Continuing my discussion of the Framework laptop that I started earlier this month. Today, I’m going to talk a bit about the notable hardware components of the machine.
As a bit of an aside, this one took me a little longer to finish writing than I originally expected. The Christmas season is always hectic, but for some reason this year felt like it was especially so. I’m still hoping to have the final part of this series published before the end of the year, though, in which I’ll share some final thoughts and touch on how the Framework feels to use.
Physical Size
The Framework 13 is a bit larger than the laptops that I’ve used in recent years — I’ve spent most of my time on an 11-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
If you’re used to the 14-inch MacBook Pro, though, I think you’d feel right at home. Although the Framework is slightly larger by volume, it’s not by all that much. Due to the Framework display’s aspect ratio, the laptop is slightly deeper, but makes up for that with a more narrow chassis.
The Framework is quite noticeably lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Pro — weighing just 2.9 lbs compared to the 3.5 lbs of the MacBook Pro. That weight is comparable to the 2.7 lbs M2 MacBook Air, which is my current work machine.
In practice, the thickness is really the only thing that I notice. It’s far from a deal breaker, but it is sizable when compared to the svelte offerings from Apple that I’m accustomed to.
I think that additional size is worth it, when you take into consideration what you get out of it — unmatched repairability and the option to upgrade down the line rather than having to buy an entirely new machine when you really just need some additional storage, memory, or performance.
Display
I was a little hesitant about the Framework’s 3:2 aspect ratio. It’s been a long time since I used anything that wasn’t 16:9 or 16:10. And although it felt a bit odd for the first few days, it already seems normal to me. I don’t know if I necessarily prefer it over 16:9 or 16:10 — it feels more like a lateral move.
I’m glad I ended up with the higher 2.8K display. Text looks great and I appreciate that it works well running with resolution scaling set to 200% in Ubuntu.
The display is plenty bright, features great color accuracy to my eyes, and the matte finish is a good change of pace compared to the glossy displays of Apple products.
I do have one complaint about the display, though — it wobbles. This is something I can make my MacBook do if I tap the bezel above the display or if I set it down on a hard surface quickly, but that’s not something I do in normal use.
The Framework will exhibit this behavior if I’m simply typing with the laptop on an unstable surface, such as my lap.
It doesn’t ruin the experience — the vast majority of the time, it doesn’t happen at all. And, as time has gone on, I find myself noticing it less frequently. I’m not sure if I’m subconsciously avoiding scenarios where it will happen or if you just don’t notice it unless you’re looking for it. But either way, it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re looking to purchase one of these machines and might find a slightly more wobbly screen irritating.
Keyboard
I love this keyboard. It reminds me of Apple’s laptop keyboard before they introduced butterfly switches. Compared to the old scissor switch keyboard the keys have a little bit more travel and the plastic used in the Framework’s keycaps makes each key feel more substantial — less hollow.
I’ve had to get used to the placement of some of the keys. Compared to Apple laptops the control and fn keys are swapped and the alt and super keys are as well. The function keys feature media controls, volume, brightness, and so on. And the order of those does not match Apple’s keyboard.
Those changes are something you get used to with time. At this point, I’m able to switch between the two keyboards with ease — with only rare instances where I miss-type a keyboard shortcut or have to actually look at the function row to find the one I’m intending to use.
The keys have backlighting, but it doesn’t seem that there is any way to have the brightness automatically adjust. Maybe this can be done in Windows, but on Ubuntu I have to make that adjustment manually with a keyboard shortcut.
Overall, Framework’s keyboard is exceptional. I’m not sure if I’m ready to call it my favorite laptop keyboard of all time. But if someone told me they felt that way, I wouldn’t argue with them. It’s really good.
Trackpad
There isn’t that much to say about the trackpad. It doesn’t feel as smooth as Apple’s, but it feels fine. It does use a diving board mechanism for clicking, so it’s more difficult to click toward the top of the trackpad, but in my use that is essentially never an issue.
The only thing that’s notable related to the trackpad is that two-finger scrolling is more sensitive than I would prefer. This may be an issue that more to due with the inability to customize scrolling speed in Ubuntu.
As far as I can tell, there’s no way to customize this in the Settings app and in my cursory glance through suggestions online, the solutions are more fiddly than it’s worth. Hopefully Gnome/Ubuntu will implement customization of trackpad scrolling speed at some point. Until then, I’ll just take it slow.
Expansion Cards
I started with four USB-C expansion cards and that’s what I continue to use today. I added a handful of expansion cards to my Christmas list, but never ended up receiving any.
After some time with the machine, I think I know the setup that I’m aiming toward — three USB-C ports and a single USB-A port.
I’ve douse myself using a USB-C to USB-A adapter with my Framework a number of times, so I know I’d benefit from having USB-A built-in. The only other dongle I’ve used with the Framework is a USB-C to SD card adapter. I used this to do some SD card shenanigans for a Nintendo 2DS that I recently purchased. But that’s not typical use for me.
I think I’d get along just fine if interfacing with an SD card required an adapter for my laptop. Id much rather have the additional USB-C port in case I ever needed to plug in multiple devices while connected to a power adapter.
Update 4/3/25 — Framework: Final Thoughts
