For those who have not seen this before: The Framework Laptop is a 13.5" laptop with swappable mainboards, displays, ports, and more Basically, it's a laptop that has been designed in such a way...
Basically, it's a laptop that has been designed in such a way that pretty much everything on the device can be swapped out and upgraded by the user, including:
The mainboard. So if in the future you wanted to upgrade your processor, you could do that without buying a whole new laptop
RAM and storage, as should be standard on every laptop
The display
The keyboard
The ports, which are hot-swappable expansion cards that slide in and out with the press of a button
Overall I like this device and hope it is successful. There really needs to be a reversal in the trend of declining modularity of laptops. They need to be more like desktops and less like phones. I eagerly await reviews.
As for the price, I configured a maxxed-out DIY model and the price came out to $2,843 before tax, shipping, etc. That's definitely expensive, but with a 4TB SSD and 64GB of RAM it's actually very in-line with the pricing of competing devices like the ThinkPad X1 series, which can only be configured with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. You also don't even need to order the laptop with RAM, storage, or an operating system, so if you can find a better deal elsewhere on those items (and you almost certainly can) then you can save even more money.
My only complaints about the device are:
It looks too much like a Macbook and that makes me want to throw up
The keyboard layout, such as the positioning of the arrow keys, could be better
I'd really prefer a 4K+ display rather than the 3:2 1440p+ display, even if it meant dropping to a 16:10 aspect ratio
I think MacBooks are ugly. The large touchpads are nice, but I find the rest of the design to be bland and ugly, in the same way that a Toyota Corolla is ugly. The Framework laptop, being pretty...
I think MacBooks are ugly. The large touchpads are nice, but I find the rest of the design to be bland and ugly, in the same way that a Toyota Corolla is ugly.
The Framework laptop, being pretty much the exact opposite of a MacBook, really should have had a different design. The keyboard layout is especially sad and basically that of the MacBook Air. I would have much preferred a chassis design with harder edges, or literal cut corners like those on the Spectre x360 and MSI Summit E13 Flip.
MacBooks are unfortunately popular products, so it's not hard to infer the reason why the Framework laptop's design is so similar.
You make some good points. I think given the target market of the Framework laptop they could have made it look like a T430 Thinkpad and it would sell just as well, maybe better.
You make some good points. I think given the target market of the Framework laptop they could have made it look like a T430 Thinkpad and it would sell just as well, maybe better.
I feel the opposite and in favor of this design. What other laptop look do you prefer? Edit: I saw you prefer Spectre x360 and MSI Summit E13 Flip, looks good too but to each its own.
It looks too much like a Macbook and that makes me want to throw up
I feel the opposite and in favor of this design. What other laptop look do you prefer?
Edit: I saw you prefer Spectre x360 and MSI Summit E13 Flip, looks good too but to each its own.
I cannot adequately express how incredibly hyped I am for this laptop. I've been thinking about replacing my little Thinkpad for a while and this looks amazing! If they can pull it off and Linux...
I cannot adequately express how incredibly hyped I am for this laptop. I've been thinking about replacing my little Thinkpad for a while and this looks amazing! If they can pull it off and Linux support isn't a disaster, I think I have found my new laptop.
I thought the same! Plus I'm encouraged by their note about linux compatibility... I wouldn't expect it to be perfect out of the gate...but the very fact that they even considered/thought about...
I thought the same! Plus I'm encouraged by their note about linux compatibility...
...we’ve also tested for compatibility with common Linux distributions and will be publishing guides on using them...
I wouldn't expect it to be perfect out of the gate...but the very fact that they even considered/thought about linux is wonderful!
Their FAQ says more expansion cards are coming, and they'll have community-built cards made available too. It's bound to happen if they go that route. Pretty exciting system imo.
Their FAQ says more expansion cards are coming, and they'll have community-built cards made available too. It's bound to happen if they go that route. Pretty exciting system imo.
Not if the expansion bays don't have enough bandwidth for Thunderbolt. That may be why it's not available. The USB-C ports could be 10 Gb/s, but Thunderbolt is 40 Gb/s.
It's bound to happen if they go that route.
Not if the expansion bays don't have enough bandwidth for Thunderbolt. That may be why it's not available. The USB-C ports could be 10 Gb/s, but Thunderbolt is 40 Gb/s.
This is interesting! I have been wanting a new laptop for a bit, so I'll follow this and wait for some reviews. My ideal setup is a laptop with a docking station that has its own GPU to expand the...
This is interesting! I have been wanting a new laptop for a bit, so I'll follow this and wait for some reviews.
