Framework Laptop review: The anti-MacBook has arrived
Our Verdict
The Framework Laptop is versatile, easy to deport, and well-fabricated, all while providing owners unparalleled ease of access to upgrade and repair it.
For
- Slim and portable
- Tall 3:2 screen looks groovy
- Excellent keyboard
- Unprecedented admission to modify and repair
Against
- Unimpressive speakers with weak bass
- Fan is loud and unpredictable
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Framework Laptop is versatile, easy to bear, and well-fabricated, all while providing owners unparalleled ease of access to upgrade and repair information technology.
Pros
- +
Slim and portable
- +
Tall three:2 screen looks great
- +
Fantabulous keyboard
- +
Unprecedented access to modify and repair
Cons
- -
Unimpressive speakers with weak bass
- -
Fan is loud and unpredictable
Framework Laptop (Professional SKU) specs
Price: $one,399 as reviewed, $769 - $2,000+ based on config
Brandish: 13.v-inch iii:2 brandish (2,256 x 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: xi.67 10 ix x 0.62 inches
Weight: ii.viii pounds
The Framework Laptop is one of the most exciting PCs to cross my desk in the past decade. This is the anti-MacBook, the laptop that promises to let you customize, repair, and upgrade information technology to an unprecedented degree, all while remaining affordable and ultraportable.
When Framework revealed the laptop in 2021, I was excited nigh those promises but dubious the company could deliver 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 start, $1,399 as reviewed) nosotros reviewed is versatile, well-made, and one of the best laptops y'all tin buy — especially if you lot care well-nigh your right to repair and tinker with your devices.
Framework Laptop review: Price and configurations
- Priced between $ane,000 - $2,000
- As inexpensive as $750 if y'all provide some components & assemble yourself
The Framework laptop is currently just available for purchase from the Framework website, and the price tag starts at $999 — though you can pay as low as $749 for the DIY Edition if you're willing to assemble your laptop yourself and provide your own memory, storage, operating organization, and Wi-Fi carte.
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 Home.
The performance configuration, which has a starting toll 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 x Home.
The acme-of-the-line professional person configuration starts at $i,999, and for that y'all're getting an fifty-fifty more than powerful Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 32GB DDR4 RAM, a 1TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6 plus vPro for enterprise work, and a copy of Windows 10 Pro.
Due to the ongoing chip shortage, the company has had difficulty getting consistent supplies of i component. Then information technology offered pre-orders in batches, and is now selling laptops in batches besides: Each batch has its own ship date listed when you order, and equally of publication all configurations are aircraft about a month or two afterward you society them.
Framework Laptop review: Design
- As calorie-free and thin every bit a MacBook Air
- Nevertheless somehow still fully user-attainable
- Each replaceable part labelled with a handy QR code
The Framework sports a slim, unassuming aluminum chassis that blends right in with all the other laptops in the coffee store. Measuring in at eleven.67 x ix x 0.62 inches and just 2.8 pounds, this DIY ultraportable is as thin and just a pilus lighter than Apple's MacBook Air with M1. That'due south an even more impressive feat when you lot 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 board the manner they are in the MacBook Air.
While the sleek and subtle blueprint of the Framework chassis is easy on the eyes, the most heady aspects are subconscious away inside. To get there, y'all loosen v small screws on the bottom of the laptop. They're common Torx T5 screws and so you should have fiddling trouble finding a screwdriver to fit them, and Framework also ships every laptop with a packed-in screwdriver/spudger that has a swappable T5/PH0 bit which fits every screw on the Framework.
Loosen the case screws and it becomes possible to lift the meridian of the keyboard deck (Framework calls it the Input Cover) away from the car, exposing the neatly ordered guts within. This is the heart of the Framework's promise: all the major components are clearly labeled and built to exist swapped out, from the bombardment to the heat sink to the mainboard. It'due south the most user-friendly approach to PC upgrades I've ever seen, as each swappable component is labeled with a QR lawmaking you can scan to get more data on the role and a guide on how to replace it. Framework is planning to necktie even more than functionality to these QR codes in the futurity, including links to purchase upgrades or resell parts on a hereafter Framework Marketplace.
As long as you're careful, futzing effectually with the Framework's innards is pretty idiot-proof. I know because I'm an idiot.
I wish all PC component makers would include QR codes on their products, and I hope all laptop manufacturers volition starting time treating their customers with the same respect Framework does. The accessibility of Framework'due south laptop is such a refreshing modify of pace from the way other laptop manufacturers do business: even if you never feel the urge to tinker with your laptop's innards, merely knowing that the Framework is designed to permit you upgrade and repair it offers meaningful peace of mind.
And as long as you're careful, futzing effectually with the Framework's innards is pretty idiot-proof. I know because I'thou an idiot, and fifty-fifty though information technology took me longer than I'd like to realize simple truths (including that the case screws are captive and non meant to come out then end tugging on them, you fool) I managed not to break anything. The only real danger is damaging the ribbon cable which connects the touchpad to the motherboard, but that can be unplugged with relative ease.
