Framework Laptop review: The anti-MacBook has arrived
Our Verdict
The Framework Laptop is versatile, like shooting fish in a barrel to deport, and well-made, all while providing owners unparalleled ease of admission to upgrade and repair it.
For
- Slim and portable
- Tall 3:2 screen looks great
- Excellent keyboard
- Unprecedented admission to modify and repair
Confronting
- Unimpressive speakers with weak bass
- Fan is loud and unpredictable
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Framework Laptop is versatile, easy to carry, and well-made, all while providing owners unparalleled ease of admission to upgrade and repair it.
Pros
- +
Slim and portable
- +
Tall 3:2 screen looks corking
- +
Excellent keyboard
- +
Unprecedented access to modify and repair
Cons
- -
Unimpressive speakers with weak bass
- -
Fan is loud and unpredictable
Framework Laptop (Professional SKU) specs
Price: $1,399 equally reviewed, $769 - $2,000+ based on config
Display: xiii.five-inch iii:2 display (ii,256 ten 1,504 pixels)
CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD
Ports: 3.5mm audio jack, 4x configurable Expansion Cards
Size: 11.67 ten 9 x 0.62 inches
Weight: 2.8 pounds
The Framework Laptop is ane of the most exciting PCs to cantankerous my desk-bound in the past decade. This is the anti-MacBook, the laptop that promises to allow you customize, repair, and upgrade it to an unprecedented degree, all while remaining affordable and ultraportable.
When Framework revealed the laptop in 2021, I was excited about those promises merely dubious the visitor could evangelize on them without some glaring sacrifices. Now that I've spent a few weeks reviewing one, I'm pleased to report that Framework appears to have stuck the landing.
The Framework Laptop ($749 to outset, $1,399 as reviewed) nosotros reviewed is versatile, well-made, and one of the all-time laptops you can buy — peculiarly if you lot care nigh your right to repair and tinker with your devices.
Framework Laptop review: Cost and configurations
- Priced between $1,000 - $2,000
- As cheap as $750 if you provide some components & assemble yourself
The Framework laptop is currently merely available for purchase from the Framework website, and the price tag starts at $999 — though you lot tin can pay equally low as $749 for the DIY Edition if you're willing to assemble your laptop yourself and provide your own retentivity, storage, operating system, and Wi-Fi bill of fare.
The base configuration of the Framework costs $999 pre-assembled and comes with an Intel Cadre i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB NVMe SSD with Windows 10 Abode.
The performance configuration, which has a starting price of $1,399, gets you double the memory and storage (16GB DDR4 and a 512GB NVMe SSD) plus a Cadre i7-1165G7 CPU and copy of Windows 10 Home.
The top-of-the-line professional person configuration starts at $1,999, and for that you're getting an even more powerful Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 32GB DDR4 RAM, a 1TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6 plus vPro for enterprise work, and a re-create of Windows 10 Pro.
Due to the ongoing flake shortage, the company has had difficulty getting consistent supplies of one component. And so it offered pre-orders in batches, and is at present selling laptops in batches too: Each batch has its ain ship date listed when y'all lodge, and equally of publication all configurations are shipping about a month or two subsequently y'all order them.
Framework Laptop review: Pattern
- As light and thin as a MacBook Air
- Yet somehow still fully user-accessible
- Each replaceable part labelled with a handy QR code
The Framework sports a slim, unassuming aluminum chassis that blends correct in with all the other laptops in the java shop. Measuring in at 11.67 x nine ten 0.62 inches and just 2.8 pounds, this DIY ultraportable is as thin and just a hair lighter than Apple'southward MacBook Air with M1. That's an fifty-fifty more impressive feat when you consider that the Framework team achieved that 0.62-inch thinness while still ensuring the major components of the laptop are modular and user-replaceable, rather than soldered to the lath the mode they are in the MacBook Air.
While the sleek and subtle design of the Framework chassis is easy on the eyes, the nigh exciting aspects are hidden abroad inside. To get in that location, you lot loosen five small screws on the bottom of the laptop. They're common Torx T5 screws then y'all should have lilliputian trouble finding a screwdriver to fit them, and Framework as well ships every laptop with a packed-in screwdriver/spudger that has a swappable T5/PH0 bit which fits every spiral on the Framework.
