Nirav Patel:

No matter how inevitable the AI-takes-all scenario may sound, as long as there is a person in the world who still wants to own their means of computation, we will be here to build the hardware that enables it. That means computers that you can own at the deepest level and do what you want with, whether that is choosing your OS, modifying your hardware, or even just keeping your data and computation local rather than leased from the cloud. We won’t get there all at once, but we will always be fighting for a future where you can own everything and be free.

Framework always has something neat in the works. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what they have to share on April 21.

➝ Source: frame.work

If I was looking for a laptop in the MacBook Neo’s price range, the Framework 12 would be what I was comparing it against. From a pricing standpoint, the Neo comes out on top, but the Framework has the potential for a much longer lifespan.

The MacBook Neo may be Apple’s most repairable laptop in 14 years, but eventually Apple will drop support for it in macOS and you’ll no longer have the option to run a modern operating system. By contrast, the Framework is designed with repair and upgradability in mind. They even have QR codes on the parts themselves that link to repair guides on their website.

And because of the Framework’s x86 CPU and the company’s work to ensure solid driver support, you have the option to install Linux on the machine, which will keep it relevant for far longer.

➝ Source: youtube.com

If you haven’t seen my earlier editions in this series, I’ve previously written about the assembly process and some initial impressions on the Framework’s hardware. Today I’m sharing my final thoughts after using the machine for a handful of months.

Performance and Thermals

My needs for a laptop aren’t particularly demanding from a performance standpoint. I do most of my video conversion and gaming on other machines. The Framework is primarily used for media playback, web browsing, and text editing. But I have spent a bit of time playing Hearthstone and emulating various retro systems. The Framework handled it all like a champ.

For those that would like some more hard data, I’ve done a few passes with Geekbench in each of Ubuntu’s power profiles and you can find the averages below:

It’s worth noting that the fan gets quite loud when the system’s under load for a period of time. I’m not sure how this would compare to non-Apple laptops, since that’s what I have experience with. But the Framework fan is louder than any MacBook I’ve owned, for sure.

Battery Life

I haven’t done any formal testing of battery life on the Framework. It’s much worse than what I get on my M2 MacBook Air, but I expected that going in.

To put a ballpark number on it, I’d say I get 4-6 hours of battery life depending on what I’m doing. That is enough for my needs. It’s incredibly rare for me to use a computer for that length of time without access to a charger. Especially since the Framework isn’t the computer I use for work.

If I was using the Framework as my work machine and took it to a meetup, I could imagine the limited battery life being a bit more precarious. But that isn’t my use case. And even if it was, I suspect there is more I could do to improve things. I haven’t made any adjustments to the bios and am mostly using Ubuntu’s defaults for power settings.

Expansion Cards Revisited

When I first ordered the Framework 13, I ordered it with four USB-C expansion cards. Much of the cables and accessories I use each day are already using USB-C so it wasn’t clear to me what I would actually want beyond that.

I figured the port setup would evolve over time, but wanted to live with it as USB-C only at the beginning and simply monitor what adapters and dongles I used to better inform my decision on the expansion card setup.

Since then I’ve purchased two additional expansion cards — USB-A and microSD. The USB-A expansion card lives in the Framework while the microSD just lives in my bag and functions as a dongle. I don’t actually use microSD cards often enough for it to live in the Framework, but I figure, if I’m going to own and use dongles, they might as well be Framework expansion cards. With that in mind, I suspect I’ll end up with more of them in the future.

I ended up with this setup because, while I don’t often connect multiple accessories to my laptop at a time, I could imagine scenarios where I would want the machine connected to a power adapter while also connecting multiple hard drives. Since most of my cables are USB-C, I figured a third USB-C port would be more beneficial than a second USB-A port.

Minor Hardware Details

Just to cover some additional, relatively minor hardware details, here’s some rapid fire impressions:

• Fingerprint Reader — it works well and doubles as the system’s power button. I wish I could get it working with 1Password, but that’s more of an Ubuntu and 1Password issue, I’m sure.
• Webcam and Mic Switches — I like that these exist and they work as intended, but I don’t actually use them.
• Speakers — They sound just fine. Not as good as a MacBook, but better than the average Windows laptop, I would say.

