"When it was heard that Lenovo’s Yoga 900S and 900 hybrids would only be able to work with Windows and not Linux, it caused quite a few ripples. Due to the public's backlash, Lenovo is now changing its earlier stance and will now provide Linux support too.

In the start of this month the company provided a BIOS update which will enable these laptops to load Linux, what the update does is that it adds an AHCI SATA controller mode which lets the user load Linux on their laptops.

However, if you don't want to load Linux and are happy with Windows then stay away from the firmware.

It wasn't directly mentioned by Lenovo whether loading Linux would ruin the laptop warranty but in some situations, loading another operating system has been known to invalidate a limited warranty.

The Yoga 900 and 900s laptops which can be folded into a tablet, were mainly tested for Windows 10, especially the touch functions and hinges. An instance like this is when the laptop is wrapped, a sensor driver senses the change and loads Windows 10 interface. The storage controller mode of the models is not supported by Linux either.

But the company has said that other than the controller setup limitation other capabilities of the Yoga design will work with Linux. Also note, the company hasn't added these models to its list of laptops that have been certified for Linux, which brings us back to the point that loading a secondary OS might invalidate the brand warranty.

Making windows specific hardware is not the first instance of its type. Recently Intel’s Kaby Lake chips also provided only Windows 10 and so will AMD’s new Zen chips. Similarly, when Microsoft tried to limit the compatibility for Intel Skylake chips with Windows 7 and 8; users were not happy, thus leading Microsoft to change their plan and to extend its compatibility.

Keep in mind that if you opt for the BIOS update on the Yoga 900 and 900s laptops, the chances are that Lenovo’s tech support won't be able to provide much help as they will be more comfortable with Windows. Users will have to estimate any risks with system properties by themselves.

If you do not wish to go through all this hassle but still want Linux, then you can go for Linux based laptops like; the System 76's Lemur laptop or Dell’s XPS 13 instead."