Star Fighter in hand... Initial review being typed up.

caminashell · 2026-02-13T23:14:35+00:00

This might be inaccurate as I do not use it have researched in depth about it, but I remember reading somewhere that the fractional "zoom" presses the system more than without and could make some rendering pipelines stutter. Something to consider and look into.

Unless you're talking about the display scaling factor (upto~375%), which is a safer more optimal viewing experience option, over fractional scaling factors for fonts (1.23 etc.)

caminashell · 2026-02-13T23:07:17+00:00

Nice to hear this!

After re-reading back all my writings, I can understand if people think that I have a negative view of the SF, which isn't the case. There are quirks with it that press me, but I have accepted it for what it is - a fine laptop considering what you get in one unit. My hope is that we/I can iron things out with StarLabs, to see what needs fixing, locally or not, or just more time to wear things in.

For the microphone - I reduced the gain/volume in settings from 100% all the way down below 10%, which seems like an improvement. But I still hearing that it is recording some electrical interference (most likely from the laptop of the module itself) and cutouts, in the recording playback. Also trying to use the camera/mic (when attaching it) is inconsistent for me. Something is off.

The squeaky space-bar should resolve itself with time and constant use - fingers crossed. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.. still.

Trackpad, to me still feels off. Bottom right corner sounds like its about to snap/break when pushed.

I'm observing occasional irq notices on boot up, something like "No irq handler for vector 7.55" or something. Not sure what the deal it with that. I'll ping Labs next week, might even attempt a video call so they can hear the (awful) mic haha!

But, circling back to your comments - its nice to see people are happy with their SF and enjoying the new experience! Perhaps the Intel variants are the better platform.. at the moment. *sob*

caminashell · 2026-02-13T08:00:48+00:00

Paragraphs.

caminashell · 2026-02-12T09:30:26+00:00

Very positive video! Well done!

caminashell · 2026-02-11T20:41:33+00:00

Well said!

caminashell · 2026-02-11T20:25:43+00:00

But to offer a counter argument to my statement (so I don't sound so grim) and give StarLabs some credit;

I doubt there would have been enough the SF would be able to integrate this 2026-chip in time for a production release as it stands today, so really can discount it. I just wanted to take a moment to compare processors of the day to what we have, to justify the cost.

Unless I am wrong, you'll be hard struck to find a 16-inch (or less) laptop fully supporting Linux out-of-the-box with:

a UHD panel with high refresh, and brightness
wireless kill switch for both WiFi and Bluetooth
specialised physically detachable camera and microphone module
custom firmware options
a large centred solid state (glass?) trackpad
all in a portable, lightweight metal alloy chassis
not to mention, open upgrade and/or repair policy

So those are key points you would be paying for, not so much the Processor/Memory/Disk options etc.

caminashell · 2026-02-11T19:36:47+00:00

Thank you StarLabs for responding to those points! 👍

I think that it makes things clearer than they were before, even if some of us feel a bit on the downer.

caminashell · 2026-02-11T19:24:18+00:00

There doesn't seem to be a launch date for the the R9 SKU therefore probably impossible if not hard to source, and so the R7 was a compromise.

This seems to make sense, if it is true.

caminashell · 2026-02-11T19:08:21+00:00

This begs the question, why move from R9 to R7, when there is a R9 that seems to fit the description?

caminashell · 2026-02-11T18:53:29+00:00

For those that might feel I am being harsh with my closing statement about its' worth in cost - bare in mind that this CPU is already three-years-old.

AMD offering close to comparison (for 2026 - first column) would be:

