The StarBook MK VI has only just reached customers, and Star Labs is already working on the StarBook MK VII model. We can get a sneak peek at the first information on the official website.
Star Labs StarBook MK VII is coming
As it turns out, we already know more or less what the next generation of the laptop will offer. The first information has been made available on the official website, and although Star Labs has not published an official announcement, preorders can already be placed (since the MK V generation we have practically the same laptop, but it gains new processors and other improvements). The main novelty has to be the new generation of Intel Raptor Lake processors. We can choose between the i3-1315U and the i7-1360P. What is surprising, however, is the absence of the 13th generation i5. It is also still possible to order the 12th generation laptop, although only the i5-1240P variant is available right now with 1-2 days shipping time.
Another change relates drives. Until now, it has been possible to select SATA M.2 (for the cheapest option) and NVMe Gen3 drives. However, this is now limited to NVMe Gen4 only. The rest of the configuration remains the same.
We can see more changes in ports. The built-in USB-C port has been upgraded to Thunderbolt 4, which means support for data transfer at 40 Gbps. The StarBook MK VI offers a High Speed USB-C port, but at a maximum speed of 10 Gbps.
Given the lack of official announcements, there may be more changes - including talk of tweaks to things reviewers will complain about. Already, users (including me) are complaining about a noisy fan (although this has been partially fixed with the EC 1.12) and a touchpad that is only clickable in the bottom corners.
Star Labs StarBook MK VII - price
Preorders for the brand’s new laptop are now open. The minimum configuration including 8GB RAM, 500GB NVMe Gen4 SSD, i3-1315U processor and USB-C 3.1 cable is priced at £774 (excluding shipping costs). Choosing the i7-1360p processor increases the price all the way to £1172. In addition, we are talking about the promotional price associated with pre-ordering. At the same time, this is slightly more than the MK VI (by around £77), but we gain a much better drive (240 GB SATA3 vs 500 GB NVMe Gen4), a better USB-C cable and a Thunderbolt 4 connector compared to its predecessor.
Translated from polish with DeepL src: https://rootblog.pl/star-labs-starbook-mk-vii-intel-13/