Framework 13: Review

What's a Framework?

A Framework laptop is designed to be environmentally friendly, easily repairable, upgradeable, and modular. The Framework Computer company has launched two models of this laptop, the 13 and 16.

According to the company's "About Us" page: "We know consumer electronics can be better for you and for the environment. Unlike most products, ours are open for you to repair and upgrade."

Additionally, the company has made their BIOS and schematics open source.

Why I decided to purchase

During May of 2023, I purchase a Mac Mini for $600 to temporary use as my daily driver to get the hang of what macOS users are used to and to also improve macOS support for my desktop applications that I was building at the time. My goal was to only use the Mac for at least a two months, afterwards switch back to my Dell Inspiration Gaming laptop. During the middle of May, I upgraded from a small 1080p ultrawide to a large 4K monitor, among other upgrades to my setup. I found out in July once I switched back to my Dell, that it actually couldn't handle 4K. Shame.

After troubleshooting and figuring out solutions to getting my Dell to work smoothly with the new monitor and the setup as a whole, I came to a conclusion to upgrade to a new laptop that can handle more, since I was finally able to afford one at the time.

I decided to get a Framework laptop as there are a lot of benefits to getting one compared to my old Dell laptop.

What I Got

I purchased a Framework on July 3rd of 2023, and it arrived 2 weeks later on the 17th. The unboxing experiencing was okay, typical really, but the fun part was actually putting it together. I got a DIY option, luckily you don't need to put literally everything together as the hard parts are done for you.

When purchasing a DIY option, you only need to install the memory and storage components, then set the keyboard in and screw it in from the bottom, lastly the bezel which is attached with magnets. A tool is already provided to make the process easy, of course you should hold onto it for future repairs and upgrades. The other only thing was to plug in the USB modals that I purchased, which will be listed below.

Specifications of my Framework 13:

Modals:

A USB A modal was purchased a year later.

Why did I purchase an audio modal if the Framework 13 already has an AUX port built-in? The Framework 16 doesn't come with one built-in and I kept thinking of that while purchasing the laptop, which why I ended up with it. Since then, Framework has updated their checkout page to not show the "Audio" modal when purchasing a 13 model, assuming I'm the only one that has done that by mistake. Although it has came in handy for the tablet I own, OnePlus Tab 1, which for whatever reason doesn't have an AUX.

I purchased the Framework without any operating system included, as I'm morally against the use Microsoft Window. The 250GB storage that came with it was therefore blank, nothing on it, as I expected.

I decided to go with what I was using previously, which was Fedora Workstation and I'm still using that today.

The overall cost of purchasing this was $1,611.20 including tax.

First Impression and Thoughts

Pardon me, the resolution is what? Yeah I never actually looked into the screen resolution before making the purchase, was surprised the built-in screen was 2K. It's not something I usually see on a laptop. The resolution was mostly no problem for me on GNOME, which is the preferred desktop environment I use and the scaling along with Wayland was no problem at all. Not a fan of it's being 150% at scale by default, I was able to work just fine at 100%(even at 4K). Why didn't I bother checking the resolution? Well I use external peripherals most of the time, I'm usually connected to my external monitor at my desk. This does make people question me why get a laptop anyway? Just get a deskto- No :) portability is nice to have at times and there have been cases where I do need the laptop not anchored to my desk. So you can shut up now about that.

The camera and microphone modal have a physical privacy switch, when they're switched off to increase privacy, something like a camera app will say "No camera found." Good. There are almost no times where I do need to use the camera and/or microphone, so I prefer to keep them disabled at all times. Privacy is important to everyone and should be considered when building products.

Speaks aren't the best, but it's better than nothing. They're located on the sides, more towards the front. I'm usually connected to external speakers or using bluetooth earbuds or headphones, so it's not often at all I even use the built-in speakers.

The laptop seemed sturdy, which is great. If I remember correctly, people have complained about the hinges on their Framework and that they have been through some revisions. The hinges on mine seem fine, so far. The form factor is small, lightweight, and convenient making it great for travel.

While I mostly use externally peripherals, yes I have had my hands on the built-in keyboard plenty of times and it's great. The travel is good and I like that they're backlit, making it convenient at night.

As for the laptop's color, I wanted a black colored laptop, not the boring plain silver-like aluminum look. I'ved looked into getting a DBrand skin for laptop. While I said I want black, the white marble skin available for the Framework 13 looks great. In terms of color to anything, the only thing Framework has came out with, are colored USB C modals. I think I'll pass on those.

Performance and Workflow

The Framework 13 doesn't break a sweat during heavy workflows, except the cooling system has failed me only two times. Until August this year, I had a bad habit for leaving the laptop in "Performance mode", enabled in the quick access menu of the GNOME desktop environment. So the system heats up and the fans kick on right away, apparently this is the case with other laptops as well. The 2 times I mentioned, the laptop overheated and will force it's built-in thermal protection mechanisms, the shut off is reasonable to prevent any damage that could occur when a system overheats. The solutions I've done is to prop the back of the laptop up with a large Chip bag clip to allow better airflow and to break the habit to leave the laptop's performance profile in "Balanced mode" moving forward which has helped.

Graphics and Gaming

The board I purchased has an Intel Xe Graphics card, it's able to handle more than I thought it could, but gaming is not it's strong-suit in certain areas like AAA games. I never really planned on gaming on this machine anyways, as I was using a PS5 at the time all the way up to April this year and that's been fine.

For gaming, I instead purchased a Steam Deck this year, which has been holding up just fine with games such as Forza Horizon 4, Teardown, Spryo, Minecraft, and more.

The Intel Xe Graphics is able to handle Minecraft amazingly with vanilla graphics and can play Teardown on low graphics settings, which is all I've ever tested so far on this in terms of games. If I ever really need to have graphic power on this laptop, the Framework 13 does support Thunderbolt, meaning I can purchase an external graphics card and hook up to the laptop.

Plan to Upgrade?

With the laptop being upgradable in design, the plan to upgrade is easy, but I don't plan to do any upgrades at all anytime soon. The current setup should last me about 2 - 6 more years, varying on changes I make overtime and if my demands on how I use the laptop.

I've also thoughts about upgrading to a Framework 16 for gaming, but I decided to purchase a Steam Deck this year instead, which has been holding up just fine.

If I ever do get around to upgrading, I plan to re-purpose the current board I have to be a server with a Cooler Master case available on Framework's Marketplace.

My Goals

My goal in terms of tech I own, I would prefer to use products like this that aim for Right To Repair and to be last longing. I've had thoughts on purchasing a Librium Phone 5 with Fairbuds, at the moment I'm not able to afford anything.

The Librium is Linux powered, so the phone should never(ever) stop receiving updates, even after 10 years down the line. I like that it has a replaceable battery and kill switches.

The Fairbuds have a replaceable battery, with easy access to everything else. My last pair of earbuds' case stopped accepting charge to it's battery, and it was a OnePlus product, not easy to replace or fix - ended up as e-waste.