ARM is here! What to use?

ARM devices are finally breaking into the Laptop mainstream! With the ARM revolution on the horizon, what are some devices to consider? This write-up will be divided into private/secure devices, and Linux-specific devices.

Secure Devices

1. Pixel Tablet: The Pixel Tablet is the best device for privacy and security due to the ability to run Graphene OS, a hardened Android fork. This OS is free/open source, has modern security features and exploit mitigations, GUI Isolation, strong sandboxing, requires no account to use, and is probably the easiest to use. Just plug in a keyboard and off you go! Just make sure you read the wiki to make sure you understand how to use your device in the most private and secure manner.
2. M-Series Mac Laptops: These devices are very performant ARM laptops with adjustable security, you can go to the max with Lockdown Mode and App-Store applications, or you can adjust security to allow third-party apps from trusted sources. The baseline security settings on these laptops will provide verified boot and sandboxed applications, creating a strong security foundation for most people. The only problem is the fact that it is an Apple product, which means by default it mines your data. Luckily an Apple ID is not required to use a Mac, and telemetry can be turned off and verified using a service like Wireshark. This makes Apple Laptops a strong contender for private and secure work. Unfortunately, iPads cannot be on this list due to the hard requirement on Apple's App store and an Apple ID
3. Honorable Mention-ARM Chromebooks: ARM Chromebooks are a very secure option for computing, much like Android they provide verified boot, proper app sandboxing, GUI Isolation, and they're easy to use! The problem is, unless you strictly want to use Guest Mode, you have to use a Google Account. Once you're in the OS though, aside from the Google Play store on Android, you don't have to use a Google Account. In fact you can delete most Google Apps by disabling Android, and removing left over web shortcuts. From there you'll be left with the Chrome Browser (which will need some adjusted privacy settings), the operating system, and Crostini. Crostini allows you to run Linux under your Chromebook using a secure hypervisor based off of KVM, and using Crostini you can download a linux image (Debian by default) and install any apps you want from the repos. They integrate seamlessly into Chrome OS, and you can essentially use your Chromebook as a secure Linux machine. Unfortunately Chrome OS cannot be fully recommended due to the account requirement, and the constant push towards Google services in the OS itself, but there is no requirement to actually use Google services and the Linux app compatibility makes Chromebooks an honorable mention.

Linux devices

1. Pinebook Pro: The Pinebook Pro is an ARM Chromebook-replacement made by Pine64. They typically run older/weaker SOCs, but for Linux-specific stuff on the commandline it is perfectly adequate. They are typically bundled with Manjaro for ARM, but there are other distros you can install if Manjaro is not your thing.
2. M-Series Mac Laptops: These laptops have a very specific Linux distro that they can run, known as Asahi Linux. Asahi Linux is impressive work getting Linux running on M-series Mac laptops. While most things work, external displays, USB-C, and battery life have been an ongoing issues in Asahi Linux. For Linux work on the commandline, Asahi is more than enough. Running Asahi Linux does unfortunately mean forgoing verified boot, but if you need Linux for whatever reason, it is an option.
3. ARM Chromebooks: Chromebooks are probably the most secure Linux implementation in this list, sandboxing Linux into a Virtual Machine using Crostini. From there you can mount drives or specific folders in Crostini as you need. It is a very secure way to run Linux, but also balances security with utility. You will need to grant permissions to host folders or drives to be able to mount them in Crostini, but otherwise you won't be too limited with what you'll be able to achieve in Crostini. You can even keep files in the Crostini image if you need. The only downside is you are dealing with a Virtual Machine, and the overhead that comes with it, alongside some of the other downsides of Chrome OS.
4. Raspberry Pi: The Raspberry Pi computers have been around for a while, and while they are often known as affordable, low-spec SOCs for hobbyist projects, it is very easy to adapt their usage for desktop Linux. There is a specially maintained version of Debian, known as Raspbian, for these boards that can be run off a micro SD card. Hobbyists have turned Raspberry Pi boards into tablets, laptops, and other Linux-based computing devices. The Raspberry Pi team even released a Raspberry Pi that fits into a dedicated keyboard, making the barrier to entry in ARM desktop Linux very affordable and easy to use. Raspberry Pi computers have a wide variety of options, allowing you to build your very own custom Linux computer.

This is the start of a series of short articles, that I have dubbed "Shorties". These will probably be more informal, with less citation than my main articles. Regardless I hope these recommendations help you navigate the upcoming ARM computing revolution.