Loosen the case screws and it becomes possible to lift the peak of the keyboard deck (Framework calls it the Input Embrace) away from the machine, exposing the neatly ordered guts within. This is the heart of the Framework'due south hope: all the major components are clearly labeled and built to be swapped out, from the battery to the heat sink to the mainboard. It's the near user-friendly approach to PC upgrades I've e'er seen, as each swappable component is labeled with a QR code you can browse to become more information on the part and a guide on how to supervene upon it. Framework is planning to tie fifty-fifty more than functionality to these QR codes in the future, including links to purchase upgrades or resell parts on a hereafter Framework Marketplace.
As long as you're conscientious, futzing around with the Framework'southward innards is pretty idiot-proof. I know because I'chiliad an idiot.
I wish all PC component makers would include QR codes on their products, and I promise all laptop manufacturers will beginning treating their customers with the aforementioned respect Framework does. The accessibility of Framework'south laptop is such a refreshing alter of pace from the way other laptop manufacturers do business: even if y'all never experience the urge to tinker with your laptop's innards, just knowing that the Framework is designed to let you lot upgrade and repair it offers meaningful peace of mind.
And every bit long every bit you're careful, futzing effectually with the Framework'south innards is pretty idiot-proof. I know because I'm an idiot, and fifty-fifty though it took me longer than I'd like to realize simple truths (including that the example screws are captive and not meant to come up out so stop tugging on them, you fool) I managed not to break annihilation. The merely real danger is damaging the ribbon cable which connects the touchpad to the motherboard, but that tin be unplugged with relative ease.
The display is also replaceable, and the bezel around it pops right off so you lot can quickly swap it out for other color options. Our review unit of measurement arrived with merely a black bezel, but the visitor has shown off a cherry-red variant and has plans to offer more for auction through the Framework Marketplace in the time to come.
Framework Laptop review: Display
The xiii.5-inch display itself is abrupt and functional, with a tall 3:two display ratio that accommodates a 2,256 x 1,504 resolution. three:2 displays on laptops have become more than common in contempo years, and I'thou all for information technology — the extra vertical space helps you lot see more than of a document or website at once, and that means less scrolling during mean solar day-to-day tasks.
It works well for entertainment too, every bit I discovered while watching my fashion through Amazon's The Tomorrow State of war and Making the Cut season two during this review. The Framework's display has nice wide viewing angles, and information technology makes colors look crisp and vibrant, ensuring Tim Gunn'south salmon-shaded tie clearly stood out against his cerulean shirt.
In our testing, the Framework's brandish achieved 112.five% of the sRGB spectrum, which means it's enough colorful and close to the 100% sRGB ideal you might want if y'all're going to be doing serious photo editing. And the screen gets pretty bright, achieving an boilerplate effulgence of 418 nits and a superlative brightness of 440 nits in our tests. That'due south dimmer than the non-OLED Dell XPS 13 (469 nits) only brighter than competition like the M1-equipped MacBook Air (365 nits). This is important considering dim laptop screens tend to await terrible in bright low-cal, but in my experience the Framework gets plenty bright enough for comfy use outdoors — though you lot'll still exist staring at your reflection quite a chip in straight sunlight.
Framework Laptop review: Ports
- i headphone jack + 4 user-configurable ports
- Choose-your-own port system offers unparalleled laptop customization
The port options on the Framework are wonderful considering to a sure extent, they're completely upwards to yous. At that place's only one port on the Framework you can't change: The 3.5mm audio jack built into the left side of the laptop.
The residuum of the laptop's ports are user-configurable thanks to the Framework's unique expansion card arrangement. The bottom of the laptop sports 4 slots, each of which accepts a Framework Expansion Card that slides in with a click and connects to the laptop via USB-C. Swapping them out is as simple as holding the security take hold of which secures the cards and sliding ane out, then sliding some other one in. You can even hotswap ports while the laptop is running; Windows just reads it as swapping ane USB device for another.