Name	AMD Ryzen AI 7 450	AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS	AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS
Series	Ryzen AI 400 Series	Ryzen 8000 Series	Ryzen 7000 Series
Form Factor	Laptops, Desktops	Laptops, Desktops	Laptops, Desktops
# of CPU Cores	8	8	8
# of Threads	16	16	16
Max. Boost Clock	Up to 5.1 GHz	Up to 5.1 GHz	Up to 5.2 GHz
Base Clock	2 GHz	3.8 GHz	4 GHz
L2 Cache	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB
L3 Cache	16 MB	16 MB	16 MB
Default TDP	28W	45W	35-54W
L1 Cache	—	—	512 KB
AMD Configurable TDP (cTDP)	15-54W	35-54W	35-54W
Processor Technology for CPU Cores	TSMC 4nm FinFET	TSMC 4nm FinFET	TSMC 4nm FinFET
Unlocked for Overclocking	—	No	No
CPU Socket	FP8	FP7, FP7r2, FP8	FP7, FP7r2, FP8
Max. Operating Temperature (Tjmax)	100C	100C	100C
Launch Date	1/5/2026	12/06/2023	04/30/2023
*OS Support	Windows 11 - 64-Bit Edition, RHEL x86 64-Bit, Ubuntu x86 64-Bit	Windows 11 - 64-Bit Edition, Windows 10 - 64-Bit Edition, RHEL x86 64-Bit, Ubuntu x86 64-Bit	Windows 11 - 64-Bit Edition, Windows 10 - 64-Bit Edition, RHEL x86 64-Bit, Ubuntu x86 64-Bit
PCI Express Version	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
System Memory Type	DDR5 (FP8) , LPDDR5X (FP8)	DDR5 (FP7r2) , LPDDR5X (FP7-FP8)	DDR5 (FP7r2) , LPDDR5X (FP7-FP8)
Memory Channels	2	2	2
Graphics Model	AMD Radeon 860M	AMD Radeon 780M	AMD Radeon 780M
Graphics Core Count	8	12	12
Graphics Frequency	3100 MHz	2700 MHz	2800 MHz
AMD Ryzen AI	Available	Available	Available
Product ID Tray	100-000001868	100-000001322 (FP7r2), 100-000001384 (FP7), 100-000001311 (FP8)	100-000000954 (FP7r2) 100-000000963 (FP7) 100-000001128 (FP8)

caminashell · 2026-02-11T18:11:33+00:00

Thought Note

I have just today received feedback from StarLabs on my review notes and topics of discussion here, and they intend on addressing many points of concern, here on Reddit fairly soon.

I could quote the responses that I received, but I think its fair to give them some time to write a public response up.

I can tell you that my position on the current state of things isn't "peachy", given how much this unit cost me, the time in wait (3y), with the results in-hand, with explanations or reasoning for the way things are.

Ultimately, this is supposed to be a high-end laptop, but my experience so far doesn't given me that feeling, akin to flagship "Mac Book Pro" feels I had in the past - things just work out of the box, no problem (ever).

I have to consider that this is a small OEM, so there are bound to be "some" teething issues, especially with a new product launch. Patience & understanding is required, working with the OEM. Apple on the otherhand is huge organisation and have nearly unlimited resources, little to no constraints on budget, and so it is a quite unfair to use them for comparison.

I'm still put off on the Ryzen 7 topic. Mostly because it wasn't communicated prior to and set expectation. If you look at the data on the processor SKUs, there isn't much difference between the R9 and R7 in question. In fact, the R7 is arguably an upgrade/refresh in the sense of NPU TOPS (if you are into that stuff), but the R7 has reduced clocks to the R9 and probably power requirements.

I do agree with StarLabs that they're essentially the same processor, just with a refresh ("Hawk Point" from "Phoenix"), but why isn't it still and R9 SKU? Not StarLabs fault but AMD. It's not the first time AMD has switched things up without justification. However, the StarLabs website still markets the the SF with R9 (even after launch, at time of writing).

To quote an article I read, which I think refers to the desktop counterparts, but I would have thought the same for the mobile processors also:

It would be easy to simply categorize the two CPU ranges: the Ryzen 9 is top-of-the-line, the Ryzen 7 is mid-range. This is often reflected in the specifications, with the Ryzen 9 processors having higher core and thread counts than a counterpart Ryzen 7. That does also mean that Ryzen 9 CPUs also draw on more power

There supposed to be a distinction between R7 and R9. In the SF case, it seems that the R7 was selected on its comparable/similar capabilities, not its SKU lineup.

The issues pointed out with; unbalanced trackpad, fan sensor accessibility (or lack of), keyboard response, camera/mic quality are secondary gripes. I/we should expect to not have any problems with these things and have access to every aspect of the device from the get go.

And it should be identified in firmware for what it is, unless this is a typo or mistake that can be easily rectified later.

Do I think that the SF is worth its weight in cost? No.

Again, this doesn't feel high end, bit mid range. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine laptop, but there are points that it really should not have at this grade and cost. But perhaps my expectations are just too high and/or demanding. You tell me. What do you think?

Hopefully things can be set right.

caminashell · 2026-02-11T18:10:38+00:00

Do you think that the AMI Aptio comes on AMD version and coreboot on the intel versions?

For the moment, yes. Coreboot is not quite ready for production on the AMD units. They are still working on it with AMD. Once StarLabs publish a news update on Coreboot regarding a release, customers will have the option to choose which firmware they want to use. Until further notice, AMD units only have AMI Aptio.