My ideal setup is a laptop with a docking station that has its own GPU to expand the laptop's capabilities. The last time I checked this was still a while off from being the right mix of affordable/functional for my taste, so I've been putting off buying one, haha.
Tom's Guide had almost nothing but good things to say about their hands-on time with the laptop at Framework's office. Also, at least for the base pre-built $999 configuration, Framework has moved...
Tom's Guide had almost nothing but good things to say about their hands-on time with the laptop at Framework's office.
Also, at least for the base pre-built $999 configuration, Framework has moved on to placing orders into their second batch due to ship in August. I guess that's a good sign that the product is actually selling.
Anyone know if they are planning a larger screen size in the future, assuming this does well? Can't say I'd ever go back to a 13" screen size, but I do really appreciate this design of this.
Anyone know if they are planning a larger screen size in the future, assuming this does well? Can't say I'd ever go back to a 13" screen size, but I do really appreciate this design of this.
Heads up: Pre-order is US only. This is not obvious during the ordering process, I got rejected at the end…
Why do companies do this anyways? Wouldn't it make more sense to launch in as many markets at the same time as possible?
For a small company, it makes sense to launch in one market and get all the kinks ironed out before moving on to other markets.
Also especially notebook keyboards are different in a lot of different countries
For those who have not seen this before:
Basically, it's a laptop that has been designed in such a way that pretty much everything on the device can be swapped out and upgraded by the user, including:
Overall I like this device and hope it is successful. There really needs to be a reversal in the trend of declining modularity of laptops. They need to be more like desktops and less like phones. I eagerly await reviews.
As for the price, I configured a maxxed-out DIY model and the price came out to $2,843 before tax, shipping, etc. That's definitely expensive, but with a 4TB SSD and 64GB of RAM it's actually very in-line with the pricing of competing devices like the ThinkPad X1 series, which can only be configured with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. You also don't even need to order the laptop with RAM, storage, or an operating system, so if you can find a better deal elsewhere on those items (and you almost certainly can) then you can save even more money.
My only complaints about the device are:
... why such a strong reaction to the design of a Macbook?
De gustibus non est disputandum
There can be understanding, though. I’m not trying to coerce you into liking MacBooks.
I think MacBooks are ugly. The large touchpads are nice, but I find the rest of the design to be bland and ugly, in the same way that a Toyota Corolla is ugly.
The Framework laptop, being pretty much the exact opposite of a MacBook, really should have had a different design. The keyboard layout is especially sad and basically that of the MacBook Air. I would have much preferred a chassis design with harder edges, or literal cut corners like those on the Spectre x360 and MSI Summit E13 Flip.
MacBooks are unfortunately popular products, so it's not hard to infer the reason why the Framework laptop's design is so similar.
You make some good points. I think given the target market of the Framework laptop they could have made it look like a T430 Thinkpad and it would sell just as well, maybe better.
I feel the opposite and in favor of this design. What other laptop look do you prefer?
Edit: I saw you prefer Spectre x360 and MSI Summit E13 Flip, looks good too but to each its own.
Hands-On with Framework's Fully Modular Laptop
I cannot adequately express how incredibly hyped I am for this laptop. I've been thinking about replacing my little Thinkpad for a while and this looks amazing! If they can pull it off and Linux support isn't a disaster, I think I have found my new laptop.
I thought the same! Plus I'm encouraged by their note about linux compatibility...
I wouldn't expect it to be perfect out of the gate...but the very fact that they even considered/thought about linux is wonderful!
It's a shame it doesn't appear to have any Thunderbolt expansion cards available.
Their FAQ says more expansion cards are coming, and they'll have community-built cards made available too. It's bound to happen if they go that route. Pretty exciting system imo.
Not if the expansion bays don't have enough bandwidth for Thunderbolt. That may be why it's not available. The USB-C ports could be 10 Gb/s, but Thunderbolt is 40 Gb/s.
Ah you may be right, I didn't consider that.
This is interesting! I have been wanting a new laptop for a bit, so I'll follow this and wait for some reviews.
My ideal setup is a laptop with a docking station that has its own GPU to expand the laptop's capabilities. The last time I checked this was still a while off from being the right mix of affordable/functional for my taste, so I've been putting off buying one, haha.
Tom's Guide had almost nothing but good things to say about their hands-on time with the laptop at Framework's office.
Also, at least for the base pre-built $999 configuration, Framework has moved on to placing orders into their second batch due to ship in August. I guess that's a good sign that the product is actually selling.
Anyone know if they are planning a larger screen size in the future, assuming this does well? Can't say I'd ever go back to a 13" screen size, but I do really appreciate this design of this.