StarFighter 16-Inch

ssigna11 about 3 hours ago 53 commentsRead Article on us.starlabs.systems

DE version is available. Content is displayed in original English for accuracy.

⚡ Community Insights

Discussion Sentiment

97% Positive

Analyzed from 1451 words in the discussion.

Discussion (53 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews

zamadatix•about 1 hour ago

This page shows an image of a laptop motherboard with socketed memory https://us.starlabs.systems/cdn/shop/products/B5i7PCB-01x200... but it actually has BGA soldered LPDDR5X.

I wonder why the price difference between the 8845HS and the 285H is more than the cost of some complete 8845HS based systems. Also a shame one can't opt out of the storage or accessories like (yet another) measly 65W USB C+USB A GaN charger.

Other than those things, it actually looks decently exciting. I love the 16:10 + high resolution. Screen brightness isn't amazing, but also better than average. Glad to see 120 hz+ across all of the options. Privacy kill switch is great but the removable magnetic webcam seems a bit overkill/complicated given the kill switch (a simple physical slide would have been plenty as well). The hardware options aren't too bad for an open/Linux focused device. 6 USB ports + HDMI + audio ports is great, given the thickness it would have been cool to throw in a built in ethernet port, SD slot, and DP out to negate most of the need for the dock.

If I hadn't already bought a laptop this year this would probably be high on my list.

skinwill•42 minutes ago

They use the same image on their mini pc's page. https://us.starlabs.systems/pages/byte

miek•about 2 hours ago

Excellence. I like everything, and the open warranty is nice: "Our 1-year limited warranty allows you to take your computer apart, replace parts, install an upgrade, and use any operating system and even your firmware, all without voiding the warranty."

I'd love to see more than 5 years of updates, but there is so much to love here, I can look past that!

zx8080•about 2 hours ago

Same-size cursor keys (with the whole line and without any distinction) is such an ill-design decision. Nice to show in the presentation slide deck, but hard to actually use blindly.

sho_hn•about 1 hour ago

This is lovely. I'd love it if this or the Framework Pro also had OLED options, though.

My aging Thinkpad P1 (1st Gen) has a great LCD, but it's also the last non-OLED screen in my life, and I don't think I can buy another laptop without it. In fact it would be a purchase decision driver/upgrade incentive for me. This and longer battery life.

Even though I build lots of C++ code, I still don't think I need more than the Xeon in the P1, horse-power wise.

colordrops•about 1 hour ago

For sure, once you go OLED you don't go back. It's like going back to a mouse with a ball.

volemo•13 minutes ago

You know, I’ve actually gone back to a mouse with a ball. And it’s gorgeous!

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Trackball

wtallis•about 2 hours ago

Is there something new here? The processor options seem to be two generation old Intel, one generation old Intel, and one generation old AMD.

miek•about 1 hour ago

I can't imagine the supply chain challenges inherent to startup laptop manufacturers. I think it's "go with what you have access to at reasonable prices, or forget about it. "

wtallis•about 1 hour ago

I think Framework is a good example of how smaller laptop OEMs end up shipping late, often on the order of three quarters. This is something else entirely, if any of these configurations are recent arrivals (I don't think they are).

dylan604•about 1 hour ago

I have the Intel Core i9 in my 2019 MBP, and it gets so damn hot. How do the ones offered here compare? I'm not one to upgrade frequently, but the heat of this thing makes me go looking. Luckily, it sits on a stand on a desk with more 9s than github is up.

wtallis•about 1 hour ago

A 2019 MacBook Pro would have an Intel Skylake processor (N-th re-release), made on Intel's stagnant 14nm process. The older Intel option for the StarFighter has its CPU cores made on an Intel process two generations newer, and the rest of the chiplets made by TSMC. The newer Intel option moves the CPU chiplet to TSMC as well. They're in a very different league for power efficiency than your current machine, both from the fab improvements and from having a microarchitecture that's not from 2015.

dylan604•about 1 hour ago

Okay, but what does that mean for the temp of the case while sitting in one's lap. Can it be done without getting second degree burns?

aidenn0•about 1 hour ago

This might be driven by coreboot support?

fagnerbrack•about 1 hour ago

I like to use laptop in the beach. No glare means I can see it even with the sun light reflecting?

lorenzohess•9 minutes ago

Based on my experience with the System 76 Lemur Pro coming from a Macbook Pro, matte helps a bit. You won't have mirror glare like on the Macbook, but the sun will still wash out the matte screen.

benoau•about 2 hours ago

Jeez what an amazing month for premium Linux laptops.

Lord_Zero•about 2 hours ago

What else came out?

agravier•about 1 hour ago

Framework pro

ekianjo•about 1 hour ago

Not out yet. On pre orders

walrus01•about 1 hour ago

For the price I was expecting actual wifi 7 (802.11be standards compliant) and USB3.2 10 Gbps capability on the type A ports.

SilentM68•about 1 hour ago

Those are nice looking machines. I don't see any mention of high-end GPUs, though. Do you offer any models that include heavy-duty GPUs for the more usually beefier AI stuff?

ilaksh•about 1 hour ago

Says nothing about AI capability or even graphics. I am skeptical about the value.

cr125rider•about 1 hour ago

This is satire, right?

analog8374•about 2 hours ago

does anybody do built-in trackballs anymore? I really like those.

seabass-labrax•28 minutes ago

Yes, the MNT Reform and Pocket Reform both have trackballs[1]. They're very different products from the StarFighter laptop though, in that they sacrifice a lot of potential processing power in exchange for a platform which is much more amenable to customization.

