Star Base refreshes StarBook Linux-based 14-inch laptops with Alder Lake-P and Ryzen 5000 processors

UK-based Linux laptop maker Star Labs is refreshing its StarBook models with Alder Lake-P and AMD Ryzen 5000U processors, even though the previous version was launched at the beginning of this year.

For the new StarBook Mk VI laptops, Star Labs is replacing the 11th gen Intel Core-U processors with the 28 W Alder Lake Core i3-1220P with UHD Graphics G4 iGPU and Core i7-1260P with Iris Xe 96 EU iGPU. AMD fans have not been forgotten, as the laptops now feature a Ryzen 7 5800U APU option with Vega 8 iGPU and 25 W TDP.

In order to keep prices as budget-friendly as possible, Mk VI features a 16:9 14-inch IPS LCD with 1080p resolution and 400 cd/m² maximum brightness. The base model includes a 240 GB SATA SSD and 8 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, but there are NVMe (PCIe 3.0 or PCIe 4.0) SSD options ranging between 480 GB and 1.9 TB, as well as support for up to 64 GB of RAM.

Port selection includes a USB-C connector with PD mode plus 2x USB-A 3.0 and a USB 2.0, HDMI video output, audio jack and a microSD card reader. As with most custom Linux laptops, the security aspect takes precedence and Star Labs offers a fingerprint sensor, plus dual-bios (AMI + coreboot), disabling the Intel Management Engine by default. There is also a whiote backlit keyboard, glass trackpad, dual mic array, Wi-Fi 6E + BT 5.3 connectivity and a 65 Wh battery. Cassis profile measures 0.70 inches (1.8 cm) and the whole device weighs 3.08 lbs (1.4 kg).

Prices for the base configuration with Core i3-1220P, 240 GB SSD and 8 GB RAM start at US$884. The AMD processor option bumps the price by US$255, and the Core i7-1260P is US$338 more expensive, but the final price also depends on the SSD and RAM options. Users can choose among Ubuntu, Elementary, Mint, Manjaro, MX Linux, Zorin and Windows 10 as the pre-installed OS.

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