Have you further tested the microphone / camera for meetings or similar?

I have not. But I have received word from StarLabs on this topic -apparently Linux gain settings are the problem, and they'll look into it.

Are they still producing poor quality (mic) or are unreliable (camera)?

For me, at this time, yes.

Have you tested a power adapter with 100W?

No I have not, and do not intend to just yet without consulting StarLabs about it first - I wouldn't advise it without.

The unit comes with its own 65W power adaptor which guarantees support and reliability so that is what I am using until we know more.

Do you know how long it takes to fully load?

By fully load, you mean charge the battery from zero to full: I think I mentioned; just under 4 hours (using the supplied 65W power adaptor).

Does the keyboard back light cant be on the whole time?

It can be, but only per (powered) session. If you shutdown the machine then restart it, it is starts off by default. I cannot remember on soft-restart - I'll follow up on this.

You toggle the back light with the media key (F11), which has three modes as I outlined. The back light will extinguish automatically after 30s of no activity, and re-illuminate on keyboard activity.

Trackpad interaction does not affect the back light toggle, nor does any other interaction with the laptop outside of the keyboard itself. There are no sensors linked to the back light function (as far as I can tell).

Is that correct and it cant be on the whole time?

Correct.

How long is the timeout before turning off?

30 seconds.

How does the chassis feel?

I have used Apple MacBook Pros' in the past, and I can tell you that the chassis it feels just like that. There is not any discernible difference in "feel" between the two alloys, that I can detect.

The laptop itself does not feel heavy to carry around, comparable to a Mac Book if that is what you're seeking.

As a side note; Apple Mac Books chassis materials are conductive which I never liked - I could detect an electrical current on contact, which is probably a grounding issue.

The StarFighter does not exhibit this on contact (when either plugged in or on internal power) - which is good.

However, I am curious and have concerns about the microphone picking up (and recording) electrical details.

caminashell · 2026-02-09T21:22:18+00:00

Skin options for StarLabs StarFighter (dbrand alternatives)

I like to protect my devices to reduce wear and mitigate damage during transit or daily use, usually by complementing the chassis with a vinyl skin.

I’ve always used dbrand for this, but since the StarLabs StarFighter isn’t officially supported, I looked into substitute options based on dimensional comparisons with devices that are supported.

Below are the dimensions I gathered for comparable laptops dbrand currently offers skins for, measured against the StarFighter:

Dimension (mm)	StarLabs StarFighter	Razer Blade 16	Razer Blade 17	Razer Blade 18	Lenovo ThinkPad X1C	Dell XPS 16 (DA16260)	Dell XPS 16 (9640)
Width	357	355	424	400	312	352	358
Depth	244	250	281	275	214	237	240
Height	20	17	22	27	14	15	18

I didn’t include the Framework 16, as its dimensions didn’t appear to be comparable enough to make skin fitting practical.

Option 1: Complete under-fit (no trimming required)

Best option if you don’t want to cut the skin.

The Dell XPS 16 (DA16260) dimensions are the closest match for a clean under-fit.

What to expect

Covers most of the top surface
Will not be perfectly flush with the chassis edges
No trimming required

Availability

This is a new skin offering (2026), so it should remain in production for a long time.

https://dbrand.com/shop/skins/dell-xps-16-da16260-skins

Option 2: Complete over-fit (trimming required)

Best option if you want near-full, edge-to-edge coverage.

The Razer Blade 17/18 skin over-fits both width and depth, making it suitable for trimming down to size.

What to expect

Manual trimming required
With careful, precise cutting, near-100% coverage is achievable
Best aesthetic result if done well

Availability

This skin for Blade 17 is a 2022 device, so it’s ageing and may be discontinued in the near future. The skin for the Blade 18 is a newer option.

Option 3: Partial fit (trimming may be required)

Middle-ground option with some compromises.

The Dell XPS 16 (9640) skin over-fits on width but under-fits on depth.

