They made a blog post on it. Probably better than linking to their homepage https://frame.work/blog/introducing-the-framework-laptop-16-...
Quick summary for those couldn't watch the livestream/load the website.
- New Framework laptops are available using Intel 13th Gen and AMD 7040 series.
- New 61Wh battery, new matte display option & a Cooler Master mainboard case for $39.
- New 16 inch Framework laptop. Allows you to have a number pad or not, up to you and customizable. If I understood the livestream correctly, there are upgradable dedicated GPUs that connect to the 16 inch laptop.
Every time Framework is brought up, there's a chorus of people saying they won't buy until they release an AMD edition, and as one of them this is great to see.
Edit: Also the input deck and the ability to attach an egpu as well as upgrade to a newer egpu in the future are huge. This is a fantastic leap forward for Framework.
I’m happy to answer questions that everyone has about what we announced! It may be a little while until I’m able to jump back on though.
I love how this launch included new reuse paths for old components, including a new mainboard case [1] and battery / screen case designs. If Framework maintains mechanical compatibility between generations, things are going to get really interesting.
[1] https://frame.work/products/cooler-master-mainboard-case
It's going to be exciting to see which GPU manufacturer they went with. Intel salvaging arc? This eGPU that can be slotted in is exactly the thing I'd been hoping they would do if they added GPUs and the AMD option is incredible. Gonna have to put my money where my mouth is once it's time for a new laptop now...
I also think it's important to not underestimate the flexibility and marketing aspects of the eGPU design they went with. Someone who has a laptop they use for playing games with a still fine CPU but outdated GPU might look at this and just buy the eGPU. Then when it comes time to upgrade the laptop itself they might be all-in on the value of an upgradable system.
The blog pages are functional for me right now:
New 16" Model:
https://frame.work/blog/introducing-the-framework-laptop-16
New 13" Models with Intel 13th Gen and AMD 7000 series
https://frame.work/blog/framework-laptop-13-with-13th-gen-in...
Oh there we go, modular GPU add in boards. Heyoooo!
And they support other stuff!
I wish the framework site was up, as I want to see what this specification looks like. If you look inside an Asus Zephyrus or whatever, the cooling setup needed to support such a thing in a thin laptop is mad. The 13", for instance, has a pancake sized 2D headspreader + liquid metal TIM, which very much goes against repairability. The 16" is a wall of heatpipes. I wonder how framework is addressing this.
EDIT: specification is here, but down at this moment: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay
Is there any way I can interact with a framework laptop before buying it?
I've always loved laptop hardware, something about having all the power of a computer to go seems so freeing to me. forever I've been searching for the 'perfect machine' (granted perfect is relative to the time). ThinkPads were my favourite when IBM owned the brand, and since apple switched to intel nothing came close to the complete package offered by a MacBook.
Recently, I've fallen out of love with the hardware (but OSX is still amazing). Apple had made is so disadvantageous to dual boot Linux that it's not even worth trying, and their own operating system has laughably poor support for gaming. (I get that's not everyone's use case but I feel like it's because they haven't found the right genre of game for them, but that's another tangent, and I'm already rambling). The power of the M1 chip is so great, but what's the point of powerful hardware if you can't run the software you want. So now, after a decade of owning MacBook and loving every moment, I have the itch to find something else.
Framework is one option, but I've never held one, and frankly they look quite ugly/ cheap. My "perfect" device today would be if someone put the internals of the steam deck in an iPad Pro body, but why sell one device when you can sell 3.
Wow that's the fastest I've ever seen a site go down. Site was vaporized as soon as the announcement was made.
I'm still happy with my 11th gen framework. Anybody who's looking into upgrading please consider re-using your mainboard. They have 3D printing schematics you can use to turn it into a mini desktop PC!: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/Mainboard
I'm a very happy Framework laptop daily user. I want to get so many upgrades now: AMD mainboard, 4kg hinge kit, New louder speakers, 61Wh battery, Blank ISO keyboard, WiFi 6E card.
The only downside is that's so many components, instead of upgrading, I'll probably buy a whole new one and donate the old one to friends or family. :)
Great work @nrp and team.
Website has immediately collapsed, but the full announcement video is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccpsyRipHlk
When the Framework came out, I was excited, but not in the market for a laptop. I've been waiting for the chance to buy one, especially as they announced more and more things that I'm interested in. Now that I'm finally in the market, I was waiting eagerly for this new announcement.