Linux First

This is the first workstation I’ve ever owned that has only had Linux installed on it. No Windows, no macOS, just Linux. It feels pretty cool.

I’ve gone with Ubuntu 24.04. That’s mostly because it’s the distribution that I have the most experience with, but also because I prefer a more stable release that I can rely on for a longer period of time — 24.04 being a long term support release. Ubuntu also happens to have a massive wealth of community knowledge published on the web. Just about any issue you could possibly experience has been asked and answered on Reddit, Ask Ubuntu, or documented on someone’s personal weblog.

I still feel like I’m fairly new to Linux, despite dabbling in it for years at this point. And I occasionally find myself completely lost, but having access to such a massive amount of documented solutions is reassuring. It helps me feel like I can tackle anything that comes up.

The biggest caveat for me with Ubuntu is snap packages. Honestly, because much of what I read online paints them in a negative light. But I’m also not in love with the fact that Ubuntu is (as far as I know) the only distribution that even uses them. That alone indicates that they may not be long for this world.

Rather than trudge using snap packages, I’ve followed this guide to completely remove them from Ubuntu. I just rely on .deb packages and Flatpak instead and haven’t found any apps that I’m unable to install using those methods.

But setting aside the specifics of my Linux setup, you may be wondering why I decided to purchase a dedicated Linux machine at all. Well, I’m tired of being reliant on Apple’s ecosystem. The company has changed and I don’t find their products to be as exciting as they used to be.

It doesn’t feel like Apple makes products that are designed for people like me anymore. People who like to tinker and have control over their hardware. People who like to upgrade components in old systems and re-use machines for new projects. People who believe that a computer’s life should span well beyond the manufacturer’s willingness to provide software support.

In contrast, Framework is a company that is built upon those principals and creates products that embody them. I like that. A lot.

I don’t expect I’ll completely remove myself from Apple’s ecosystem. The iPhone is still a tremendous piece of hardware. Despite Apple’s insistence on holding back the platform with foolish App Store policies, I continue to prefer iOS. Android offers significantly more freedom, but it’s hard to get beyond some of its clunkier design details and inferior third-party applications — there are entire categories of apps for which the best option on Android wouldn’t even make the top five on iOS.

The goal for me with the Framework, though, is to refocus my use of software and services so that the possibility of leaving the Apple ecosystem entirely — even if it never comes to that — is much more attainable. I want Apple to be in a position where they need to do more to convince me and others like me to continue buying their products.

They should have to work harder on that. But in order to make strides toward that end, I need to disrupt the platform lock-in. I need to move away from applications that are only available on macOS and iOS and start using cross-platform alternatives. The Framework laptop with Linux will be the catalyst for that change.

Overall

Despite its tradeoffs, I absolutely love the Framework laptop. I hesitate to call it my favorite laptop of all time, mostly because I don’t want to fall victim to recency bias. But it’s definitely in the running.

The other laptop that would be in contention for that crown would be the 11-inch MacBook Air. I used the 2011 model as my primary machine for about seven years. It’s the most compact laptop I’ve ever owned and I’ve used it to run some of my favorite releases of macOS ever.

The Framework is a different type of machine, though. It’s less portable and doesn’t quite have the same level of fit and finish of Apple computers, but I can swap out the expansion cards to get the exact ports I need. I can upgrade any components down the line, including the entire mainboard. I can run an operating system on it that isn’t macOS and that is a feature that’s officially supported.

The Framework is flexible in ways that Apple computers aren’t. And I’m excited about what possibilities that will bring for me.

The announcement was a few weeks ago at this point, but I still think it’s worth highlighting. If this chassis was available when I purchased my Framework last fall, I probably would have ended up with it instead of the Framework 13. Not because I dislike what I have now, but because I suspect I would have appreciated the touch screen and smaller footprint.

Although, it may be worth waiting an iteration or two, in case there are any issues that need to be resolved with the new chassis — this was the case with the hinge on the original Framework 13.

