StarFighter UpdatesUpdated 13 days ago

23 October 2025 - Production Update

Just popping in with a quick update to let you know we’re still here and still moving forward! There’s nothing major to report this time, but we didn’t want to go quiet - we know how important it is to keep you in the loop.

Thanks for sticking with us - more updates soon!

14 October 2025 - Production Update

We’re sorry this has taken longer than expected, and we appreciate your patience. Here’s the latest confirmed plan from the factory:

Factory schedule: final assembly is confirmed for 24/11/25. We’ve asked the factory to do everything possible to bring this forward; if that changes, we’ll update this page immediately.

What happens next (estimates):

24–30 Nov: Final assembly at the factory (~1 week)
1–7 Dec: Inspection, packaging, and export booking (~1 week)
w/c 8 Dec: Units depart the factory for the UK (transit typically ~1 week)
Mid-December onward: On arrival, it’s all hands on deck - we’ll complete inbound checks and dispatch orders in strict chronological order

About the delay: this plan is ~6 weeks later than our previous estimate. The shift is due to the earlier mainboard debugging taking longer than expected, plus a small amount of extra time added for firmware development to ensure a clean sign-off.

Scheduling note: the next official update will be on 23/10/25.

As always, these are estimates, not promises, and may shift if the factory timeline changes. We’ll keep this page updated the moment we have new information.

06 October 2025 - Production Update

As you’re aware, there was a slight delay due to mainboard debugging, but this has now been fully resolved as previously mentioned. We’ve also completed the firmware, which is another big step forward and brings us closer to final production.

Right now, the factory is closed for a Chinese holiday, so on-site work is briefly paused. As soon as they reopen, I’ll be pushing for a clear completion timeline and will share that with you. I’m aiming to post an update on the page by the end of this week once I have more details.

About our page:

We’ve stuck to production updates every two weeks and will continue to do so.
We’ve had mixed feedback on the extra content: some of you prefer only progress updates, while others have asked for more behind-the-scenes detail.
The recent photos and the video with Sean were extras in response to those requests - not a replacement for scheduled news.
Going forward, we'll keep posting fortnightly Production Updates. If we have extra content between those (short clips, photos, notes), we’ll share it in between.
Everything will be clearly labelled “Production Update” vs “Additional Content” so you can easily skip anything you’re not interested in.
As always, if you’d prefer not to wait, you can cancel your order any time for a full refund - no questions asked.

We truly appreciate your continued support and patience, as we know how much trust it takes to stick with a project like this, and we don’t take that lightly. Everyone here genuinely cares about delivering something you’ll be proud to own, and we’re incredibly grateful to have such a supportive community behind us.

01 October 2025 - Additional Content

We’ve just shared an overview video of the StarFighter, presented by our CEO, Sean. He gave us a closer look at the StarFighter, from its design and performance to the unique features that make it really stand out. You can check it out here!

We welcome your feedback! If you have ideas, suggestions, or specific features you’d like us to explore in future videos, reach out to us on our social media channels. Your input plays a key role in shaping our next content! Stay tuned and thank you for being part of this journey. We truly couldn’t do it without you.

26 September 2025 - Production Update

We’ve just shared a quick video update on the StarFighter, you can check it out here!

This update is all about keeping you in the loop as we continue to develop and refine the experience.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! If you have suggestions, ideas, or specific features you’d like us to test and showcase in future videos, drop us a message on our social media channels. Your feedback directly shapes what we do next.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be rolling out more videos, demos, and behind-the-scenes looks at the StarFighter. Stay tuned and thank you for being part of this journey. We truly couldn’t do it without you.

25 September 2025 - Additional Content

Optimisations underway; we're just about to start tuning these to get the best out of the hardware, but even unoptimised, we're seeing good results (even with a stock install of Ubuntu 24.04 that could really do with a newer kernel!).

We'll post results after our improvements have been made; more immediately, a video will be inbound to this page tomorrow!

18 September 2025 - Additional Content

You’ve been waiting a long time, and now we can finally share an exclusive first look. These photos are just for you, the very first users to see StarFighter.

After months of waiting, we finally get to see it in action.

Every detail matters. From the smooth key travel to the spacious touchpad, we wanted this laptop to feel as good as it looks. Here’s a closer look.

Sleek, slim, and designed with portability in mind. With the simple flick of a kill switch feature, you can disable your wireless, ensuring that it is never on unless you want it to be.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more videos about the StarFighter, showing how the kill switch works, testing the camera quality, and keeping you updated on all the latest developments.

Thank you for your support. Your support has made this moment possible.

11 September 2025 - Production Update

Good news! The final boards have now been fully debugged and testing is complete. The samples have left the factory where the boards were produced and are now with our assembly team, who are checking the final quality and build.

We’re aiming to have the machines dispatched to us later today or tomorrow, which means they should arrive next week. As soon as they do, we’ll get to work filming and photographing the samples. We’ll post an extra update when we have these, so you don’t have to wait another two weeks - all the promised photos and videos will be shared here on the blog so you can see the progress up close.

