Framework held an event earlier this week to announce a handful of new products. I watched the event live while I was working and then jumped through to rewatch portions of it again later in the day.
Much of what was announced looks great — the type of products that will likely have me reaching for my wallet when the time is right.
One thing that was heavily emphasized during the event is that they are building a company around products that you fully own and control.
You can own everything and be free.
The phrase above was prominently displayed during the presentation and embodied by everything that the company produces. When everyone else in the tech industries seems to be obsessed with services revenue, subscriptions, and locked down hardware, Framework is bucking the trend.
10G Ethernet Expansion Card
Developed in partnership with WisdPi, Framework has expanded their lineup of expansion cards with a new networking accessory that supports 10Gb ethernet.
I don’t have any use for something like this, but I’m sure it’s invaluable for those that are working with massive video files over the network or other, similar applications.
Framework 16 Updates
I don’t own a Framework 16 and can’t imagine ever purchasing one. I’m not particularly interested in this class of laptop. I prefer more compact, thin and light laptops. But Framework had some solid updates for their larger form factor machine:
- One Piece Touchpad Module, which utilizes four piezo haptic elements with adjustable click force and feedback.
- One Piece Keyboard Module.
- Translucent smoke gray bezel.
- Oculink Dev Kit.
The Oculink Dev Kit is notable because, as Nirav Patel noted during the event, this gives the Framework 16 the highest throughput external connector that’s ever been put into a laptop.
Framework 13 Pro
This was clearly the star of the show — A brand new Framework 13 variant that they’ve added the moniker “Pro” to.
The Framework 13 Pro features significantly improved battery life. They’re quoting 20 hours on this new machine, which they achieved by modifying the chassis’s bottom edge to accommodate a physically larger, higher density battery alongside efficiency gains from Intel’s new Panther Lake CPUs.
The chassis changes aren’t limited to a more roomy battery section, though, it also comes in a new color they’re calling “graphite”, is manufactured with CNC aluminum, and offers improved rigidity compared to the existing Framework 13 chassis.
The display is brand new — This is the first display that Framework has designed from the ground up for their products rather than sourcing an existing design.
It’s still a 3:2 LCD and features a matte finish, but offers variable refresh rate from 30–120Hz, 700 nits of brightness, and is a touch screen.
I’m not positive the touch screen is all that useful to me given that the machine can’t convert into a tablet form factor. I’ve never actually used a laptop with a touch screen before, but the closest comparison I can make is using an iPad with a keyboard case. And I didn’t really like that experience at all. Switching between touch screen and the keyboard/trackpad always felt cumbersome to me.
The Framework 13, like the 16, is also getting a new trackpad with haptic feedback. I may end up upgrading to this at some point, depending on pricing. Framework says the new input cover, which includes the keyboard and trackpad, fits all existing Framework 13 systems.
The current Framework 13 trackpad is fine, but not great. I think it’s better than any trackpad I’ve used on a Windows laptop, but my experience in that realm is limited. I know for certain the current trackpad isn’t as good as the MacBook trackpad and I’m hoping this new one is closer to the experience of Apple’s offering.
On the operating system front, the Framework 13 Pro is the first laptop from the company to be officially Ubuntu-certified. This means it should work right out of the box with that distribution and will even be available with Ubuntu pre-installed if you’d prefer it that way.
The pricing on this new machine is a bit steep. It starts at $1,199 for the DIY edition and pre-built systems start at $1,499. But that’s likely more indicative of the state of hardware pricing in general rather than a reflection on Framework.
The machine itself looks great. It’s a bit too expensive for me at the moment — not to mention I’m not currently in the market for a new system. But that’s not even the best part of the announcement.
Keeping with the spirit of Framework and their commitment to repairability and upgradability, most of the components in this new Framework 13 Pro are backwards compatible with every Framework 13 the company has ever shipped.
If you own an existing Framework 13 and want to use the new touch screen display, you can order it as a part and drop it in to your existing machine. The same goes for the new mainboard and input cover.
The only components that actually require the new Framework 13 Pro chassis are the battery and new speakers. But, Framework is even offering the new chassis as a standalone purchase. This means you can take your existing Framework 13 and migrate all of the internal components into the new 13 Pro chassis.
There is literally an upgrade path for everyone. And none of it requires the purchase of an entirely new machine. You can mix and match the components that you want to upgrade over time to get the machine configured with the features that best suit you and your wallet.
This is how every computer manufacturer should be producing products.
Framework Laptop Sleeve
I wish they would have spent a little more time discussing the Framework Laptop Sleeve. I currently use some random Tomtoc sleeve with my Framework 13, but it’s not a perfect fit.
It would be nice to have learned more about the materials it’s made out of and some video of it in use to give us a better idea of its size compared to the laptop itself.
I’ll have to wait for some video reviews or something because I may end up ordering one to replace my Tomtoc.
Wireless Touchpad Keyboard
I loved the bit at the opening of this segment where Nirav joked about Framework making a printer. He actually had me going for a split second because I have heard, on several occasions, the company being asked about whether or not they’d ever build one.
But alas, maybe another day. Instead, they announced a keyboard with integrated trackpad. Certainly a more niche product, but the type of hardware that would get Framework fans excited.
I actually own the exact Logitech keyboard that Nirav had in one of the slides and I absolutely hate it. The keys feel like mush, the trackpad is inconsistent, and the whole thing feels like it’s one wrong bend away from snapping in half.
I eventually bought a ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II in hopes of replacing the Logitech keyboard, but it isn’t much better. The keys feel slippery and, for some reason, I always had trouble getting it working right on various Linux systems.
But now, we have a new contender, the Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard. It looks awesome.
I absolutely love the keyboard on my Framework 13 — I would consider it to be the best laptop keyboard I’ve ever used, including those from Apple. And this new, standalone keyboard from Framework is based on the input system used in the Framework 12. I expect it to feel fantastic.
Here’s a quick rundown of the features:
- Bluetooth LE
- USB-A Dongle in the box.
- It has four connection profiles to easily switch between hosts.
- It can be used as a wired keyboard.
- It has a built-in rechargeable and replaceable battery.
- The firmware is open source.
I didn’t see any pricing for this product yet, but they say it will ship later this year. I expect I will end up with one eventually. I have all kinds of computers around the house that I randomly want to connect a keyboard and mouse/trackpad to for management and this seems like a big upgrade compared to the devices I’ve used previously.
Overall
It’s so nice to see a company announcing products in front of a live audience. This used to be a staple of Apple events, but they seem to all be pre-recorded, heavily edited and produced videos now rather than live demos in front of an audience.
And while Nirav Patel and the rest of the presenters have nowhere near the polish that Apple events had in their heyday, there’s a scrappy charm to them that I appreciate. Framework is undoubtedly an underdog in the industry, but they continue to release products that force everyone to take notice.
The Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard and Framework 13 Pro are the standout announcements from the event and I’m excited to see how they hold up to scrutiny once reviewers get their hands on them. I expect they’ll fare well — Framework seems to be making all the right trade-offs with their products and building excellent machines that give users the ability to upgrade and improve them over time.
Imagine buying a laptop and just upgrading it a few years later with a new display, more storage, additional RAM, an adjustment to your port selection, and so on. What a concept!
Apple used to ship computers like that. But I don’t expect it will ever happen again. Apple would rather stop offering macOS updates on a perfectly usable computer, forcing you to buy an entirely new machine. That may be the game that Apple plays, but Framework rejects it wholeheartedly and they’re gaining a loyal fanbase because of it. Myself included.
