Tuxedo InfinityBook Max 15
pros and cons
- Sturdy aluminum chassis
- Brilliant display with 300Hz refresh rate
- Solid productivity performance
- Variable battery life
- Make sure you pick the right keyboard layout
- Laptop can get pricey
on Google.
Tuxedo Computers is a German company that’s been making computers preinstalled with Linux for over two decades, and I’ve had the pleasure of test-driving several models. When the company asked me to try their latest hardware, the InfinityBook Max 15
You can even create your own power profile.
Jack Wallen\ZDNET
When I turned to the usual productivity tasks, the InfinityBook Max 15’s performance improved significantly. I installed DaVinci Resolve 20, and it ran like a champ. In fact, DaVinci Resolve ran better on the InfinityBook than it did on my MacBook Pro.
Although it couldn’t keep up with my iMac M3 Ultra with 96GB of RAM, it held its own. I certainly wouldn’t want to render anything longer than 15 minutes on this laptop, but a shorter clip will do just fine.
Some considerations
I had one major concern: the battery didn’t last nearly as long as I’d hoped. During my initial testing, I had the performance profile set to “Default,” which is full performance.
When I set the profile to Cool and Breezy, I found it delivered much better performance. When I changed to Powersave extreme, battery life was no longer an issue.
By Default, I was lucky to get six hours of battery life; on Cool and Breezy, I was able to squeeze another four hours out of the battery. On Powersave extreme, however, my brain ran out of juice before the battery did. I’d been using the laptop for nearly 12 hours before it conked out.
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My other concern was the sound. Although the InfinityBook Max didn’t sound as tinny as some laptops, it didn’t deliver much power. When listening to Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” on YouTube, it lacked punch and depth. But for watching videos in a quiet room, it was fine.
Although the trackpad wasn’t as silky-smooth as the MacBook Pro’s, it functioned very well. Tuxedo even had gestures set up for the trackpad, which was a nice touch.
I did have a nit to pick with the keyboard, but not with the mechanics — the key action is fantastic, with each one feeling sturdy and easy to press. In fact, the InfinityBook Max keyboard was far superior to the keyboard on my MacBook Pro.
The problem with the keyboard is that Tuxedo always seems to send me a non-US keyboard, so I have to guess where some of the characters I need are. I get it, the company is based in Germany, but it’s something to consider if you’re buying one for yourself. That said, once I became accustomed to the layout, I found the keyboard quite nice.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Would I recommend the Tuxedo Computer InfinityBook Max 15