The only question I'm left with now, which Framework to get? Do I pre-order the AMD 7040, or do I wait for the new 16 so that I can get a GPU? I'm thinking about going the AMD route now, buying the dGPU option they have and using it as an eGPU when it becomes available, and then switching to the 16-inch chassis when I'm ready...
Some major issues with the livestream too, audio out of sync, horrible noise, looked like it was filmed with a potato (lighting was godawful). Did not exactly inspire confidence, but the upgrades do look nice. Glad there's an AMD option now.
I think the Cooler Master case for your "old" mainboard is a pretty neat idea. In that you can upgrade your mainboard, take the old one and put it into the case to make a "mini" PC out of it. That is pretty awesome.
The way the numpad is fully optional on the 16" is great. I get that numpads are non-optional for some but for my usage it's mostly a nuisance, which makes the non-optional numpads on a lot of laptops a near-dealbreaker.
> Coming later in 2023: Belgium, Taiwan, Italy, Spain
Does anybody know why they do this country by country roll out? I'd be perfectly happy to order a US layout laptop but they don't allow me to place an order.
I wonder what's the width of the 16" version. Too bad that input configurability doesn't extend to the touchpad. I would love to be able to pick one with three physical buttons. Well, at least I could have a laptop without the numberpad.
AMD frameworks is massive news, but to be honest I'm probably most excited about the customisable keyboard. Whilst I don't need a numpad, the possibility of adding a built-in midi controller to my laptop sounds fantastic. Also looks like the cooling has been improved.
Was very close to pulling the trigger on a new Thinkpad, but now I might hold off. I just wish you could get frameworks in the same finish, though I suppose with the chassis being open source its feasible that someone else will start selling those
I love this! I got a Framework laptop back in 2021 and it has been one of my favorite non-Mac laptops in years (decades?) and I love seeing the company evolve and grow! Definitely looking at upgrading to one of these for my non-M1 Max laptop needs.
Whoa. AMD has been a big, big ask for a long time. This is very welcome.
Site still seems to be overloaded, but there's a decent piece in Ars:
Framework gives its modular laptops 13th-gen Intel CPUs and (finally) an AMD option
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/03/framework-gives-its-...
Wow RPI-based QMK-enabled input modules. That is something else.
I can't wait for them to announce an arm-based cpu board, it's only a matter of time(I keep telling myself)
Now just need a good trackpoint and no trackpad and I'll finally have a replacement for this modified X230.
I bought a 12th-gen Intel Framework last summer when they first came out. Aside from some thermal throttling issues (that are actually kinda bad and common, and Framework support has been so far unable to address), and so-so battery life, I'm otherwise happy with it, after I got used to the screen's odd aspect ratio and made my peace with it being a physically larger machine because of that. (I'm assuming the driver for this was the need for a larger mainboard due to the expansion slots and connectors for RAM, WiFi, and storage.)
A bit bummed that they're offering a matte display option only now; I don't see it offered in the marketplace, but I assume it'll get there eventually, and the glossy screen is $179, which isn't too expensive an 'upgrade', assuming the matte screen ends up being priced similarly. The higher-capacity battery will come in handy, though I'll probably wait until the existing battery gets a bit older.
I'm not interested in a 16" laptop, but I really like the black keyboard area, though the two-tone black keyboard area with silver touchpad/wrist rest is kinda ugly. I wonder if Framework will eventually offer replacement input covers (for the 13") with different aesthetics. One thing I miss from my old Dell XPS13 is the soft-touch material on the input cover. One cool small detail on the 16" is they've dropped the built-in 3.5mm jack and added two more expansion card ports, with one of the options being a card with a 3.5mm jack. Really smart move there; satisfies both camps of people who want and don't want that jack.
I think the thing that is most encouraging is that it does seem like they're trying to settle into a yearly cadence for new mainboard releases, tracking the latest chipsets from Intel (and hopefully now from AMD too). I was a little worried that they wouldn't be able to keep up, since they're still a small-ish company. Certainly not going to buy the 13th-gen or new Ryzen boards this year, but it's good to know that, assuming the company continues to be successful, I should be able to upgrade in a couple years.
