This is Star Labs’ most powerful Linux laptop to date, but more importantly, it reflects a deeper shift: performance, privacy, and openness are no longer niche concerns. They’re baseline expectations for serious users.

The 16-inch 16:10 display gives you meaningful vertical space (something developers immediately appreciate).

The haptic trackpad feels modern and consistent.

The magnesium alloy chassis keeps it solid without unnecessary bulk.

It’s powerful enough for heavy development workloads, virtualisation, and creative tasks,  but it doesn’t feel industrial.

That balance is new territory for Linux hardware.

 

coreboot Firmware: Open at the Foundation

There’s also the firmware question and that’s where the StarFighter separates itself.

Most premium laptops still rely on deeply closed firmware stacks. You’re asked to trust them, even if you can’t see them.

The StarFighter uses coreboot, an open-source firmware platform that reduces opaque layers in the boot process. 

A Linux laptop with coreboot isn’t just a checkbox feature. It’s a statement about transparency.

 

Privacy That Isn’t Just a Setting

Privacy is easy to market and harder to implement well.

The StarFighter takes a practical approach. It includes a physical wireless kill switch that disables connectivity at the hardware level. Not a toggle in a control panel, a real switch.

It also features a removable camera. If you don’t want a camera connected to your machine, you remove it completely.

In a world of constant connectivity and remote work, those choices feel less like niche features and more like common sense.

If you’re specifically looking for a privacy-focused Linux laptop, these hardware decisions stand out.

 

 

 

 

The bigger shift

What makes the StarFighter interesting isn’t just its specs.

It reflects something bigger: The Linux laptops are no longer confined to enthusiast corners of the market. They’re becoming premium devices with intentional design, modern hardware, and serious security thinking behind them.

For a long time, Linux users adapted to hardware.

Now, hardware is adapting to Linux.