On the AMD front, we’ve made a major step forward! Developing Coreboot support for AMD has been challenging without access to the FSP source code, but now AMD are actively engaging with us and we’re in discussions to access it. While the code is still unfinished, this opens a clear route for Coreboot support - something that previously took two years to achieve for the AMD StarBook. We’re excited about how much faster and smoother the next steps should be!

Thanks again for your support - we’re very close to the final steps before production, and we couldn’t do it without the Star Labs community!

29 August 2025 - Production Update

The final boards are still undergoing detailed testing and debugging, which means the golden sample has been slightly delayed. The extra time being spent now ensures everything is fine-tuned and working exactly as it should.

The good news is that the housing design and keyboard assembly are complete, so once the boards arrive, we can move quickly into full-system evaluation and final approval.

After we mentioned we’d be sharing photos and videos of the samples, we had a wave of requests for specific things people wanted to see, from keyboard changes and PCB layouts, to how to disable the webcam, to what options are available in coreboot. To make this easier to follow (and to avoid emails not always being sent when they should), we’ll post photos, videos, and updates here.

Going forward, all news, photos, and videos will be posted here so you can check in whenever you like. We’re nearly there, and we truly appreciate your support as we move into the last steps before production.

Thanks for being part of the Star Labs community, we couldn’t do this without you.

14 August 2025 - Production Update

We’re pleased to share the latest developments on the StarFighter project.

Over the past two weeks, the housing design has been finalised, keyboard layouts have been completed with backlighting tested and confirmed, and the golden sample is now in preparation, scheduled to ship to us early next week for final review and approval.

Once the golden sample arrives, our team will carry out a thorough inspection and rigorous testing to ensure every detail meets our standards before we proceed to full production

In our next update, we expect to be able to share photos and video so you can see exactly how the final product is shaping up.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to sharing further progress with you soon.

5 August 2025 - Production Update

Here’s a production update to keep you fully informed on where we’re at with the StarFighter.

While the StarFighter isn’t a brand-new product, it is the first time our trusted new factory is manufacturing it. This means we’ve had to revisit and refine some steps we’ve previously covered to ensure everything meets our standards.

The factory has been in regular contact with a new housing supplier to confirm the correct finish and colour, while we’ve also been reformatting the keyboard layouts to suit the factory’s production requirements. At the same time, work has been progressing on the PCBA , which is a critical stage in getting everything ready for production.

Everything is on track, and we’ll continue to keep you updated every step of the way.

Thank you again for your continued support!

31 July 2025 - Production Update

We are reaching out with a transparent and honest update on the progress of your StarFighter order. Many of you have been patiently waiting for quite some time so first and foremost, thank you for your trust, enthusiasm, and patience throughout this journey.

When we reopened orders in January, we estimated a 3–5 month lead time, which was revised to 6 months. While we’ve made progress, we’re now facing further delays, something we know is deeply frustrating, and for that, we sincerely apologise.

The reality is that production at the original factory has not moved forward as expected. Although we were advised by our IDH (Independent Design House) to use this facility and have worked with them successfully in the past, they have let us down. Progress was far slower than needed, and we weren’t prioritised as we should have been. This has caused considerable frustration on our side as well.

In response, we’ve decided to move production to our long-standing, trusted manufacturing partner - the factory responsible for all our other laptops. They know our standards inside and out, and we’re confident this shift will bring the StarFighter to completion more efficiently, even if later than initially planned.

We truly value your support and understand entirely how disappointing another delay can be. We’ve done our best to reflect the waiting time with a 10% pre-order discount, and we’re often asked if we can offer more. The honest answer is: we can’t. Going further would cut deeply into our budget for continued R&D, particularly firmware development, Linux integration, and quality assurance. It would also impact our ability to maintain stock levels and invest in future product improvements.

We’re now aiming to begin shipping orders from October. This new estimate considers the transition to our trusted factory and the required steps to complete production.

Starting today, we will send updates every other Thursday to keep you fully informed and involved throughout the process. These newsletters will share progress, what’s left to do, and key developments. We also want to reassure you that the specifications of your current order are not changing.

One important update is that HEADs will be available when the Intel StarFighters begin shipping, and you can install it easily via fwupd. We recognise this has been a frequent request and are pleased to be able to offer this feature.

We completely understand that this may not be acceptable for some people or that circumstances change, and we want to offer a few options so you can decide what works best for you:

Keep your order as is – We’ll retain your place in the queue and your payment. You don’t need to do anything, and we’ll ship your StarFighter as soon as production is complete.
Refund now, but keep your place reserved – We’ll issue a full refund but hold your reserved unit for you. When the StarFighters arrive in the UK, you can repurchase your laptop before it becomes available to others. Just a heads-up: choosing this option means you won’t be able to keep the 10% pre-order discount. This discount helps us consolidate orders to benefit from bulk production savings, which lowers costs so we can pass those savings directly to you.
Cancel your order entirely – If you’d prefer not to wait, we’ll issue a full refund and release your spot.

Thank you again for your continued patience and support. It genuinely means a great deal and allows us to build the products we care deeply about.

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