During the review I found this incredibly useful. For starters, you can put a USB-C port on either (or both) sides of the laptop to make plugging in the charger more convenient. Need to pull images off your DSLR? Bandy in a microSD card reader for a few minutes, so swap information technology out for something more useful when you're washed.
Currently, Expansion Cards come in two flavors: storage (250 GB or 1 TB each) and ports (USB-A, USB-C, MicroSD, DisplayPort, and HDMI). The Framework ships with 4 USB-C cards past default, but y'all tin can mix and match to your heart'due south desire. Just be aware they have unlike costs: the MicroSD bill of fare reader, DisplayPort, and HDMI cards are each $ten more the USB cards, while the storage cards are currently $69 for 250 GB and $149 for 1 TB.
Framework says it has plans to release a broader diversity of Expansion Cards (like say, headphone amps) in the time to come, also every bit the goal of releasing the reference designs and specs for partner companies and the community to employ in designing their own cards.
Framework Laptop review: Performance
- Powerful plenty for work
- Non great for cut-edge games
The Framework configuration nosotros tested performed well under pressure, treatment the gauntlet that is my unorganized work procedure (30+ open tabs in Chrome with multiple audio and video streams running simultaneously) without any noticeable stutter or heat issues. However, the laptop's cooling fans occasionally kicked in during daily utilize, and they're awfully loud.
When we put the Framework to the test using the GeekBench 5.iv multicore CPU benchmarking tool, the modular laptop with its Intel Cadre i7-1165G7 CPU earned a respectable score of iv,423. That's expert enough for well-nigh day-to-twenty-four hours work, but information technology pales in comparison to scores earned by the Core i7-equipped Dell XPS 13 (v,524) or the AMD Ryzen 7-equipped Asus ZenBook 13 OLED (half-dozen,411).
To get a sense of how quickly the Framework's SSD can move data around we also tasked information technology with copying thousands of multimedia files — 25 GB in total — and measured how fast it completed the chore. The Framework accomplished a superlative transfer speed of 787.32 MBps, a neat score that tops those earned by the Dell XPS 13 (742 MBps) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (562 MBps) in the aforementioned test. However, it's non quite as speedy every bit the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED (873 MBps) or the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (869 MBps).
The Framework probably won't be your platonic choice for editing video, only it tin handle the work in a pinch. When we asked the Framework to transcode a 4K video down to 1080p via Handbrake, it completed the chore in an boilerplate of 13 minutes and 9 seconds. That's pretty good, and it'southward faster than the Dell XPS 13 (18:12), the 13-inch Surface Laptop 4 (17:01) or the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (sixteen:24). However, it's still a few minutes slower than the AMD-powered Asus Zenbook thirteen OLED (8:22).
While the Framework'south lack of a detached GPU makes it a poor choice for playing graphically demanding games, the Core i7 CPU gives information technology enough muscle to play older and less enervating games well. I had a lot of fun noodling around in games like Crusader Kings III and Othercide on the Framework, merely don't look to run Cyberpunk 2077 on this thing.
Framework Laptop review: Audio
- Speakers can get loud
- Bass sounds muted
The speakers on the Framework can get loud enough to cause real issues with your neighbors, as I discovered commencement-hand during testing. They should exist plenty loud enough for your needs, and the quality of sound they kick out is pretty proficient.
The bass is pretty muted compared to another laptops (I'm thinking specifically of the Microsoft Surface Laptop iv), simply vocals like those on Pecker Withers' "Lovely Mean solar day" audio clear and warm.
Framework Laptop review: Keyboard and touchpad
- Keyboard feels groovy to type on
- Fingerprint reader in the ability push is a overnice impact
I've typed on a good number of laptop keyboards this year, and the Framework is easily my favorite. My big hands residue comfortably on the deck, each key is large plenty — and more importantly, has enough infinite effectually information technology — that I rarely hit another cardinal by fault, and the one.5mm of key travel is enough to brand every fundamental press feel satisfying and singled-out. The fingerprint reader congenital into the ability button is besides a nice bear on.
The touchpad beneath the keyboard is also easy to attain and comfortable to use. In my feel, the all-time touchpads are the ones you don't have much to say about, because they just work. The Framework has just such a touchpad, and in my feel it's reliable and works well. I had no bug using it throughout my workday, whether I was using Windows gesture controls to bandy between apps or tapping and swiping through some afterwards-hours spider web browsing.