For folks who'd rather read than watch, Tom's Hardware has a summary: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/framework-laptop-13-16-amd...
tl;dr: A 16" laptop with modular dedicated graphics (PCIe x8 either v4 or v5 with fans on the module), expansion bay cards (dual m.s SSDs), a new 'input system' with multiple keyboards in multiple languages and optional RGB lighting as well as support for numpads and secondary displays. Target launch is 'late 2023'.
As petty as this may sound, I really don't like it when laptops arrange their modifier keys as Control-Fn-Super-Meta. My Macbook has the layout Fn-Control-Meta-Super, which makes Emacs very nice to use. Every time I use a "standard PC keyboard" or Windows laptop, I can barely use Emacs because it just feels uncomfortable having to stretch my pinky as far as possible just to hit a key.
I know what some may be thinking, "just rebind the keys in software". But I also want the labels on my keys to not lie to me, and there is probably a risk of some software not respecting your custom keymap, too.
This is my biggest gripe with non-Apple laptops and one of a few reasons why I'm stubbornly using an old Macbook.
Seems to be down or slow.
Do we have an option to add a keyboard with a Trackpoint?
To Framework: please cooperate with Costco/Sam's Club to sell your laptops there. Then I'll have a chance to try it.
Noice.
First time they've put a product out that matches my requirement: large screen, decent GPU, AMD CPU.
But argh ... no numpad, so no can use Blender on it :(
[EDIT]: aha, but I read:
Input Module system
When starting the design of a larger screen laptop, one of the key questions was: Numpad, or no numpad? After performing some market research, we found out there is almost exactly a 50/50 split between people who love and need numpads and people who hate them. We used this as an opportunity to not only let you pick your preference there, but also completely customize the input experience.
Very nice
How does it compare to the Starfighter?
I hope these guys hang in there for the long haul. Because right now it seems to be for enthusiasts since there is only US keyboard and expected shipping i Q3.
I'm happy with my current laptop but at some point I'm going to need a new one so it feels great that there are so many amazing options out there. I just hope that at some point when I need that new laptop I'll be able to order one within a few weeks and my language on the keyboard.
I'm in the market for a new laptop soon and am considering a Framework one. Would the 13th gen or the AMD version be good enough for basic photo editing? My wife is starting to get interested in photography. It would be nice if this could be a shared machine that I'd use most of the time and she would use for photo editing. If photo editing was something she wanted to do frequently she could always get her own machine specifically specked for that.
It seems to be a secret how much RAM these things have - is it embarrassingly small, or nobody cares?
It's been a revelation having 64gb in my Macbook, I never want to go back.
Nice, but sadly the shipping options still don’t include my country (PT). I wonder why, since they ship to some other EU countries.
I'm really happy with my HUAWEI keyboard. It has no wasted space and great backlighting and great touch. I like it much better than any other keyboard like Logitech etc. Small but not too small.
It is small enough to carry around but still "full-size". No numeric keypad but I don't really need one.
So if I needed a laptop I imagine I would get one which can flip to just the display in a tent-mode and then I would carry my keyboard separately. I never liked any laptop keyboard much. I could move and position this keyboard optimally which you can not do with a fixed laptop keyboard.
Here's a link to their website.
https://consumer.huawei.com/en/accessories/ultrathin-keyboar...
16" model is great news - personally I like larger laptops and numpads, and dislike working on 13". I bought a Dell last year. Naturally I hope it lasts a long time, but if I were to have a need to buy a laptop in the next year or so it would almost certainly be a Framework.
I'm still waiting for a touchscreen version. Once that is ready I can't wait to get one!
How's the keyboard on Frameworks? (Subjectively)
How much does it weight? I don't see it on the announcement page.
This year I got 16" thinkpad P4, and suprised to see how much more comfortable it is for me than my 15" Extreme X1, especially given that it weights about the same (1.86kg)
Hmm, 16" is great to hear but I see one issue. A decade or so ago big laptops let you plug things in the back. This was great because you didn't need cables running across your desk, which is kinda ridiculous for a desktop-replacement.
This model seems to have the traditional top-mounted screen, leaving space in the back, but it is empty. Seems in the rush to copy Apple over the last decade, this knowledge was forgotten. That's a shame. Personally, I'd like all those ports/cables (minus two USB) in the back and off my desk.
I wish Framework had more color options in their Marketplace (e.g gold, torquise, pink), especially considering how they advertise themselves as being modular / customizable.
Is S3 suspend to memory supported?