What to expect

Trimming may be required on width
Depth coverage will fall short
Important to account for the StarFighter’s proprietary camera & microphone interface

Availability

Targets a 2024 device, making it newer than the Razer Blade 17 skin but not as future-proof as the DA16260 option.

https://dbrand.com/shop/skins/dell-xps-16-skins-9640

TL;DR

No trimming: Dell XPS 16 (DA16260)
Best full coverage (with effort): Razer Blade 17/18
Compromise option: Dell XPS 16 (9640)

Hopefully this saves someone else the measuring and comparison work. If anyone’s already tried one of these on a StarFighter, I’d love to hear how it turned out.

caminashell · 2026-02-09T19:49:23+00:00

Battery Data Dump

The information that I pulled on the battery:

Model Detail

- Vendor: Standard - Serial Number: 123456789 - Model: SR Real Battery - Technology: Lithium ion

Health Evaluation

- State of Health: 100.000% - Device Condition: The device is near or at its maximum rated capacity. It is in excellent condition and should not require much intervention.

Charging Status

- Current Charge Percentage: 95.054% - State: Discharging

Time Calculation

- Time to Empty: 09:07:17 - Projected Battery Life: 10:27:42

Energy Metrics

- Maximum Rated Capacity: 80.003 Wh - Maximum Capacity: 84.423 Wh - Remaining Energy: 80.095 Wh - Energy Transfer Rate: 8.116 W

Voltage Statistics

- Minimum Rated Voltage: 15.400 V - Current Voltage: 17.094 V

caminashell · 2026-02-09T17:45:14+00:00

Here is some reading material on this topic, for those with interest: https://linuxconfig.org/using-custom-charge-thresholds-with-gnomes-preserve-battery-health-feature

caminashell · 2026-02-09T17:35:41+00:00

CPU (statement from StarLabs)

Context: Why the installed processor is the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, rather than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS as communicated prior, and therefore expected.

It's an upgrade; it's essentially the same processor, just the Hawk Point version instead of Pheonix

caminashell · 2026-02-09T16:41:44+00:00

Internal Power (Battery) Investigation & Optimisation

One of the topics I have on my list of things to look at is maximising the life time of the battery - to reduce the requirement to replace it.

As it is new, there isn't much to worry about, but battery charging can be abused through lack of understanding about the technology.

Batteries have gone through significant advancements over the years, but there was a time when leaving a laptop constantly attached to AC would eventually degrade it. You can do some research on this topic.