Framework Laptop review: Webcam
- 1080p webcam delivers expert epitome quality
- Dissever switches for physically disabling webcam/microphone
The 1080p webcam built into the top lip of the Framework'south display is a welcome alter from the grainy 720p cameras then many modernistic laptops still sport. It captures vibrant images, and during Zoom calls the video quality is clear and smooth. There'southward no IR camera for facial hallmark via Windows Hello, but you can utilise the fingerprint reader on the keyboard for biometric authentication.
The physical privacy shutter built into the photographic camera is a nice bear upon. The webcam is flanked by a pair of small plastic switches: the ane on the left cuts power to the microphone, the i on the right cuts ability to the camera. It's a level of respect for user privacy that I wish all laptop manufacturers would testify their customers, even if I think most of us will never have cause to intendance.
Framework Laptop review: Heat
- Laptop gets warm just not hot
- Loud fan sometimes kicks on during daily use
The Framework can go warm enough to keep your lap toasty, but in the course of testing it never became uncomfortable, even when playing games. When we used our infrared heat gun to accept the laptop's temperature after it spent fifteen minutes under heavy load, we constitute the hottest point (topping out at 98.4 degrees) is on the middle of the underside, virtually the hinge.
However, I did observe some serious fan noise coming out of the laptop. Non ever during heavy use, either; to the contrary, a few times I was standing across the room doing something else entirely when suddenly I'd hear the Framework's fans kick on. I haven't been able to isolate why this occasionally happened with our review unit, and it doesn't impact performance or employ in any mode, but it is surprisingly loud.
Framework Laptop review: Battery life
- 10+ hours of battery life
- Bombardment charges chop-chop
The Framework's battery doesn't intermission any records, but information technology's good plenty to go you through a day of work without needing to pack a charger. In our battery test, which sets the laptop's screen brightness to 150 nits and tasks it with endlessly browsing the web via Wi-Fi, the Framework lasted ten hours and 17 minutes. That's better than the Dell XPS thirteen (7:59), though not nearly equally long-lived every bit the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (13:33) or the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED (15:00). And of course, it all the same can't come close to matching the MacBook Pro with M1's remarkable 16-hour bombardment life.
Still, ten+ hours on a single charge is nothing to sneeze at. The Framework charges speedily, too; I plugged it in at 5% ability, and well-nigh an hour later the battery was up to 74% ability.
Framework Laptop review: Verdict
There'south a lot to love nearly Framework's countdown laptop. Working on it is downright comfortable thanks to the nice tall screen and spacious, satisfying keyboard. It's thin and light enough to throw in a handbag for all-day carry, and the 10-60 minutes battery life should let yous get away with not packing a charger. Plus, the swappable bill of fare organisation lets you reconfigure it on the fly with any ports you'll need for the day.
Simply the real selling indicate is how wonderfully accessible and repairable the Framework Laptop is, and the value of that volition vary greatly depending on how excited you are to crack i open. For those of us who prize having piece of cake admission to our devices, the Framework is the all-time instance withal that laptops can exist powerful, portable, user-accessible, and however sold for a competitive price. Information technology'due south a real achievement, one I'd like to run into other laptop manufacturers re-create.
Only if you'd rather not worry virtually swapping out pieces of your laptop, there are other devices on the marketplace which deliver better performance than the Framework for less. The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED, for example, is an splendid ultraportable that tops out at effectually $1k and offers a gorgeous OLED screen, bully performance, and fantastic battery life.
And of course, a large role of the Framework Laptop'southward value is tied up in how well the company supports the community post-launch. Framework has admirable plans to keep releasing new expansion cards and components, too as reference designs and specs and so both partner companies and the community at large tin can build their own accessories and sell them on the Framework Marketplace.
If that all pans out, owning a Framework Laptop could grant you access to a community of fans and vendors for years to come. But if Framework tin can't follow through on its promises, Framework owners might end upwardly on their own.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/framework-laptop-review-hands-on-the-anti-macbook-is-here
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