NOTE: This review, with a brief August 2022 update now lives more permanently here:

2020 MECHREVO Code 01 PF5NU1G · lhl/linuxlaptops Wiki

Summary

The Mechrevo Code 01 is a high-TDP (up to 54W sustained) Ryzen 4000H CPU laptop (without a dGPU). It is in a lightweight (1.5kg) chassis and a product design that ticks most of the boxes for what you'd want in a laptop (the most notable weakness is the lack of USB-C DisplayPort output).

This laptop was released in Chinese markets on June 15, 2020, and most of this review was written when I was able to get one in mid-July 2020.

Its iGPU-only spec is better/simpler for Linux compatibility (this ODM's designs have also been pretty Linux friendly in general) and should give better battery-life and weight than any other laptop with comparable CPU power.

It has a pretty unique set of features that makes it stand out from other laptops at the moment:

• 8C16T AMD Ryzen 4800H processor running at high-TDP (54W sustained, cooled by dual fan/dual heatpipe). Only the Intel i7-10875H matches the performance (running at about 100W TDP, and with models typically starting at $2000+)
  • Laptopmedia has a good laptop model listing tool to get you started.
• iGPU-only. There is only one other AMD laptop model, the upcoming Honor MagicBook Pro, which will have an H processor w/o a dGPU. There is only one i7-10875H laptop model, the Lenovo Legion Y740S 15 w/o a dGPU (which has questionable availability)
  • The iGPU should offer graphics performance roughly on par with an Nvidia MX330
• Dual-socketed dual-channel SODIMM slots for up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 RAM
• At 1.5kg, it is 300-800g lighter than most dGPU alternatives. The closest competition would be the 1.6kg Asus G14, which runs about $1500 for a similar configuration.
• 91Wh battery, which should give 12h+ of light usage
• A decent screen - 300-nit FHD 100% sRGB, dE<2, DC dimming
  • Most reviews and spec sheets list the Innolux N156HCE-EN1 or BOE NV156FHM-N67 as the panels used, but at least some (eg, mine) has a Sharp LQ156M1JW01
• Decent ports: DC barrel jack, HDMI 2.0, Gigabit LAN (Realtek), 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio, microSD, USB-C w/ PD (90W)
• Has a webcam, it's fine
• Works well with Linux, see my personal experience below. Tuxedo Computing is offering this laptop as the Pulse 15 Gen 1 with Linux pre-installed
• Reasonably priced - in China, the Code 01 sells for 5299 CNY (~760 USD).