Star Labs StarBook Mk V laptop for sale with Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Manjaro, and more
Back in the day, getting a laptop with Linux pre-installed was almost unheard of. For the most part, you had to buy a computer with Windows and then install Linux yourself. This wasn't bad necessarily, but it did mean that the price of the computer usually included a Windows license you maybe didn't want. In other words, Microsoft was profiting off of Linux users -- just because the consumer bought a Windows PC.
In 2021, however, there are many computers to be had with Linux pre-installed -- thanks to pioneers like System76. Of course, nowadays, big companies like Dell and Lenovo are selling Linux machines too. Today, yet another such laptop hits the market -- the Star Labs StarBook Mk V. This 14-inch notebook can be had your choice of several quality Linux distributions pre-installed, such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Manjaro to name a few. And yes, Windows 10 is an option too.
"The StarBook Mk V features a 14-inch ARC display, a true matte display that prevents glare with an Anti-Reflective Coating. It also features a hard coat rated at 3H to prevent against damage. The Intel Core 11th-generation processors boast outstanding performance. The Iris Xe Graphics provides a 180 prcent improvement in graphical performance," says Star Labs.
The computer-maker furter says, "The StarBook hosts an Over-Provisioned Star Drive SSD which is incredibly fast, featuring a sequential read speed of up to 6850MB/s. Over-provisioning is the inclusion of extra capacity reserved by the SSD controller to manage read and write tasks. The USB-C port provides simultaneous charging, speedy data transfer and video output in a reversible design. With Thunderbolt 4, it has 40Gbps bandwidth, which means data transfers are lightning fast."
ALSO READ: Microsoft Edge Chromium-based web browser for Linux achieves Beta status
Star Labs shares specifications and configuration options below.
| Chassis | Type II matte black anodised aluminium |
| Display | 14-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit matte display with IPS technology 1920x1080 resolution at 157 pixels per inch 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i3-1110G4 Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz, with 6MB Cache Configurable to: 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-1165G7 Turbo Boost up to 4.7GHz, with 12MB Cache |
| Storage | 240GB Over-Provisioned SATA SSD Configurable to: 480GB Over-Provisioned PCIe SSD Configurable to: 960GB Over-Provisioned PCIe SSD Configurable to: 1920GB Over-Provisioned PCIe SSD Configurable to: 500GB Over-Provisioned Gen4 PCIe SSD Configurable to: 1000GB Over-Provisioned Gen4 PCIe SSD |
| Firmware | AMI Aptio V coreboot |
| Memory | 8GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory Configurable to: 16GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory Configurable to: 32GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory Configurable to: 64GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory |
| Graphics | Intel UHD G4 Graphics Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Connectivity | Left: USB Type C with Power Delivery HDMI USB Type A DC Charging Jack Right: Micro SD Memory Card Reader USB 3.0 USB 2.0 3.5mm Combination Jack |
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Backlit keyboard Glass trackpad for precise cursor control and Multi-Touch gestures |
| Wireless | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11ax Wi-Fi; Up to 2.4 Gbps 802.11ac/a/b/g/n compatible Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Camera | 720p HD camera |
| Battery and Power | Up to 11 hours battery life 50.9-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 60w USB-C Power Adapter |
| Size and Weight | Height: 1.80 cm (0.70 inches) Width: 32.63 cm (12.84 inches) Depth: 22.04 cm (8.67 inches) Weight: 1.4 kg (3.08 pounds) |
| Operating System | Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS (64-bit) or later elementary OS 5.1.7 (64-bit) or later Linux Mint 20.1 (64-bit) or later Manjaro 21.0 (64-bit) or later MX Linux AHS 19.3 (64-bit) or later Zorin OS 15.2 (64-bit) or later Windows 10 20H2 (64-bit) or later |
The Star Labs StarBook Mk V laptop can be purchased here immediately. The starting price is $929, but that is just for the base model. Choosing to max out the specifications, you can easily more than double the cost. If you are looking to get a nice configuration without breaking the bank, however, I would recommend at least upgrading to 16GB RAM and a PCIe SSD.