[1]: https://shop.mntre.com/

hellcow•33 minutes ago

The MNT Reform has a trackball option.

https://shop.mntre.com/products/mnt-reform

miek•about 2 hours ago

Ive always wished for a UHK-style trackball in a laptop: https://uhk.io/product/trackball

aidenn0•about 1 hour ago

Do you know what kind of bearings that has?

I must also mention that I'm happy to see the UHK has a ball-retention ring; this used to be normal for trackballs but companies moved away for it for some reason.

analog8374•about 1 hour ago

https://shop.mntre.com/products/mnt-reform

mnkv•about 2 hours ago

you mean like the thinkpad trackpoint?

tempest_•about 1 hour ago

I assume they mean an actual roller ball (like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Contura )

It is still a crazy question though because if you seen most laptops in the last 15 years there is basically no room for them except on the large workstation thinkpads or large gaming laptops.

blacksmith_tb•about 1 hour ago

Not the OP, but some older laptop designs had a small trackball where modern machines have a touchpad, e.g. the early PowerBooks[1]

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_180

ekianjo•about 1 hour ago

No cachyOS or Arch install options. Proposing Manjaro in 2026 is major clueless

SilverElfin•about 2 hours ago

They aren’t US based right? Does that mean tariffs for US shipping?

Are these a good pick for a non-programmer who is interested in Linux but intimidated by it?

ufmace•about 1 hour ago

Looks like they're UK based. I don't know, but apparently tariffs etc are factored into the shipping fees shown on their site.

If you're not sure if you want to go Linux yet, it's probably best to try a live USB stick of a few distros on your existing hardware. Get a feel for what the interface is like, how things work, how it works on your hardware, etc, without actually changing anything. Seems like a better bet to me than buying all-new hardware.

jxcole•about 2 hours ago

Have you tried it out?

https://askubuntu.com/questions/629632/can-you-boot-ubuntu-s...

SilentM68•about 1 hour ago

You can also use Ventoy to boot the ISOs which is somewhat easier in my view.

SilverElfin•about 1 hour ago

A long time ago. But I ran into all sorts of issues. It was a struggle getting things like Bluetooth or WiFi working. And I just couldn’t get myself to feeling like I could ‘trust it’. Like that I wouldn’t break it and somehow lose all my data in th process.

d3Xt3r•about 1 hour ago

Check out System76 and Framework, they're based in the US and ship Linux machines.

paulpauper•about 2 hours ago

lol Up to
18 hrs

battery life

if you put it in sleep mode maybe. why do people keep lying about battery life?

miek•about 1 hour ago

Light usage on low brightness? Nice to know it will last for a long flight.

bigyabai•about 2 hours ago

A couple weeks ago, Framework livestreamed a rundown of their 13" laptop lasting over 20 hours on a charge. I can believe the 16" gets there too.

bryanlarsen•about 1 hour ago

That was a Panther Lake based laptop. Lunar Lake laptops can also last well over 12 hours, even in Linux. This StarFighter offers neither Lunar Lake nor Panther Lake, so 18 hours is probably only under really ideal circumstances.

dylan604•about 1 hour ago

Well, it's running Linux, so close the lid and turn off the screen. Then, SSH into it like a good Linux machine.

paulpauper•26 minutes ago

With wifi and usage? I have never gotten more than 3 hours with wifi and regular usage. Maybe this one is different.

operatingthetan•about 2 hours ago

It would have been better if they didn't make it look a little bit too inspired by the Macbook Pro.

bryanlarsen•about 1 hour ago

There isn't exactly a lot of design freedom in a black rectangle with a screen a keyboard and a touchpad. A real Macbook copy would include Macbook misfeatures, like:

- control key in wrong place - camera notch - half sized arrow keys

operatingthetan•about 1 hour ago

>There isn't exactly a lot of design freedom in a black rectangle with a screen a keyboard and a touchpad

No, every laptop does not look exactly the same and they are not all macbook clones.

sho_hn•about 1 hour ago

I think in reality it will look/feel a fair bit different due to the ceramic-coated material.

Asus has similar materials in recent models I believe; I rather like it.

wussboy•about 2 hours ago

What a boutique criticism

dylan604•about 1 hour ago

And what design would you rather them emulate?

jjtheblunt•about 1 hour ago

why?

dustfinger•about 2 hours ago

100

AngryData•about 2 hours ago

I don't know how anybody can stand not having a numpad.

dylan604•about 1 hour ago

I bought a bluetooth 10-key. I use the home/end keys religiously when editing in an NLE, and it drove me crazy trying to be a road warrior without it. After having the external, I prefer it as it is full size instead of trying to squeeze it into the laptop frame size. So not having the numpad on the laptop is a-okay for me

d3Xt3r•about 1 hour ago

I never used it. Well, I lie, I did use it back in the day for playing some DOS games where you had to share your keyboard with your friend...

But all my keyboards have been TKL over the past 15+ years and I don't miss it. I don't know why anyone needs to use a numpad unless they're in a job where they work a lot with numbers. And if you're not in such a role, what is your hobby exactly that demands so much number punching?

wtallis•about 1 hour ago

I only use a number pad for playing a few games, and for bulk data entry. Neither of those use cases are something I prefer using my laptop for, and even on my desktops they're rare enough that I'd much rather have the number pad separate and largely out of the way.

What do you use a number pad for often enough to not only see it as mandatory for you, but to leave you unable to imagine how anyone could live without it?

CarVac•about 1 hour ago

I do number entry with the number row. 8 fingers > 3 fingers.

miek•about 1 hour ago

For serious work, I'm docked and using a large monitor, split keyboard, etc. Many people make concessions when on a laptop.

frankmatranga•about 1 hour ago

What do you use yours for? All I’ve ever missed it for was the default Blender keybinds for the camera perspective