Review Roundup: Framework Laptop 13 Pro 31
The review embargo has lifted for the new Framework Laptop 13 Pro, and the consensus across the board is that it is a massive leap forward in terms of build quality and battery life. The main issue reviewers complained about is the sky-high price, with the higher-end model jumping dramatically from $2,100 up to $2,900 due to the memory shortage crisis. (Some note that the price "nearly doubled" overnight while they were in the middle of testing.)
In his video review, Marques Brownlee says, "This is their best build yet. They're finally doing what people have been asking for: a premium... modular... laptop." ZDNET agrees that this device "represents a new approach for Framework and a maturation of the brand's catalog," noting that the new construction is "sleek and airtight, with no gaps, spaces, or evidence that was even put together by your hands at all." Tom's Hardware echoes this enthusiasm, declaring that "The Framework Laptop 13 Pro's sturdy design, haptic trackpad, and bigger battery feel like they should have been there all along".
Battery life, which has historically been a weak point for Framework, is now a standout feature. Ars Technica points out that the combination of Intel's efficient Panther Lake chips and a new 74-watt-hour battery is "finally long enough to decisively eliminate 'mediocre-to-poor battery life' as the laptop's biggest downside." They also said it's "Framework's nicest-looking, nicest-feeling, most polished laptop design."
For Linux users, the machine appears to deliver on its promises. Phoronix says the device "is designed with great Linux compatibility in mind," offering a seamless out-of-the-box experience for distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora.
As mentioned above, the overarching complaint is the extreme cost. Ars Technica notes that Framework unfortunately "switched to an exotic new upgradeable LPDDR5X RAM format just in time for those modules to become astronomically expensive." Still, Marques Brownlee summarizes the long-term value proposition perfectly: while it might be painfully expensive on day one, "the longer you keep this laptop, the more it feels worth it" because you can easily repair and upgrade it over time. Compared to Apple's flagship, the Framework is "80% of the quality, way more modular," he says.
In his video review, Marques Brownlee says, "This is their best build yet. They're finally doing what people have been asking for: a premium... modular... laptop." ZDNET agrees that this device "represents a new approach for Framework and a maturation of the brand's catalog," noting that the new construction is "sleek and airtight, with no gaps, spaces, or evidence that was even put together by your hands at all." Tom's Hardware echoes this enthusiasm, declaring that "The Framework Laptop 13 Pro's sturdy design, haptic trackpad, and bigger battery feel like they should have been there all along".
Battery life, which has historically been a weak point for Framework, is now a standout feature. Ars Technica points out that the combination of Intel's efficient Panther Lake chips and a new 74-watt-hour battery is "finally long enough to decisively eliminate 'mediocre-to-poor battery life' as the laptop's biggest downside." They also said it's "Framework's nicest-looking, nicest-feeling, most polished laptop design."
For Linux users, the machine appears to deliver on its promises. Phoronix says the device "is designed with great Linux compatibility in mind," offering a seamless out-of-the-box experience for distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora.
As mentioned above, the overarching complaint is the extreme cost. Ars Technica notes that Framework unfortunately "switched to an exotic new upgradeable LPDDR5X RAM format just in time for those modules to become astronomically expensive." Still, Marques Brownlee summarizes the long-term value proposition perfectly: while it might be painfully expensive on day one, "the longer you keep this laptop, the more it feels worth it" because you can easily repair and upgrade it over time. Compared to Apple's flagship, the Framework is "80% of the quality, way more modular," he says.
Battery Life was already improving before this (Score:3)
Display (Score:1)
Re:Display (Score:5, Insightful)
On a 13" screen most people would have scaling enabled to see it anyway. Not really sure its worth the extra horsepower to push quadruple the pixels, and average them out.
Don't get me wrong, I love 4k screens. My desktop has a pair of 32" 120hz 4k screens.
But on a laptop, especially a 13" model, my priority is going to be battery life, not performance; so 4k is not a hard requirement. Plus this unit features a more old school 3:2 aspect ratio which is arguably more practical and useful than a 1.78:1 widescreen at 13".
Higher than a 13" dell xps. Higher than the 13" Macbook Neo. Higher than a 13" Macbook air... hell it just edges out the display on the Macbook air 15".
Its 120Hz. It's matte. It's touchscreen (if you care).
It seems to be a very solid 13" laptop screen overall.
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No 4k screen. Instant pass.
4K on a 13.5" screen? Now if it couldn't output to a 4K screen, I would agree with you.
I *Want* To Buy One ... (Score:3)
I need a new laptop.
