Your computer. All the way down.

StarBook Horizon

A refined 13.4-inch Linux laptop with open firmware, native Linux support, privacy hardware, and serviceable design. Choose the StarBook Horizon for everyday use, or the StarBook Horizon Plus for enhanced performance and refinements such as a larger battery and haptic trackpad.

Configure the StarBook Horizon See what makes it yours
From $1,827.00 13.4-inch Linux laptop family
coreboot firmware Open-source and model-specific controls.
Intel ME disabled Disabled by default and visible in firmware.
32GB LPDDR5X Fast onboard memory.
1.1 kg aluminium 6061 chassis with accessible internals.

Control it

How much of your current laptop do you actually control?

Most laptops let you change the operating system while the lower layers stay opaque. The StarBook Horizon is designed so the firmware, hardware security state, and service path remain inspectable below Linux.

1
Applications Choose your tools and workflow.
user level
2
Operating system Install Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian, openSUSE, NixOS, or another modern Linux distribution.
replaceable
3
Firmware Open-source coreboot with useful controls exposed to the owner.
inspectable
4
Hardware security BIOS Lock, TPM 2.0, measured boot support, Intel ME state, webcam cover, and Wi-Fi kill switch.
verifiable

Run the same security check locally.

Some distributions ship an older fwupdtool, so this check uses an upstream fwupd binary mirrored at a pinned commit. Verify the checksum, then read the result on your own screen. The output stays on your machine. 

wget -O fwupdtool \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StarLabsLtd/firmware/d63202062638c8e814f2aeaf5e8f6d0ad0a75c12/binaries/fwupdtool
echo "399cb8e81bd371f198c671d850bd71ece6b1bdb119251ba13acc2bfdf103b033  fwupdtool" | sha256sum -c -
chmod +x fwupdtool
sudo ./fwupdtool security

Change it

Firmware is part of the product.

The StarBook Horizon firmware is open source and model-specific. The controls below are examples from the firmware, giving you direct control over how the hardware behaves.

The StarBook Horizon internal fan and cooling assembly

Fan behaviour

Choose how aggressively the fan responds, from quiet operation for lighter workloads to more active cooling under sustained load.

Default
Normal
Options
Normal, Aggressive, Quiet, Disabled
Source
coreboot CFR
The StarBook Horizon firmware battery charging controls

Battery limits

Set the maximum charge level and charging speed in firmware to help preserve battery health when you don't need a full charge.

Default
100%, 1.0C
Options
100%, 80%, 60% charge limits
Use
Desk use, storage, battery care
The StarBook Horizon firmware flash chip

Security state

Control important security features directly in firmware, including BIOS Lock, Intel Management Engine state, Secure Boot and TPM-backed measured boot.

BIOS Lock
Enabled by default
Intel ME
Disabled by default
More owner-facing firmware controls

The StarBook Horizon also gives you firmware-level control over Fn/Ctrl behaviour, keyboard backlight timeout, charge LED brightness, PCIe power management, S3/S0ix sleep modes, lid behaviour, webcam and microphone toggles, and VT-d.

View coreboot options

What changes after saving?

These controls live in the firmware itself, rather than in a vendor application layered on top of Linux. Once saved, they apply independently of the operating system you run.

Install Linux

Install Linux. Any distribution.

The StarBook Horizon is built for standard Linux, not a single distribution. Install from normal installation media, use upstream drivers, and receive firmware updates through LVFS. The distributions below are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Supports Linux,
not a distribution. Standard ISO. Upstream drivers. No vendor-specific install required.
Ubuntu Kubuntu Fedora Fedora Silverblue Arch Linux Debian openSUSE openSUSE Leap NixOS Linux Mint LMDE Manjaro EndeavourOS Pop!_OS elementary OS Zorin OS MX Linux Gentoo Void Linux Alpine Tumbleweed Slackware Garuda Linux CachyOS Rocky Linux AlmaLinux Kali Linux Bazzite
Compatibility baseline
  • Clean baseline: Linux 6.2 or later.
  • The support target is the platform: modern Linux kernel, upstream drivers, and standard install media.
  • Firmware updates are delivered through LVFS on Linux.
What Linux support means

We support the Linux platform rather than certifying a fixed list of distributions. The StarBook Horizon uses standard installation media, upstream drivers and normal Linux update paths, without a proprietary recovery image or mandatory vendor software.

Verify it

Do not take our word for it.

The security story starts in plain English: protect the firmware, make the boot path measurable, keep Intel ME disabled, and expose reproducible checks instead of asking for trust.

Read the security detail
Plain-English protection

BIOS Lock protects firmware writes. Secure Boot and Measured Boot help verify the boot process where supported by your distribution, while dTPM 2.0 provides hardware-backed measurement and key storage.

