Pop!_OS (Linux)

This would be more appropriate over on https://lemmy.world/c/system76

We do manufacture our Thelio desktops at our factory in Denver. We also offer tour guides for anyone that wants to schedule to see how everything is manufactured and assembled.

Our laptops are not entirely Clevo though. Some of them are manufactured by Emdoor. These companies do not sell systems directly to retail consumers, so they are not technically rebranded. They do work with us to give us the necessary schematics and documentation so that we can port our Coreboot firmware to them.

Either way, their quality is no better or worse than any other ODM out there. In fact, I've had Dell, ASUS, and Lenovo laptops with lesser quality than a Clevo. It will largely depend on the model that you buy as to what materials are used. I distinctively remember some YouTube reviewers mistakenly assuming some models were using plastic, when they were actually using magnesium alloy.

Whenever I price something, I look at the whole package. If I like what a company is doing, I don't mind paying extra to support them. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. With System76, I feel like I won.

They were the only company I found that was offering Canadians any laptop with Linux pre-installed. (I think Lenovo or Toshiba had something, but they weren't available in Canada.) Having fought mightily with various distros on a wide range of hardware for years, it was critically important that my new daily driver not suck up my time just getting it running and keeping it that way.

Nearly 5 years later, the laptop is still going strong. On top of that, my hopes for their distro have far exceeded any reasonable expectations. I was prepared for the likelihood that I would ultimately need to switch to another distro, but their ongoing development and contributions to the Linux ecosystem have kept me on board and excited for the future.

In the end, I wasn't buying a laptop. I was buying a system, and I've been extremely happy with the outcome.

That said, I suspect my next laptop will be a Framework. Again, it has less to do with the detailed specifics of hardware than in supporting a company in their attempt to do things the way I think they should be done.

The criticism is from two angles. First, Clevo is known for products that are not on the high end of the quality spectrum. They don't try to be. Which currently is an obstacle for improving the quality of System76 laptops. System76 however has be working with suppliers to increase the quality of the products and doesn't source everything from Clevo for their laptop lineup. Second, System76 doesn't have the order volume of other brands allowing them to have more control over what their suppliers will supply while keeping per unit costs low enough to satisfy System76 margin expectations and keeping prices attractive enough to customers.

System76 has been making good decisions over time to address these challenges and produce better value for customers. But I don't think it's unfair for people to be critical of the current situation. System76 laptops aren't cheaply priced so customers should expect System76 laptops to meet expectations in line with the prices. Not everyone will agree that System76 is or can do that with their current product offerings.

Unfortunately, the economics of laptop and desktop retail sales has subsidies from software based services built into the price expectations of customers. I like that System76 is moving against those headwinds. It means that System76 is not making decisions to try to get you to sign up for services and respects that the hardware you purchase is for your personal use and gives you autonomy to use it as you'd like without creating hurdles. But it also means their products aren't going to be as compelling to those that are willing to deal with hurdles in exchange for lower prices.

I've had a system 76.

It was an utter disappointment.

Are you looking for anything here in particular? There is a lot of this in the industry (Foxconn makes a lot of rebadged stuff).

That being said, Clevo are not a good quality manufacturer in my experience.