The brandish is also replaceable, and the bezel around information technology pops right off so you can quickly bandy it out for other colour options. Our review unit arrived with only a black bezel, only the visitor has shown off a blood-red variant and has plans to offering more for sale through the Framework Marketplace in the future.
Framework Laptop review: Display
The 13.five-inch brandish itself is abrupt and functional, with a tall 3:two brandish ratio that accommodates a 2,256 10 1,504 resolution. 3:2 displays on laptops have get more common in contempo years, and I'yard all for it — the actress vertical infinite helps you run into more of a document or website at once, and that means less scrolling during mean solar day-to-twenty-four hours tasks.
It works well for amusement too, equally I discovered while watching my way through Amazon's The Tomorrow War and Making the Cut flavour two during this review. The Framework'southward display has nice wide viewing angles, and it makes colors wait well-baked and vibrant, ensuring Tim Gunn'south salmon-shaded tie conspicuously stood out against his cerulean shirt.
In our testing, the Framework's display achieved 112.v% of the sRGB spectrum, which means it'southward plenty colorful and shut to the 100% sRGB platonic you might want if y'all're going to be doing serious photograph editing. And the screen gets pretty bright, achieving an average effulgence of 418 nits and a superlative brightness of 440 nits in our tests. That'south dimmer than the not-OLED Dell XPS 13 (469 nits) but brighter than competition like the M1-equipped MacBook Air (365 nits). This is important because dim laptop screens tend to await terrible in bright light, simply in my experience the Framework gets plenty vivid plenty for comfy utilise outdoors — though you'll still be staring at your reflection quite a bit in direct sunlight.
Framework Laptop review: Ports
- ane headphone jack + 4 user-configurable ports
- Choose-your-ain port arrangement offers unparalleled laptop customization
The port options on the Framework are wonderful because to a certain extent, they're completely up to you. There's only 1 port on the Framework you can't change: The iii.5mm audio jack built into the left side of the laptop.
The residue of the laptop'due south ports are user-configurable cheers to the Framework's unique expansion card system. The bottom of the laptop sports 4 slots, each of which accepts a Framework Expansion Carte du jour that slides in with a click and connects to the laptop via USB-C. Swapping them out is equally elementary every bit holding the security take hold of which secures the cards and sliding 1 out, then sliding another one in. You can even hotswap ports while the laptop is running; Windows simply reads it as swapping one 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 menu reader for a few minutes, then swap it out for something more useful when you lot're done.
Currently, Expansion Cards come in two flavors: storage (250 GB or i TB each) and ports (USB-A, USB-C, MicroSD, DisplayPort, and HDMI). The Framework ships with 4 USB-C cards by default, just you tin mix and match to your centre'due south desire. Just be aware they have unlike costs: the MicroSD bill of fare reader, DisplayPort, and HDMI cards are each $10 more than the USB cards, while the storage cards are currently $69 for 250 GB and $149 for i TB.
Framework says it has plans to release a broader variety of Expansion Cards (similar say, headphone amps) in the future, as well as the goal of releasing the reference designs and specs for partner companies and the customs to use in designing their own cards.
Framework Laptop review: Performance
- Powerful enough for piece of work
- Not dandy for cutting-edge games
The Framework configuration we tested performed well under pressure, handling the gauntlet that is my unorganized piece of work process (30+ open tabs in Chrome with multiple audio and video streams running simultaneously) without whatsoever noticeable stutter or heat issues. However, the laptop's cooling fans occasionally kicked in during daily use, and they're awfully loud.
When nosotros put the Framework to the test using the GeekBench five.4 multicore CPU benchmarking tool, the modular laptop with its Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU earned a respectable score of iv,423. That's good enough for near day-to-day work, merely it pales in comparison to scores earned by the Cadre i7-equipped Dell XPS xiii (5,524) or the AMD Ryzen seven-equipped Asus ZenBook thirteen OLED (6,411).
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 task. The Framework achieved a tiptop transfer speed of 787.32 MBps, a great score that tops those earned by the Dell XPS thirteen (742 MBps) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (562 MBps) in the same exam. However, it's non quite every bit speedy as the Asus Zenbook thirteen OLED (873 MBps) or the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (869 MBps).
The Framework probably won't be your ideal choice for editing video, but it can handle the work in a pinch. When we asked the Framework to transcode a 4K video downward to 1080p via Handbrake, it completed the task in an boilerplate of 13 minutes and 9 seconds. That's pretty proficient, and it'due south faster than the Dell XPS 13 (xviii:12), the 13-inch Surface Laptop iv (17:01) or the Samsung Milky way Volume Pro 360 (16:24). Yet, it's still a few minutes slower than the AMD-powered Asus Zenbook 13 OLED (eight:22).
While the Framework's lack of a discrete GPU makes it a poor option for playing graphically demanding games, the Cadre i7 CPU gives it enough muscle to play older and less demanding games well. I had a lot of fun noodling around in games like Crusader Kings 3 and Othercide on the Framework, but don't expect to run Cyberpunk 2077 on this thing.
