Framework Laptop: Fully modular notebook now available

A light and thin notebook often relies on compromises. After all, many ports have to give way due to the compact design. This is where the innovative Framework Laptop comes into play, which relies on modular ports. All ports are interchangeable. The notebook is available immediately and could thus still find room under one or the other Christmas tree.

The Framework Laptop’s features

The manufacturer’s announcement came as a surprise: the innovative Framework Laptop is now in stock and ready to be shipped. Although currently only within the USA and Canada. EU customers and interested parties from Germany will have to be patient for a bit, but the delivery is supposed to happen here at the end of 2021 as well.

The 13.5-inch laptop relies on a modular, upgradeable and easily repairable design. Components like the motherboard, RAM, SSD, display, network modules and other hardware parts can be easily replaced. The Framework laptop weighs only 1.3 kg and is extremely slim at 15.85 mm.

Which ports should it be?

The same applies to the ports: The four USB-C ports are standard and can be easily exchanged and replaced with the help of so-called “expansion cards”. If you want, you can equip your notebook with USB-A (3.2), HDMI (2.0b), DisplayPort (1.4), micro SD card reader or additional flash memory with a maximum capacity of 1 terabyte. Further expansion cards are currently still in development and will be offered in the future.

The selection of components is also quite impressive. Prospective buyers can choose between Intel Core i5-1135G7, i7-1165G7 or i7-1185G7 CPUs. 8, 16 or 32 GB DDR4 working memory is also available, as well as 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB NVMe SSD storage. Only a dedicated graphics card is not offered. Only Iris Xe Graphics is available here.

Framework Laptop Expansion Cards — Image: Framework Computer Inc

For hobbyists: Framework Laptop DIY Edition

Already the normal Framework Laptop is also aimed at hobbyists, serving even laymen excellently. All components are printed with a designation, as well as a QR code with the most important information and can thus be quickly and easily replaced.

Alternatively, there is a DIY Edition at a lower price, where certain components can simply be omitted in order to use your own existing hardware right from the start.

In the manufacturer’s own marketplace, different components are available for purchase. These include, for example, motherboards for the 11th Intel Core generation – it would be conceivable that motherboards for Intel’s Alder Lake series or other variants could also be offered in the future.