After switching from Apple devices to GNU/Linux, I’ve enjoyed numerous advantages. However, there’s always been one thing that used to make me look back: battery life, or the lack thereof.

Not anymore :)

TLDR: I switched from a thinkpad x220 to a Raspberry Pi 5, which I use to access my desktop remotely.

Raspberry Pi 5 with 3d printed custom VESA mount on Raspberry Pi Monitor

Project Goals

My aim with this “project” is to have a small, portable, and modular device that I can simply toss in my bag and not worry about it’s battery life throughout the day.

The extra thing that I want, is to prove that you do not need to “sell your kidney” and bow down to a corporation for the ‘privilege’ to use their hardware designed for obsolescence or their bloated software.

Hardware I’m using:

  • Things I’ve purchased:

    • Raspberry Pi 5 8GB
    • Raspberry Pi Monitor

  • Things I’ve already had:

    • 27000 mAh power bank
    • Keyboard

I bought a Raspberry Pi 5 kit that came with a case fan for 100€. The total cost for this project was 195€, for the Pi and the monitor.

Battery Life

I’m usually out of home for over 7 hours a day for my studies, and I enjoy studying in cafes and libraries. I’ve missed having a device with a battery life of 10+ hours, as my x220 barely lasts more than 4.5 hours.

Using a 27000mAh power bank, I get ~15 hours of battery life. I also carry an extra “emergency” power bank.

With great power (and battery life) comes great productivity

The monitor consumes more energy than my Pi.

Modularity

I strongly dislike laptop keyboards and I insist on using ones with a trackpoint. I’m currently using a shinobi keyboard, which I can simply plug into my Raspberry Pi and use just like on my desktop.

If I do not like something about my Pi setup, it’d be trivial to change, such using a new monitor, a new keyboard or another power bank.

Performance & File Synchronization

Can the Pi outperform a modern laptop of >1000€ price range? Yes and No :)

Now, you might be wondering; how can my Pi deliver better performance than, say, a MacBook Air? A valid question, but as a GNU+Linux user, I’ve come to embrace the possibilities. Anything’s possible with a bit of hackery and FOSS magic.

I use waypipe, a Wayland proxy, to run Emacs remotely over a network. Emacs runs on my desktop, but I access it from my Pi, great performance while seamlessly accessing all my desktop files, such as my notes and PDFs, this also removes any need for syncing files between devices.

I have fiber connection, so there isn’t any latency issues between my devices using a wireguard VPN.

Accessing my desktop Emacs session remotely, opening a PDF and eshell.

Conclusion

I will be using this setup for the rest of the academic year. I might record a more detailed video with tips and tricks for others that want to try something similar.

So far this has been more than an ideal setup for me, since I quite often forget to sync my notes and projects between devices. Not having to worry anymore about the battery life of my device is quite relaxing as well.