Framework Laptop review: Audio
- Speakers can become loud
- Bass sounds muted
The speakers on the Framework can become loud plenty to crusade real issues with your neighbors, as I discovered first-hand during testing. They should exist plenty loud plenty for your needs, and the quality of sound they kick out is pretty good.
The bass is pretty muted compared to some other laptops (I'thou thinking specifically of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4), but vocals like those on Beak Withers' "Lovely Day" sound clear and warm.
Framework Laptop review: Keyboard and touchpad
- Keyboard feels nifty to type on
- Fingerprint reader in the power button is a nice touch
I've typed on a proficient number of laptop keyboards this year, and the Framework is easily my favorite. My large hands residuum comfortably on the deck, each key is large plenty — and more chiefly, has enough infinite around it — that I rarely hit some other key by mistake, and the ane.5mm of key travel is plenty to make every key press feel satisfying and singled-out. The fingerprint reader built into the power push is also a dainty touch.
The touchpad beneath the keyboard is besides easy to achieve and comfortable to use. In my feel, the best touchpads are the ones yous don't have much to say virtually, because they just piece of work. The Framework has just such a touchpad, and in my feel information technology's reliable and works well. I had no issues using it throughout my workday, whether I was using Windows gesture controls to bandy betwixt apps or tapping and swiping through some afterwards-hours web browsing.
Framework Laptop review: Webcam
- 1080p webcam delivers good prototype quality
- Split up switches for physically disabling webcam/microphone
The 1080p webcam built into the top lip of the Framework'due south display is a welcome change from the grainy 720p cameras so many mod laptops still sport. It captures vibrant images, and during Zoom calls the video quality is articulate and polish. In that location's no IR camera for facial authentication via Windows Hello, but you tin apply the fingerprint reader on the keyboard for biometric authentication.
The physical privacy shutter built into the photographic camera is a nice affect. The webcam is flanked by a pair of modest plastic switches: the one on the left cuts ability to the microphone, the one on the right cuts power to the photographic camera. It'south 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 crusade to care.
Framework Laptop review: Heat
- Laptop gets warm but not hot
- Loud fan sometimes kicks on during daily use
The Framework tin get warm plenty to keep your lap toasty, simply in the course of testing it never became uncomfortable, fifty-fifty when playing games. When we used our infrared heat gun to take the laptop's temperature after it spent xv minutes under heavy load, we found the hottest point (topping out at 98.4 degrees) is on the center of the underside, well-nigh the hinge.
Even so, I did detect some serious fan dissonance coming out of the laptop. Not e'er during heavy employ, either; to the opposite, a few times I was standing beyond the room doing something else entirely when all of a sudden 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 use in any fashion, but it is surprisingly loud.
Framework Laptop review: Battery life
- 10+ hours of battery life
- Bombardment charges quickly
The Framework'southward battery doesn't break whatsoever records, but information technology's skillful plenty to get you through a 24-hour interval of piece 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 incessantly browsing the web via Wi-Fi, the Framework lasted 10 hours and 17 minutes. That'south better than the Dell XPS thirteen (7:59), though not nearly as long-lived as the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (13:33) or the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED (15:00). And of grade, it still can't come close to matching the MacBook Pro with M1'southward remarkable sixteen-hour bombardment life.
Still, 10+ hours on a unmarried charge is nothing to sneeze at. The Framework charges quickly, likewise; I plugged information technology in at five% power, and virtually an hour subsequently the battery was up to 74% power.
Framework Laptop review: Verdict
There'due south a lot to love about Framework'southward inaugural laptop. Working on it is downright comfortable thanks to the nice tall screen and spacious, satisfying keyboard. Information technology's thin and light enough to throw in a handbag for all-day carry, and the x-hr battery life should let you go away with non packing a charger. Plus, the swappable card system lets you lot reconfigure it on the fly with whatever ports you'll need for the twenty-four hours.
But the real selling point is how wonderfully attainable and repairable the Framework Laptop is, and the value of that will vary greatly depending on how excited you are to scissure one open. For those of usa who prize having easy access to our devices, the Framework is the best example nonetheless that laptops can be powerful, portable, user-accessible, and still sold for a competitive price. It'south a real accomplishment, one I'd similar to see other laptop manufacturers copy.
But if you'd rather not worry about swapping out pieces of your laptop, there are other devices on the market place which evangelize better functioning than the Framework for less. The Asus Zenbook xiii OLED, for example, is an first-class ultraportable that tops out at around $1k and offers a gorgeous OLED screen, great performance, and fantastic battery life.
And of course, a big part of the Framework Laptop'south value is tied upwardly in how well the company supports the customs mail-launch. Framework has admirable plans to continue releasing new expansion cards and components, as well as reference designs and specs so both partner companies and the community at large can build their own accessories and sell them on the Framework Marketplace.
If that all pans out, owning a Framework Laptop could grant you lot access to a community of fans and vendors for years to come. But if Framework can't follow through on its promises, Framework owners might end up on their own.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/framework-laptop-review-the-anti-macbook-has-arrived
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