Framework hasn’t announced pricing for the Framework 12 yet, but I’m definitely intrigued. If it’s affordable, I could see encouraging my wife to make the switch. Right now she’s using a 2015 11-inch MacBook Air, but I think the Framework 12 with Ubuntu would be a pretty slick setup.

➝ Source: frame.work

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

I placed my order for a Framework 13 at the end of October. My primary motivation for ordering a Framework rather than an Apple laptop was a deep desire to break out of the Apple ecosystem. Or, at the very least, give myself an opportunity to get one foot out the door.

Most of the time that I’ve spent as an Apple user, I was incredibly happy. Apple was making the best hardware in the market and I felt like their machines offered unmatched versatility. You could install Windows, you could install Linux, you could run virtual machines for any operating system, you could connect external graphics cards, you could even make minor upgrades to your system’s memory or storage.

Most of that has gone away, though. The trend started about a decade ago — maybe longer — but it didn’t really feel like it impacted me much until around the time they transitioned to Apple Silicon.

That transition resulted in the end of Boot Camp, major limitations for virtual machines, no more support for external graphics cards, and even less hardware repairability.

I’ll keep one foot in the Apple world for now — my iPhone, iPad, Mac Mini servers, and work MacBook aren’t going anywhere — but I thought it was a good time to more seriously explore the world outside of the walled garden.

Specifications

Framework 13 DIY Edition
AMD Ryzen 7640U
2.8K Matte Display
32GB of Kingston FURY Impact Memory
2TB Solidigm P44 Pro SSD
A Black Bezel
International English, Linux Keyboard
Four USB-C Expansion Cards

In terms of my thought process regarding this setup, I chose the DIY Edition because the assembly process seemed straight forward enough. I’ve built many desktop PCs in my day and have worked on the internals of just about every Apple computer I’ve ever owned. Framework was built for this sort of thing.

The 7840U offers a good performance bump compared to the 7640U that I ordered, but I figured I’d save my money a bit at the outset and consider upgrading to a higher end chip a few generations down the line. Given that the chassis is likely to be supported by Framework for several years, I’m pretty confident that this option will be available to me when the time comes.

I definitely wanted the higher resolution display. There was a brief period of time where I actually considered ordering the lower resolution option with the idea being to upgrade to the 2.8K later on. That would have given me a lower cost of entry, but the display part is just so darn expensive to buy on it’s own that I’d feel foolish doing so.

The memory choice just came down to picking one that Framework mentioned on their compatibility document. Similarly, the solid state drive was based on a recommendation that I saw on Reddit.

I went with the black bezel because I thought it looked the best out of the options available. If I were to have ordered one of the colored bezels, I think orange is nicest one.

As for the keyboard, I chose the only Linux variant offered because that will be the machine’s primary operating system.

The expansion cards probably took me the longest amount of time to make a decision on. I ultimately decided to just get four USB-C cards because I’ve spent several years with MacBook’s that only offered USB-C and I’ve transitioned much of the cables and accessories in my life over to USB-C as well. At the very least, my plan was to live with it like this for a bit and see how much I’d benefit from swapping out a port or two for something else.

Assembly Impressions

The process of assembling the Framework 13 was just about as easy as I expected. They have a great guide to follow and it’s basically as simple as installing the memory and storage, attaching the input cover, connecting the bezel, and tightening a handful of screws.

The biggest snag I ran into was with the bezel. I’ve seen some other reports online of similar experiences, so I knew to slow down for that portion of the process. The crux of the issue is that it’s not clear how the wires should be routed alongside the hinge, which can make it difficult to get the bottom edge of the bezel seated properly. It took me a few tries to get it right, but I eventually managed.

It’s a great touch that the Framework comes with a screwdriver — the only tool that you need to assemble the machine. I think the screwdriver itself is deserving of a bit of criticism, though.

The handle end of the screwdriver has an integrated spudger. That can be useful when working with ribbon cables or gently prying two parts away from one another. The spudger end had a tendency to dig into my palm when I was using it as a screwdriver, though. It didn’t break skin, but it made the screwdriver uncomfortable to use for me.

