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Jeremy Morgan

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90 Days With The Pinebook Pro

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Published:
May 2, 2020

4 min read

[8]linux[9]review[10]pinebookpro

So earlier this year [11]I reviewed the PineBook Pro. I was pretty
impressed with it at the time, but am I still enamored with this $200
laptop? I’ve now been using it for at least 90 days. I know that
because I haven’t rebooted it in 90 days. Really.

90 Days with the PineBook Pro

Here is my review of it after using it for three months.

What is the PineBook Pro?

The [12]PineBook Pro has some pretty lofty goals. I like lofty goals,
so when I read about it, I ordered one. According to the Pine64
organization:

A Powerful, Metal and Open Source ARM 64-Bit Laptop for Work, School or Fun

The Pinebook Pro is meant to deliver solid day-to-day Linux or BSD
experience and to be a compelling alternative to mid-ranged
Chromebooks that people convert into Linux laptops. In contrast to
most mid-ranged Chromebooks however, the Pinebook Pro comes with an
IPS 1080p 14″ LCD panel, a premium magnesium alloy shell, 64/128GB
of eMMC storage (more on this later – see asterisk below), a 10,000
mAh capacity battery and the modularity / hackability that only an
open source project can deliver – such as the unpopulated PCIe m.2
NVMe slot (an optional feature which requires an optional adapter).
The USB-C port on the Pinebook Pro, apart from being able to
transmit data and charge the unit, is also capable of digital video
output up-to 4K at 60hz.

So it’s an open-source alternative to a Chromebook, cheap computing you
can hack and tweak. When I first reviewed it, I said:

This laptop is better than any $200 laptop should be.

Well, that was (at least) 90 days ago. Do I still feel that way?

How I’ve Been Using the PineBook Pro

90 Days with the PineBook Pro

So, I recently redesigned this entire website that you’re viewing. I
converted it from Octopress to Hugo. I started the project on the
PineBook laptop one night and decided to use it to finish it out. So I
did the entire (200+ article) conversion on that laptop. It did great.

I also wrote a Go/Hugo powered news section of the site (which I
decided not to keep) on this laptop. I wrote a couple of cool Python
scrapers with it as well.

I have written several articles on it since then, including the one
you’re reading now.

I have also used it as a “play” laptop. So when I’m sitting around with
the family chilling out, I grab it and browse the internet, read
Reddit, HackerNews, etc. It makes a fantastic “fun” laptop for that. I
can even hit YouTube and watch videos if I want to.

I have a couple of Chromebooks too, and they’ve been collecting dust
since I got the Pinebook Pro.

Is it a Chromebook replacement? Absolutely. It’s a Chromebook
upgrade. This is far more powerful and fun than any Chromebook I’ve
ever had

The Low Points

Surely it hasn’t been all peaches and roses, otherwise, I would have
put my Thinkpad on eBay by now, right? Well, there are some small
downsides to it.
* It doesn’t like Chrome. It’s very easy to open too many things and
Chrome slows to a crawl. Is this a PineBook Issue? Well, sort of,
but it’s also more of a Chrome issue.
* There are still a few applications that haven’t been ported to ARM.
Again not the fault of the PineBook.
* The keyboard takes some getting used to. I’m good with it now, but
at first, it seemed too small. I have big hands. I wouldn’t ask
them to change the size of the laptop though. Its size and weight
are perfect for portability.
* Some of the programming I’ve done is x86 specific - not the fault
of the PineBook.

My Verdict after 90 Days

So after ninety days using this, do I still love the PineBook Pro?
Absolutely. I’ve put this thing through its paces. I haven’t rebooted
it for 90 days (though I’ve restarted services as needed), and I’ve
used it almost every single day. I grab it and use it to grab
statistics, or send an email, build software, etc. I use it a lot. One
of the greatest things about this laptop is this:

It keeps you from distractions to work on stuff that matters

I can’t play video games on this thing. It’s not the best Netflix
machine I own. But it’s excellent for doing productive things, which is
one of the goals of the project!
* Can I write code on it? Yes, definitely!
* Can I do research with it? All the time!
* Can I write articles with it? Yes!!

So I can communicate with people, and produce things with this laptop
that costs $200. I would say the folks behind this project have met
their goal.

If you’re interested in a PineBook Pro, it looks like [13]they’ll be
available in Mid May. Get yours now!

Verdict: I still love this thing, and I think you should get one.

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Published: May 2, 2020 by [14]Jeremy Morgan. Contact me before
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