Griffin Li

The Framework Laptop 13 is a great laptop. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a laptop who doesn’t need significant compute power. To me, what’s most compelling about it is the freedom users have and Linux support.

My Framework configuration is Ryzen 7840U / 2.8K display / 64GB RAM / 4TB storage, and I’m running the Fedora KDE spin.

Freedom

Most major laptop manufacturers don’t give you much freedom to do what you’d like with their hardware. Many recent laptops are difficult to take apart, difficult to repair (using glue in places such as the screen assembly), and difficult to upgrade (with soldered components). Apple, for example, solders memory and storage, uses software to prevent unofficial repair parts from working properly, and charges extremely high repair fees for cracked screens (high enough that many people opt to get a new laptop when that happens). In contrast, Framework encourages you to tinker and gives you the freedom to repair, upgrade, and modify it as you see fit.

Repairability is the most valuable aspect to me. No matter what happens to my laptop, I can repair it myself using reasonably-priced parts that I can purchase directly from Framework. If I break the screen, I can buy the same screen for $269 and follow their guide to replace it in 15 minutes. If I spill water on the keyboard and trackpad, I can swap in a new set for $99 and replace it in five minutes. Same with the webcam, motherboard, and USB ports. The laptop has been designed for ease of repair: screws are favored over adhesives, and components are separated into distinct, replaceable pieces. There’s no need to buy a warranty for accidental damage, and in fact, Framework doesn’t even sell one.

The laptop is also upgradable. As the company has released improved hardware in their newest laptops, they’ve also released parts and kits compatible with previous-generation laptops. Someone who purchased a Framework two years ago could buy a better display, faster processor, and a SD card port. I don’t forsee myself using the same laptop indefinitely (upgrading each component over time) because the chassis and various internal components would wear out, but it’s nice to be able to upgrade my laptop if there’s an especially useful new feature in the future.

Consumers have freedom in one additional way: once they’re done with the laptop, there’s an ecosystem of products built by third-party companies and individual makers to repurpose the Framework Laptop’s hardware. I can put my laptop’s motherboard and Wi-Fi card into the $39 Cooler Master Mainboard Case, effectively turning it into a Mac Mini / Raspberry Pi. I could even build a keyboard computer – an external keyboard that contains the computer inside. Framework actively encourages this open ecosystem by publishing CAD files of the laptop chassis and writing extensive documentation on the components inside.

One more nice feature is Expansion Cards, which are USB-C adapters for various ports that fit within the laptop chassis. This lets you choose the ports, and quantities, you want in your laptop. While that alone isn’t a major value add for me, Framework actively supports makers who build custom expansion cards. I’m not aware of any mass-produced third-party card, but there’s the prospect of useful expansion cards like cellular data and NFC.

Linux

I think Linux is the best operating system for anyone interested in technology to use, and I think the Framework Laptop is the best laptop for Linux. It’s great for Linux because the company’s engineers have spent a lot of effort to make Linux function properly out-of-the-box, which means that you don’t need to troubleshoot any issues that require in-depth knowledge of the laptop’s hardware or the Linux kernel. On a fresh Linux install, the laptop just works: the trackpad, including multi-touch gestures, works great, and all the hardware (display, camera, microphone, Wi-Fi module) is detected and functional. The 2.8K display allows you to run Linux at 200% scaling, which makes fonts look better.

I wrote about why to use Linux and how to migrate from MacOS here.

The Hardware

It’s a solid laptop overall. The screen has a high-resolution 120hz display, and it has a 3:2 aspect ratio, which means the screen is more square-shaped than most laptops (which have less screen height for the same length). After getting used to my Framework, the screens on MacBook Pros feel cramped. It’s especially nice for document-based work (reading, writing, coding). It has slightly rounded corners on top, as a cost-saving measure for Framework, but it doesn’t affect my use of the laptop – it just hides a couple of background-colored pixels. The keyboard is great and has good key travel, the trackpad is sufficient, the webcam is great (they updated it to a sensor that uses pixel binning to improve low light performance), and the build quality is similar to that of its competition (solid, but not as nice as a MacBook). The speakers aren’t great, but they sound better when tuned through a community Easy Effects profile.

