When Framework’s repairable and upgradeable Laptop 13 came out a few years ago, it was exactly the disruption we needed in the portable computing space. Here was a laptop that let you customize its guts when ordering, then you could upgrade or repair various components as needed. It was expensive, but you wouldn’t have to shell out a wad of cash for a new laptop every five years just because you don’t have enough RAM.
The company is back to do it again. Earlier this week, Framework announced the Laptop 12 alongside a new desktop PC. The Laptop 12 is a budget laptop that doesn’t look awful, is fully modular, and doesn’t skimp on the performance and display. If it sounds too good to be true, you’re not alone. We don’t know the price yet, which is incredibly important. But keeping it a “budget” laptop is Framework’s stated goal.
“We build products to fix what we see as a broken industry, and few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops,” says Framework CEO Nirav Patel on the company’s blog. Whether or not Framework has the antidote, Patel is right about the diagnosis. Shopping for a cheap Windows laptop today will leave you depressed about the state of the industry. They’re often underpowered and slow, not to mention quite ugly.
Chromebook Killer
The Framework Laptop 12 has a small 12.2-inch screen, hence the name. But it’s a convertible 2-in-1 laptop, meaning it has a 360-degree hinge that lets you flip the screen around to use it as a tablet. With that comes a touchscreen and optional stylus—a first for Framework.
We’re still missing several details to complete the picture, like the laptop’s thickness and weight—those details will arrive when preorders open up in April—but photos of the machine show a stylish PC that looks better than any budget laptop I’ve ever seen. The five bold, new color options don’t hurt either.
It has some very thick bezels around the display, though, something you won’t find outside the budget Chromebook world these days. The Laptop 12 makes up for it by ensuring the display is better than what you’d typically find on a budget laptop. It has a 1920 X 1200-pixel resolution and up to 400 nits of brightness (the MacBook Air tops out at 500 nits).
Framework’s key selling point once again is modularity. Unlike Chromebooks—and virtually all Windows laptops—the Framework Laptop 12 is fully modular, just like its bigger siblings. The Mainboard system is still in place, allowing you to easily swap out the CPU (and attached motherboard) for something more up-to-date years down the line. It’s so easy that an IT administrator could upgrade a boatload of these PCs in just a few hours.
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