntu Desktop 25.04
Installation
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(-) Slightly outdated-looking installation interface.
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(-) No simple option to enable encryption (LUKS) except possibly in manual partitioning.
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(+) Much faster installation than Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 or 25.04.
OS Experience
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(?) Virtual keyboard in tablet mode on the login screen (not tested).
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(-) No mouse cursor on the login screen.
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(-) No asterisks (*) when typing a password — no feedback while entering it.
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(-) System Settings app freezes briefly when an external monitor is connected over USB‑C.
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(-) Large number of settings — can be overwhelming.
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(-) Tablet mode not functional — no portrait mode, no virtual keyboard.
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(-) Longer transition from login screen to desktop environment than Ubuntu.
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(-) Touchscreen does not work on the login screen.
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(+/-) GUI is more traditional and Windows‑like.
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(+) Consistent GUI.
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(+) Scrolling in Firefox or the terminal with two fingers on the touchpad is almost smooth.
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(+) High degree of customization due to many settings.
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(+) Faster boot to login screen than Ubuntu Desktop.
Linux Mint 22.1 Cinnamon Edition
Installation
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(-) Installation takes a similar amount of time to Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 or 25.04.
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(+) Nice-looking and straightforward installation process.
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(+) Offers Secure Boot setup (not present in Ubuntu/Kubuntu installers).
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(+) Option to encrypt only the home folder (not present in Ubuntu/Kubuntu installers).
OS Experience
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(-) No virtual keyboard in tablet mode on the login screen.
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(-) No scrolling in Firefox on web pages or in the terminal — it selects text instead (works fine in Chromium).
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(-) No portrait mode in tablet mode.
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(+/-) GUI is more traditional and Windows‑like, but looks cleaner to me than Kubuntu Desktop 25.04.
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(+) More appearance settings than Ubuntu Desktop.
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(+) Faster boot to login screen than Ubuntu Desktop.
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(+) Faster transition from login screen to desktop environment than Ubuntu Desktop 24.04.
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(+) Applications start faster than in Ubuntu or Kubuntu (in my opinion).
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(+) Scrolling in Firefox or the terminal with two fingers on the touchpad is almost smooth (similar to Kubuntu Desktop 25.04 and much better than Ubuntu Desktop).
bazzite-gnome (stable)
Installation
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(-) Installation process is more technical and less straightforward than Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Mint.
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(+/-) User interface is acceptable but could be significantly improved.
OS Experience
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(-) On first boot after installation, I encountered these messages:
"bad shim signatures"and"you need to load kernel"(I had to add additional shim files for Secure Boot). -
(-) System and application updates are unusual — no GUI, only a terminal with unclear prompts.
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(-) Slower boot to login screen.
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(+/-) Although gaming‑oriented (Steam), the default setup is not comfortable for regular desktop or terminal work, but it can be customized.
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(+) Tablet mode works well in both landscape and portrait modes. Virtual keyboard is good.
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(+) Nice-looking and consistent GUI.
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(+) Scrolling in Firefox or the terminal with two fingers on the touchpad is almost smooth.
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(+) High level of customization available.
My Opinion
As a long‑time Linux Mint user, I will use Ubuntu Desktop LTS 24.04 on my Framework Laptop 12 because:
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Everything I need works immediately after installation.
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Only a few applications need replacing or removal.
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It has a nice-looking, well-documented desktop environment.
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I personally prefer Debian‑based distributions over Red Hat‑based ones.
