Advice on lightweight laptops for Linux (of course)

[Michael Shiloh]

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is enjoying a very happy Chanukah.

You might recall about a year ago I raised the question of a powerful
laptop for Linux. I settled on a Thinkpad W541 and I am thrilled with
it ... except for the weight.

As I travel more and don't need the power of the W541 all the time,
I'm thinking of a lightweight laptop for daily use.

It's hard for me to consider anything but Thinkpads: I love the
TrackPoint, the keyboard, the solid feel of the devices, etc. Given
that, the top two contenders are the X1 Carbon and the T460S.

The X1 is about 2.6 pounds and more expensive than the T460S which
weighs about 3 pounds.

Another big difference is whether the RAM and/or SSD can be upgraded
on the X1 (I've seen equally strong claims that they can and can not).
Some conversations insist they are soldered in, other say that perhaps
the RAM can be upgraded by the user but is a non-standard form factor
that can only be purchased from Lenovo.

I think for the extra .4 pounds I'm willing to go with the better
price of the T460S, especially if upgrading RAM and SSD is not
possible on the X1 (I usually purchase from Lenovo with less storage
and upgrade on my own).

Any thoughts or advice?