There’s a physical toggle to disable the microphone and camera, which I appreciate. Even though MacBooks have an indicator light for webcam activity that can’t be bypassed, it’s nice to have a physical disconnect. Additionally, very few laptops have similar hardware for microphones.

You can configure it with a blank keyboard, which is very cool. Before Framework, I’d only heard of that being a possiblity on external keyboards. I have one on my laptop, but it’s not as great as I thought it would be because I need to guess at function keys and modifiers, plus it’s difficult to type with one hand.

Framework sells a Storage Expansion Card in 250GB or 1TB sizes, which is quite novel: it’s external storage that sits flush within the chassis of your computer. I think the best use-case for this is if you primarily run Windows and want to occasionally dual-boot Linux. I have Linux on the laptop’s internal drive so I installed Windows 11 To Go on an expansion card. It’s enough for light tasks but data/compute-intensive workloads are better suited for an internal drive.

I recommend skipping Framework’s $50 power adapter (60W) and getting the Anker Nano 100W for the same price. It’s smaller and easier to transport. With 100W, the Framework’s battery can charge at maximum speed (consuming 61W), while the remaining wattage powers your normal use of the laptop.

Price and Competition

The Framework Laptop 13 with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, a 2.8K display, and 4 USB-C ports, without RAM or storage, is $1265. For someone on more of a budget, replacing the Ryzen 7 with the Ryzen 5 7640U would be $985 for the laptop. I recommend purchasing RAM and storage on Amazon since Framework charges a sizeable markup if you buy from them directly. Add on 32GB RAM for $80, and a 1TB SSD for $55, and the Ryzen 7 model becomes $1400.

From what I’ve seen, the most common decision a prospective Framework buyer makes is between it and a MacBook Pro. Those are two products with very different philosophies, but each with unique offerings: Framework in repairability, Apple in tuning everything to near-perfection and battery life.

The MacBook Air M3 starts at $1100 for 16GB RAM / 256GB SSD, but many people wouldn’t consider 256GB of storage sufficient, so upgrading to 512GB results in a $1300 machine, and then upgrading either storage to 1TB or RAM to 24GB is a $1500 machine. The M3 has similar CPU and GPU performance to the Ryzen 7 7840U, and similar (though slightly less) RAM/storage, and a similar screen, webcam, and keyboard, so these are similar laptops for about the same price. Once you upgrade the MacBook Air further, however, it delivers significantly less bang for the buck. Going to 24GB RAM and 1TB storage is $1700, while 24GB RAM and 2TB storage is $2100.

The MacBook Pro M4 starts at $1600 for 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD. It has a somewhat faster processor than the Framework, a moderately better screen (better display technology but similar resolution and same refresh rate), and better build quality, but is $200 more for half the RAM and storage of the $1400 Framework. Upgrading to match the RAM and storage, the MacBook Pro would cost $2200.

So while the MacBooks start out with similar value as the Framework, once you make some RAM and storage upgrades, the Framework is much more compelling. This gets more vivid as RAM and storage increase: Apple charges $600 to upgrade a MacBook Pro to 64GB RAM, and $1200 for 4TB storage, for $1800 total compared to $410 on Amazon for the Framework ($160 for memory and $250 for storage). Additionally, because of Apple charging roughly $750 for a MacBook Pro screen replacement, you really should get AppleCare+ for $280, which makes MacBook pricing even less compelling. In my opinion, the main reason to get a Mac is if you need substantial compute power or VRAM, in which case a M4 Max with 36/48/64/128GB unified memory is unmatched amongst 14-inch laptops.

As for Windows laptops, most ultrabooks don’t offer much more than the Framework does. The Surface Laptop and XPS 14, two of the most prominent ones, are better in small ways but don’t have a value-add comparable to Framework’s. Gaming laptops, howevever, are a great contender. The ROG Zephyrus G14 and Razer Blade 14 are both of a similar size (though slightly heavier) than the Framework, with much more CPU power (HS-series) and GPU power (RTX 4070). If you need the power, you could either get a gaming laptop or get a desktop in addition to a Framework, both of which have various pros and cons.

Overall, unless you need lots of compute, the Framework Laptop 13 is excellent.