- Pangolin by System76 is powered by AMD Ryzen 8945HS
- It supports up to 16TB of storage, but adding a 2x8TB SSD costs more than three times as much
- It has only 6 hours of battery life and no numeric keypad, which is a shame for a 16-inch laptop
System76, a company known for its Linux-based computers, has released the latest version of its Pangolin laptop.
The 16-inch Pangolin aims to appeal to Linux enthusiasts looking for a large-screen laptop by offering good performance and features at a reasonable starting price.
But be aware that getting the system you really want can cause costs to skyrocket.
Some compromises have been made
Depend on AMD Pangolin is powered by a Ryzen 8945HS processor and supports up to 96GB DDR5 RAM and up to 16TB SSD storage through two M.2 slots. It features a 2K 16-inch display with an aspect ratio of 16:10, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and 100% color accuracy. Its integrated Radeon 780M graphics card makes it ideal for tasks such as content creation and professional workflows.
Pangolin’s base price starts at $1,299, which seems fair, but adding upgrades can add up to the cost quickly. In terms of memory, the laptop comes with 16GB DDR5, but 32GB costs an additional $69, 64GB costs an additional $199, and the maximum 96GB costs $279.
While the base model comes with a 500GB SSD, upgrades range from $49 for 1TB to $1,745 for 8TB, which is much higher than the laptop itself. Adding a second SSD for more storage starts at $129 for a 1TB drive and $1,825 for an 8TB drive. Full upgrade to 16TB storage via two 8TB SSDs more than triples the base price of the device.
operating system Choices include System76’s excellent Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Pop!_OS comes pre-installed and provides encryption upon installation to provide users with greater security.
While the Pangolin looks great with its aluminum chassis and premium build quality, there are some compromises. It doesn’t have a digital keyboard, which might be inconvenient for a 16-inch laptop, and battery life is capped at 6 hours, which might not be enough for all-day use.
Pangolins can now see through System76’s websitewith configurable performance and storage options.
For those looking for a Linux laptop with good graphics performance and a large display, Pangolin is definitely a strong contender, but focus on overall price when configuring it.