Check it with fwupd

fwupd's Host Security ID check is a practical way to inspect platform security features from Linux. Distro builds can lag the upstream fwupd support needed here, so the StarBook page shows a checksum-pinned route to reproduce the check without inventing a score. 

wget -O fwupdtool \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StarLabsLtd/firmware/d63202062638c8e814f2aeaf5e8f6d0ad0a75c12/binaries/fwupdtool
echo "399cb8e81bd371f198c671d850bd71ece6b1bdb119251ba13acc2bfdf103b033  fwupdtool" | sha256sum -c -
chmod +x fwupdtool
sudo ./fwupdtool security
Source and methodology

Hardware

Built like the software matters.

Open firmware only matters if the hardware around it is worth keeping. The StarBook Horizon pairs a lightweight aluminium chassis with a high-resolution display, accessible internals, replaceable storage and battery, and physical privacy controls.

The StarBook Horizon opened to show serviceable internals
Accessible internals with user-replaceable battery and M.2 SSD.
The StarBook Horizon display in use
13.4-inch 3:2 display, 2520x1680, 90Hz, 500 nits.
The StarBook Horizon camera and physical webcam cover
Wi-Fi kill switch and integrated webcam cover.
The hardware you use every day
  • 13.4-inch 3:2 display, 2520×1680, 90Hz and 500 nits.
  • 1.1 kg 6061 aluminium chassis.
  • 32GB LPDDR5X memory.
  • 45Wh battery on the StarBook Horizon; 52Wh on the StarBook Horizon Plus.
  • Glass trackpad on the StarBook Horizon; haptic glass trackpad on the StarBook Horizon Plus.
Ports, storage, and privacy
  • Owner-replaceable M.2 2280 NVMe storage.
  • PCIe Gen 3 on the StarBook Horizon; PCIe Gen 4 on the StarBook Horizon Plus.
  • USB-C on both models, with Thunderbolt 4 on the StarBook Horizon Plus.
  • Physical Wi-Fi kill switch and webcam cover.
  • dTPM 2.0 and pre-installed screen protector.

Keep it

The purchase is the beginning, not the expiry date.

The StarBook Horizon is designed to stay useful for longer. Install the Linux distribution you want, adjust the firmware to suit you, replace parts as they wear, and keep access to updates, source and support.

Set it up

Choose your Linux distribution, encryption and setup — and reinstall from a standard ISO whenever you want.

Linux support notes
Tune it

Adjust firmware controls for power, battery, cooling, sleep, device toggles and security.

Firmware controls
Maintain it

Replace the battery, swap the SSD, source parts, and use our repair and support guides when you need them.

Replacement parts
Verify it

Check the published source, firmware release notes and security state reported by fwupd.

Star Labs GitHub

Choose

Two models. Same philosophy.

Choose the machine that fits your workload. The StarBook Horizon is the efficient everyday Linux laptop; the StarBook Horizon Plus adds more performance and a few extra refinements.

The StarBook Horizon running Linux on a table beside a window

The StarBook Horizon

Cool, efficient and capable for everyday Linux work. A great choice for browsing, development, office work and everyday computing.

  • Intel Core i3-N305 with 32GB LPDDR5X
  • 45Wh user-replaceable battery
  • Glass trackpad
  • M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3 NVMe storage
  • US keyboard layout
From $1,827.00
Configure the StarBook Horizon
The StarBook Horizon Plus connected to an external monitor for Linux development work

The StarBook Horizon Plus

More processing headroom for heavier workloads, with a larger battery, haptic trackpad and broader keyboard options.

  • Intel Core i5-1334U with 32GB LPDDR5X
  • 52Wh user-replaceable battery
  • Haptic glass trackpad
  • M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe storage support
  • 7 keyboard layouts available
From $2,244.00
Configure the StarBook Horizon Plus
Which should I choose?

Choose the StarBook Horizon if you want the lowest-cost, highest-efficiency model. Choose the StarBook Horizon Plus if you want more CPU headroom, the larger battery, Thunderbolt 4, haptic input, or a non-US keyboard layout.

Full specification routes

The detailed specification sheet remains the source for exact processor, port, display, battery, storage, wireless, and box contents. Open full specifications.

Go deeper

Full technical details, when you want them.

Specifications Display, ports, battery, memory, storage, wireless, and box contents. Firmware and security Linux compatibility, security state, firmware controls, and source links. coreboot options Firmware setting categories and what each option changes. Support guides Repair guidance, firmware updates, support articles, and parts help.

Build the StarBook Horizon you want to own.

Configure the StarBook Horizon for efficient Linux portability, or choose the StarBook Horizon Plus for more headroom, haptic input, and broader keyboard options.

Configure the StarBook Horizon View specifications