Star Labs Systems have been producing Laptops tailored for Linux for some time. While you can purchase other variants available on their website, they have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming ‘Open Source Edition’ laptop that incorporates more features as per the requests by the users or reviewers.
It may not be the best laptop you’ve ever come across for around a 1000 Euros – but it certainly is interesting for some specific features.
In this article, we will talk about what makes it an interesting deal and whether or not it’s worth investing for.
Key Highlight: Open-source Coreboot Firmware
Normally, you will observe proprietary firmware (BIOS) on computers, American Megatrends Inc, for example.
But, here, Star Labs have tailored the coreboot firmware (a.k.a known as the LinuxBIOS) which is an open source alternative to proprietary solutions for this laptop.
Not just open source but it is also a lighter firmware for better control over your laptop. With TianoCore EDK II, it ensures that you get the maximum compatibility for most of the major Operating Systems.
Other Features of Star LabTop Mk III
In addition to the open source firmware, the laptop features an 8th-gen i7 chipset (i7-8550u) coupled with 16 Gigs of LPDDR4 RAM clocked at 2400 MHz.
The GPU being the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 should be enough for professional tasks – except video editing and gaming. It will be rocking a Full HD 13.3-inch IPS panel as the display.
The storage option includes 480 GB or 960 GB of PCIe SSD – which is impressive as well. In addition to all this, it comes with the USB Type-C support.
Interestingly, the BIOS, Embedded Controller and SSD will be receiving automatic firmware updates via the LVFS (the Mk III standard edition has this feature already).
You should also check out a review video of Star LabTob Mk III to get an idea of how the open source edition could look like:
If you are curious about the detailed tech specs, you should check out the Kickstarter page.
Our Opinion
The inclusion of coreboot firmware and being something tailored for various Linux distributions originally is the reason why it is being termed as the “Open Source Edition”.
The price for the ultimate bundle on Kickstarter is 1087 Euros.
Can you get better laptop deals at this price? Yes, definitely. But, it really comes down to your preference and your passion for open source – of what you require.
However, if you want a performance-driven laptop specifically tailored for Linux, yes, this is an option you might want to consider with something new to offer (and potentially considering your requests for their future builds).
Of course, you cannot consider this for video editing and gaming – for obvious reasons. So, they should considering adding a dedicated GPU to make it a complete package for computing, gaming, video editing and much more. Maybe even a bigger screen, say 15.6-inch?
Wrapping Up
For what it is worth, if you are a Linux and open source enthusiast and want a performance-driven laptop, this could be an option to go with and back this up on Kickstarter right now.
What do you think about it? Will you be interested in a laptop like this? If not, why?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