Program Note

I have a lot of thoughts on the Framework laptop and have decided to break up my review of the machine into three separate articles. So you can look forward to reading the rest of my thoughts throughout the month of December.

The next installment will include my thoughts on physical hardware and design — the keyboard, trackpad, display, and so on. The final article will be all of the details about actually using the machine — battery life, performance, thermals, fan noise, etc.

Update 12/27/24 — Framework: Hardware
Update 4/3/25 — Framework: Final Thoughts

For the first time in my life I’ve purchased a laptop that isn’t made by Apple. I used a Compaq laptop back in the mid-2000s, but that was our family computer, not specifically mine. I had a feeling it was going to happen sooner than later.

On Thursday night I placed an order for a Framework 13. It will replace the trusty 11-inch MacBook Air that I bought earlier this year as my primary personal machine.

I chose the Ryzen 7640U with the 2.8K display, a black bezel, and four USB-C expansion cards.

My understanding is that the AMD models are the one to get, primarily because of their superior battery life and performance compared to the Intel models. I tend to prefer AMD when given the option, so I don’t have much complaints there.

I thought about ordering one with the 7840U processor, but it would be difficult to justify the $280 price increase. I just can’t imagine really needing the increased performance, especially when it would cost an additional 25% over the 7640U.

As for the display, I opted for the 2.8K display because it’s better for resolution scaling — you can set it at 2x and your user interface will look crisp and be properly sized. The display option also comes with the larger battery and improved webcam module. I’m not thrilled about the rounded corners on the display, but I suspect I won’t even notice it after the first few minutes using the machine.

The expansion cards were something I spent quite a bit of time thinking about. It’s a unique experience to fully customize the port selection on your laptop and there’s just so many combinations that can be had.

Ultimately, I took battery life into consideration and went with all USB-C to start. The other expansion cards have an impact on power consumption. And although that isn’t the largest factor — especially compared to things like display brightness — but every little bit of battery life counts. Being a longtime Apple user, though , I’ve already transitioned most of my cables and accessories to USB-C.

I will probably end up purchasing some additional expansion cards down the line. A single USB-A card will come in handy more often than not. But I plan to live with all USB-C for a month or two to see what other expansion cards may be the most useful to me, depending on my real world use of the machine.

I chose to buy the system’s memory and SSD elsewhere. I ordered a kit of 32GB of RAM by Kingston and a 2TB Solidigm P44 Pro.

The Kingston memory is listed on Framework’s site and offered the timings I was looking for. The storage was a recommendation that I came across in a thread on Reddit. The Solidigm P44 Pro is lightning fast and is one of the better SSDs from a power usage standpoint.

I’ve already received my tracking number for the Framework, so I expect it to arrive sometime next week. At that point I’ll assemble the machine and install Ubuntu 24.04.

I may end up installing Windows as well — possibly on a storage expansion card. There are a small number of applications that aren’t available on Linux and I may want to run on this machine. We’ll see how essential they feel to me as I use it, though.

I expect I’ll be sharing my impressions of the Framework, both here and on Mastodon. If you have anything specific that you’d like to learn about the machine, feel free to let me know.

David Heinemeier Hansson:

As you can tell, I really like this new screen. It takes the last reservation I had about the Framework 13 and turns it into a key strength. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this is the best looking laptop screen I’ve ever used for programming. The combination of 256 PPI, matte covering, 3:2 aspect ratio, and 120hz is amazing for working with text.

Now I’m sure a video editor would still prefer Apple’s 16:10 aspect ratio, glossy display, and color-corrected profile of a MacBook Pro. But for programmers? The Framework is better.

And it’s such a good deal in its AMD version. You can get a 7640U with the new screen, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage for just around $1,200. Even slightly cheaper if you just get the RAM and storage from Amazon. That’s a ton of amazing computer for the money (and almost half of what a MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage costs!). It’s what I use as my daily-driver laptop.

I’m still pretty happy with my 11-inch MacBook Air, but the Framework is appealing. I love the idea of having a machine that’s purpose-built for long-term use. Having something you can upgrade and replace parts in over time sounds like the exact type of machine I’d want to tinker with.

➝ Source: world.hey.com