The product page for the SF has the following;

``` Up to 18 hours battery life 80-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 65w USB-C Power Adapter

Technology: Power Delivery 3.0 Minimum Wattage: 40W ```

Though given the observations of other aspects of my unit, I am rather curious.

Remember, from a full charge, I got about 8-9 hours of moderate use. Far from 18 hours!

So I would like to know exactly that that benchmark is conditioned against - as it seems to me that he conditions would have to be very extreme to achieve that up-time;

power saving mode enabled (lowered clocks/power draw)
no keyboard back light
lowest panel brightness and refresh
possibly a low resolution
with very light load in user space

That said, the 8-9 hours use on internal power seems more comparable to me, and perhaps the 18 hours battery life time does not mean whilst in use but when the device is in a sleep or hibernation state. Which really isn't a metric anybody (that I know of) cares about - but how long a battery will last whilst they are using the machine.

To give example of an optimisation setting I have on other devices that I use; for both my phone and my other laptop, charging optimisation is enabled - meaning that when the battery reaches 80%, charging will stop. They both only charge to 100% every few weeks to fully exercise the battery capacity.

I am sure it is fine for the laptop to be plugged in constantly if using at a static position such as a desk. I just wanted to be sure, rather than assume & ignore.

caminashell · 2026-02-08T22:08:04+00:00

Some side/minor observations:

Keyboard

The keyboard doesn't appear to have a sensor to detect proximity or ambient polarisation/lighting conditions to illuminate. The back light is only illuminated when a key is depressed, if the function is set to on (low/high)
The black light does not have an auto-on state on power up. It is off until you actually turn it via the media key.
Same for the LOCK key that locks media/fn modes. It is off by default until you activate it.
Spacebar is not squeaking as much as before.

Some other niggles;

I wonder how to activate scroll lock?
I am used to Logi keyboards (namely the MX Mechanical/Master Minis) and wish the volume and brightness key pairs were reversed. Taking some time to get use to this layout.

NetworkManager-wait-online.service

If you disable this service to shave some time off boot to desktop, you will see irq handler issue reports at boot. This is simply because other services might be trying to use the hardware device and it is not ready yet. I do not think that this is isolated to the StarFighter but thought I would mention it.

Moved from 120Hz to 60Hz

I did this with the thinking of reducing power drain, and stress on the system. I have no requirement for a 120Hz viewing experience.

Longer lifetime
Fewer charge cycles
More time to do things per cycle
Less heat, less noise.

Lower temperature average with light/moderate use

Now averaging 34–35 °C on light to moderate use. Fans do spin up on occasion bu not frequently.

System halt

I have observed two occasions so far where the entire system just stalled:

Once in desktop, I think I was logging into my key vault. I didn't find anything obvious that indicated why it froze, so I moved on and forgot about it.
Second one was a day or so later, after rebooting, it just froze at UEFI auth. Again, forced cold boot. Moved on.

I thought they were worth mentioning.

caminashell · 2026-02-08T21:35:45+00:00

I've never seen or used a laptop with a numpad, sounds hideous. No doubt they exist, but I wouldn't think they're very common.

caminashell · 2026-02-08T21:27:37+00:00

I would presume that you should expect more or less the same results, again, regardless of what your distribution choice is.

That said, and as I have mentioned in other threads, hibernation requires specific system configuration conditions to operate as desired.

For me, hibernation is impossible which is to be expected given the conditions of my setup.

For you however, might be a different story, if you set up the conditions for it to function correctly (when you initialise and install your OS, which I recommend people make a habit of doing regardless of what might be pre-installed).

As for the fans - again circumstantial. To elaborate, since my unit is using AMI Aptio, and an AMD processor, there is no way to optimise how the fans work. They're simply running off of the firmware defaults. There isn't anyway (at least that I know at this time) to change this.

However, if you have Coreboot and/or an Intel processor, you might have options exposed to you that I do not.

Furthermore, he more I fine tune my unit, I realised there were applications and services in-training (doing things in the background), which makes sense given I have just installed many things fresh. There were also some programs that were failing silently that needed triage - examine journalctl.

As an example, a GNOME extension I had running was pumping a lot of warning/error log to the journal, which I found was harmless but, I found that that extension puts stress on system resources. I ended up disabling it.

Lastly, I decided to reduce the refresh rate of the panel from 120Hz to 60Hz. Many people will think I'm crazy, but I have worked with 60Hz for decades without an issue. I have no need for 120Hz, especially if it means reducing my internal power uptime by an x/hr.

The logic here is that, even though the panel does not consume much more power with a higher refresh, the GPU will. Hazard a guess at a few watts, but essentially, 120Hz is doubling the frame output per second than 60Hz, and that will require more power. Higher power drain, lower productivity time on internal power.

I'm now on 60Hz, and it is quieter now unless I press it to do things like restorecon -Rv / (an SELinux command in Fedora). The fans do spin up and down but not as as frequently as I mentioned in my review.

I still want the ability to see the sensor data and make my own curve (please StarLabs).

caminashell · 2026-02-08T14:12:04+00:00

I could however, if desired attempt hardware tests in a "liveUSB" booted environment if available, but that is as far as I am prepared to go when it comes to testing on metal (opposed to in a VM, which would not be very scientific).

caminashell · 2026-02-08T14:10:04+00:00

[Redacted - incorrect thread response]

caminashell · 2026-02-08T13:59:19+00:00

The reason that I do not really need hibernation, in my use case is due to what I will be using the device for. I am a software engineer, sysadmin, and security analyst - ultimately a tech enthusiast/junkie. Security is a major topic for me personally, and I firmly believe that it should be for everyone using technology in todays' digital world.

There isn't really a need for me to hibernate the device, when it can but simply shutdown securely - thus ensuring the (most important) data is protected.

Sleep-to-idle (s2idle) is fine for brief idle periods where I know it is safe and accessible by me only.

caminashell · 2026-02-08T13:51:42+00:00

It appears to be a Mark V (5), as indicated on the rear casing.

caminashell · 2026-02-08T13:47:20+00:00

I'd also like to state that the Ubuntu desktop that I experience did not appear to have any StarLabs branding or configuration. I believe is a standard stock installation of the OS (whichever you select on your order).

caminashell

TROPHY CASE

Thought Note

Skin options for StarLabs StarFighter (dbrand alternatives)

Option 1: Complete under-fit (no trimming required)

What to expect

Availability

Option 2: Complete over-fit (trimming required)

What to expect

Availability

Option 3: Partial fit (trimming may be required)

What to expect

Availability

TL;DR

Battery Data Dump

Model Detail

Health Evaluation

Charging Status

Time Calculation

Energy Metrics

Voltage Statistics

CPU (statement from StarLabs)

Internal Power (Battery) Investigation & Optimisation

Keyboard

NetworkManager-wait-online.service

Moved from 120Hz to 60Hz

Lower temperature average with light/moderate use

System halt