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
Your computer. All the way down.
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.
From $1,357.00 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.
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
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
- Detail
- Firmware and security
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.
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.
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 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.
Tune it
Adjust firmware controls for power, battery, cooling, sleep, device toggles and security.
Maintain it
Replace the battery, swap the SSD, source parts, and use our repair and support guides when you need them.
Verify it
Check the published source, firmware release notes and security state reported by fwupd.
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
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
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
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.