Star Labs, a small Linux vendor from the UK has teamed up with Manjaro Linux to offer Manjaro as an option on their custom Linux laptops. Announced today previously you could get Ubuntu, Linux Mint or Zorin OS but now your choice will include Manjaro too.
Unlike some other hardware vendors, Star Labs are not using generic Clevo casing and hardware. They originally did when first starting out years ago but nowadays they actually make their own. What they offer do look and sound great too. It's really awesome to see more Linux-focused hardware vendors.
What's also great, is that they're not focused on the top-end hardware that costs a small fortune. Instead they have the sweet little Star Lite Mk II with a 11-inch IPS display, with an Intel Pentium N4200 processor and Intel HD 505 Graphics, a very speedy 240GB SSD and 8GB RAM starting at £399:
On the higher end they also have the Star LabTop Mk III, which is quite a sleek looking 13-inch IPS screen model starting at £707 that comes with an Intel Core i7-8550u and Intel UHD Graphics 620, a speedy 240GB SSD, 8GB RAM. Both systems claim to offer about 7 hours battery life too.
Both systems do look quite nice and now with more Linux distribution options on, perhaps they might see a few more sales. They do have a 10% discount going right now on the Star Lite until May 8.
See more on their official site. You can see a comparison on both models here.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
I hope Google is still working towards getting coreboot working for their Ryzen-based chromebooks as that may be the catalyst needed to start seeing Ryzen-based premium Linux offerings.
Last edited by drlamb on 5 May 2020 at 4:37 pm UTC
I hope Google is still working towards getting coreboot working for their Ryzen-based chromebooks as that may be the catalyst needed to start seeing Ryzen-based premium Linux offerings.
Do Star Labs use coreboot? I don't see any mention of it anywhere on their site... Would make sense if they did if they manufacture their own hardware. Ryzen notebook with coreboot would be sweet, I'd definitely look into getting one :)
Do Star Labs use coreboot? I don't see any mention of it anywhere on their site...
I don't believe so. I was moreso hoping that if coreboot support for Ryzen matures we might start seeing Ryzen chips being offered by the likes of Purism or System76.
And I'm still waiting for a good Linux ARM-based laptop... but at this point I'm starting to think Linux is gonna be late to that party also, and Windows will dominate it as usual.
I've been using my Pinebook Pro with an NVMe drive for months now. I believe that goal has been achieved. Mainline kernel support now too...
That is really nice.
Edit: Oh, no german keyboard is offered :(:(
Last edited by einherjar on 5 May 2020 at 9:27 pm UTC
I hope this company continues to grow and release new products. If the Lite had a lower-end Ryzen chip and supported NVMe drives (I don't know that it doesn't) I'd be all over it.
...
What exactly is wrong with the used Intel CPU?
Arehandoro 5 May 2020
Last edited by Dragunov on 6 May 2020 at 1:48 am UTC
Avehicle7887 6 May 2020
I wonder if those laptops also come with upgradable ram. Soldered on has been a real show stopper for me, I can't find a decent 11" with sodimm these days.
For Linux gaming, it would be good it had a discrete Radeon 5500M.
Very interesting news!Tuxedo computers would be a good place to look for a German keyboard. They also have one with Manjaro on it, but they are pricier.
That is really nice.
Edit: Oh, no german keyboard is offered :(:(
Very interesting news!Tuxedo computers would be a good place to look for a German keyboard. They also have one with Manjaro on it, but they are pricier.
That is really nice.
Edit: Oh, no german keyboard is offered :(:(
I know them, but they are much too pricey, for my purpose.
I want a small Linux Notebook to replace the tablet of my daughter. She uses an Galaxy Tab 3 and because of the bloatware, that is instantly pushed on it, it is nearly unusable now.
I do not want to buy another android tablet for her, but a small NB would be ok. It is weird, even google apps that are not supported any more, can not be uninstalled and there is no good custom rom to be found.
So the small Star Lite Mk II would have been a great choice.
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