The StarFighter and StarBook Horizon Are Now Qubes OS Certified
Official Qubes OS certification
The StarFighter and StarBook Horizon Are Now Qubes OS Certified
Two laptops, more choice and another step towards a more open computing experience.
At Star Labs, we've always believed that choosing your hardware shouldn't mean compromising on your choice of operating system. That's why we're particularly pleased to see the certified models recognised by the Qubes OS developers.
Whether you're looking for the performance of the StarFighter or the portability of the StarBook Horizon, you now have more choice when selecting Qubes OS-certified hardware.
Certification applies to specific hardware configurations. Below, we'll cover exactly which options are supported, the Qubes OS versions they require and a few important details to keep in mind.
Core Ultra 5
Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, 32GB LPDDR5X and QHD display.
Core Ultra 9
Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, 64GB LPDDR5X and 4K display.
Core i3-N305
The Standard configuration of our compact StarBook Horizon.
What Does Qubes OS Certification Mean?
Qubes OS is an operating system designed with security in mind. It uses virtualisation to keep different activities separated, helping to limit the impact if an application or part of the system is compromised.
Because Qubes OS relies on specific hardware capabilities, compatibility is especially important. That's where hardware certification comes in.
Qubes-certified computers are tested by the Qubes OS developers to confirm that a particular hardware configuration supports the features required by a specific Qubes OS release.
Certification also requires the manufacturer to offer the same hardware configuration, including components such as the motherboard, screen, BIOS version and Wi-Fi module, for at least one year.
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StarFighter: Performance with Qubes OS Support
For those who want more processing power and memory, the StarFighter offers two Qubes OS-certified Intel configurations: Standard and Ultra.
Both are certified for Qubes OS 4.3.2 or newer.
StarFighter Standard
- Intel Core Ultra 5 125H
- 32GB LPDDR5X memory
- QHD display
StarFighter Ultra
- Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
- 64GB LPDDR5X memory
- 4K display
Storage options: All available options listed under Storage and Additional Storage are certified.
A note about the 4K display: The StarFighter Ultra's 4K display is part of a certified configuration, but Qubes OS currently lacks proper HiDPI support.
For this reason, the display runs at Full HD resolution by default. You can manually switch to 4K, although UI scaling and full-screen video playback may not work as expected.
This limitation may be addressed in a future Qubes OS release.
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StarBook Horizon: Qubes OS Certification
The StarBook Horizon Standard has also received Qubes OS hardware certification, offering another option for users looking for a portable Linux laptop with Qubes OS support.
StarBook Horizon Standard
- Intel Core i3-N305
- All available storage options
- Qubes OS 4.3.1 or newer
What about the StarBook Horizon Plus?
The StarBook Horizon Plus, powered by the Intel Core i5-1334U, has not yet been certified. At the time of the Qubes OS announcement, the developers had not received this model for testing, although they did not anticipate significant barriers to eventual certification.
Choose How You Run Qubes OS
We know that different customers prefer different ways of setting up their laptops. Some want their operating system ready to use when their machine arrives, while others prefer to install and configure everything themselves.
With the certified models, you can choose to have Qubes OS preinstalled by Star Labs or install it yourself.
Preinstalled by Star Labs
Choose Qubes OS when ordering a supported configuration, and we'll install it for you.
Install It Yourself
Prefer to handle the installation yourself? That's absolutely fine too.
Your choice doesn't affect certification. Whether Qubes OS is preinstalled or installed independently, the hardware remains certified when the specified configuration and supported Qubes OS version are used.
Certified Configurations at a Glance
Here's a quick summary of the certified options and the Qubes OS versions they support. The minimum versions shown apply within Qubes OS Release 4.
Standard
Intel Core Ultra 5 125H
32GB LPDDR5X
QHD display
Qubes OS 4.3.2+
Ultra
Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
64GB LPDDR5X
4K display
Qubes OS 4.3.2+
Standard
Intel Core i3-N305
32GB LPDDR5X
500-nit 90Hz 3:2 display
Qubes OS 4.3.1+
Before choosing a configuration: The StarFighter AMD and StarBook Horizon Plus configurations are not currently certified. The StarFighter Ultra's 4K display also has the Qubes OS HiDPI limitations explained above.
More Choice for a More Open Future
Giving people the freedom to choose how they use their computers has always been important to us. That includes supporting operating systems that take different approaches to privacy, security and control.
With the StarFighter and StarBook Horizon joining the Qubes OS-certified hardware lineup, we're giving customers more choice in open-source computing. We look forward to building on this milestone.
Two laptops. Qubes OS certified. More choice for the people who want to make their computers their own.
Certification note: Qubes OS hardware certification confirms support for a specific hardware configuration and operating system release. It does not guarantee security or cover a manufacturer's commercial practices, shipping processes or possible physical modification of hardware in transit.
For full details, visit the official Qubes OS hardware certification documentation .
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