Probably a good architecture for launch is a Cloudflare Pages static landing page that has the CTA link to your website that goes through a queue intermediary (invisible most of the time). That way you ensure you don't drop any visibility and you capture all sales.
Festival and concert tickets are frequently done this way and the queue renege rate lets you model how many you would have lost if your site failed to load and at what duration.
I realize this is a really fringe interest, but I want them to make a RISC laptop eventually, with open source firmware and an open source graphics stack.
Hopefully a matte screen option??? That's the one thing holding me back from getting one. Those stickers they offer don't cut it. Amd vs Intel doesn't really bother me either way but a matte screen is an absolute must.
Don't have time to check now with the site being so slow but will do later. Good to see the amount of attention this receives though.
Nice, matte display. Almost $200 with tax. Anyone in Calif. want to buy a used glossy? May be cheaper to put a film on it, hmm.
Looks like the Intel version is only using P series processors, which have higher multithreaded performance than the U series but are also more power hungry.
Also, DDR4 only which is significantly slower than the DDR5 and LPDDR5 capabilities of the CPU.
No spanish keyboard available :(
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-langua...
I'm excited for all of the announcements but they really need to hire a production company for these events in the future.
Is there an upgrade path from the current Framework to the 16 inch chassis or will you have to buy an entirely new laptop?
WHY THE HALF SIZE ARROWS?! FFS, it's a 16" machine, there so much space.
16" with a not stupid keyboard is a compelling offer. Laptop sizes have gotten maddening since everyone decided numpads were required because who doesn't want to type off centre the whole time.
I couldn't find information on display resolution. Actually "Display" section seems to have been edited out: the section exists but no information in there. Does anyone know why?
This looks amazing, and makes me finally consider a Framework laptop for my next laptop: my must haves are good displays and discrete graphics, and this model seems to allow upgrading of these.
Is there any news about a dark grey (space grey) option or a full matte black one? Would love to see a full dark chassis for the 16" one.
Livestream recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/ccpsyRipHlk
I emailed Framework back in 2021 about plans to make a larger laptop / one with a GPU and they said they weren't going to. Funny how that works.
I love this laptop's keyboard layout, finally! This might be my next laptop if there's ever an option to have one without E-cores
I use an external keyboard. If you offered a display that can replace the location of the keyboard, you’ll have my business.
for the 16":
- I would love an option to have upwards firing speakers where flex/numpad space goes instead (one on each side).
- please improve the bass in the speakers. according to notebookcheck's review, framework speakers have poor/near 0 bass output.
- please offer a 4k screen option on the 16". 1440p-ish screens with DPI scaling hackery is no fun and often leads to blurry UIs.
Would help if you can show the attributes that vary with price first to make sense of why they are priced so differently.
I'd love to buy one.
But I already bought an Intel 12th gen framework and can't justify an upgrade (even the DIY option) yet.
Is the matte screen by default on 13"? Don't see any option to select when purchasing.
Did they announce the dimensions of the 16' model? I've not seen them.
matte display, ryzen...
now give me a keyboard with normal-sized arrow keys, and I will order one
If this lets me get a split keyboard I will be all over this 16 inch model.
I wish I could build and deploy iOS apps from Linux on these things.
Argh why'd they have to make it with a chicklet keyboard LOL?
Does they adopt new CAMM DDR5 module?
I love what framework is doing <3
What's the story with AMD's Zen 4 / RDNA 3 APUs, are they coming out?
Pleaseeeee give us a GPU
i really hope the battery is much better than the pathetic 3 hours i get from my current one. as im writing this, ive used my laptop for around 3 hours, 20 minutes was to run a kvm and the rest is just a browser, and im at 18% remaining.
i might have said before that i regret getting the framework, i might think about upgrading my mainboard and battery if it turns out to be working well. key word "maybe"...
[dead]
I haven't seen anything interesting from this company yet. Just internal dongles.
And if you scroll down you can see the glowing review that they got from Linus Tech Tips....
Who owns a stake in their company...Yiiiikes.
"We’ve partnered with Cooler Master to create an awesome new way to re-use your Framework Laptop Mainboards: a transparent, small form factor case. This will be available this Spring for $39 USD."
This is the way.
More vendors should do that. A huge load of obsolete but perfectly working laptop mainboards could be repurposed to other uses. Need a small system to set up a service on a LAN but don't want to feed scalpers by buying their outrageously overpriced Raspberry PIs? What about reusing the board from that old EeePC many of us already have, etc?