(Backstory: I had a great Thinkpad, but I discovered it had horrible build quality when I poked my finger through the screen while just trying to close it ... and then discovered LENOVO HAS THE MOST CUSTOMER-UNFRIENDLY WARRANTY AND REPAIR SERVICE OF ANY COMPANY I'VE EVER USED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Suffice it to say, I'm not paying more than half my laptop's cost to fix their mistake, despite being under warranty, and I'm never buying a Lenovo laptop again.)
However, while I need a developer-grade and gaming-grade laptop, I'm just not going to drop 3k+ on it. I applaud these guys for their transparency, modularity, battery life, etc. ... it all sounds wonderful. However, I just can't convince myself to pay many hundreds of dollars extra over the next closest competitor.
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I'm curious about what model you got. While I would avoid all their consumer-oriented machines, I have regularly purchased refurbished "business-class" machines over the years and they've served me really well. There's a couple vendors I really like on ebay who seem to get a lot of cast-off inventory from business as they upgrade. I usually pick them up for $200-$300 and maybe add more memory or larger drives. I have a T480 and T580 for my own use and got my parents T590s. I also exclusively run Linux
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Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 AMD 14" Laptop (2023 Model), I bought it off Amazon (and yeah I run Linux also).
We use Thinkpads at my work also, and I've used them in the past without issue, which was a big part of why I bought one (also I wanted the eraser head mouse, although I never ended up using it). FWIW, I've never punched-a-hole-through-the-screen-while-trying-to-close my *work* laptop, nor has anyone else in the company.
Maybe it was a freak occurrence ... but when Lenovo refused to fix it *in spite of
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You mean from the outside of t he lid through?
You could just find a replacement screen on eBay (same model number) and some amount of screws and plugging in wires later, have a usable laptop again. And, superglue some Formica over that part of the screen or over the whole lid (for looks).
Re: Thinkpad parts and screen swaps. (Score:2)
Before buying a top or donor Thinkpad I check to see if a better panel donor is available. I've built many Thinkpads from wrecks because it's generally so easy. I don't care about warranty service because I don't own a corporate fleet and keep my machines long past warranty expiration and EOS.
The HMM are free downloads from Lenovo making it even easier to work on Thinkpads. Their community is large, dedicated and helpful. I rarely damage mine but if I do I've plenty of spares, and thanks to easy drive remov
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If you can find one that'll fit the mounts and has identical wiring, awesome!
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I used to build PCs from parts, but replacing the screen (my thumb went physically through it as I tried to close the laptop lid) is beyond my pay grade :(
"Thinkpad" is not specific. Models/specs matter. (Score:2)
Always post the MODEL and SPECS because as with any make that matters greatly.
Wise notebook buyers study specific models under consideration. Wiser buyers do not buy new notebooks and let the rich beta test.
The classic way to buy Thinkpads is choosing used, proven models the Thinkpad community knows well.
I rarely buy new notebooks (and even then only established models) because I get far better bang for buck letting someone else take the hit then buying opportunistically.
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If it's a Thinkpad you can just buy a replacement screen, or the entire assembly with the housing, and replace it using the service manual that Lenovo provides. It's 15 minutes of work if you are unfamiliar with laptop screen replacement.
The "battery" angle is obsolete (Score:3)
Laptops of reasonable design are fed via USB PD these days. You get quite affordable and pretty safe LiFePo 99Wh USB-PD batteries these days. Just carry one (or more) if you need more endurance.
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Putting a battery into a computer is basically the wrong approach. It will never work well unless laptop power consumption becomes really small.
To Each Their Own (Score:2)
That price is way too high for me to consider this against an Asus, Dell,or Apple laptop. All of which are either covered by warranty or disposable.
Get a laptop with Accidental Damage warranty. Don't worry about it. Get another in 5 years.
Come to think of it, my current laptop is getting on in age and I have no desire to replace it. Most especially at today's prices.
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Just don't buy Lenovo (as I noted above, even with a warranty they refused to fix a defective screen ... without me paying >50% of the laptop's price).
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Was that a standard warranty, or did you have the supplemental "Accidental Damage Protection" warranty?
Navigating Lenovo's warranty gauntlet is terrible. True. But, I've never seen them refuse the Accidental Damage Protection warranty.
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It was probably the level below. Their warranty page is incredibly misleading and I could have sworn I was getting a warranty that would cover me ... but it was all a giant waste of $$$.
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That price is way too high for me to consider this against an Asus, Dell,or Apple laptop. All of which are either covered by warranty or disposable.
Get a laptop with Accidental Damage warranty. Don't worry about it. Get another in 5 years.
Come to think of it, my current laptop is getting on in age and I have no desire to replace it. Most especially at today's prices.
Since we're sharing anecdotes here, I had a (fairly expensive) Dell XPS laptop a few years ago which was the worst laptop I've ever owned. The only things that didn't break were the screen and the CPU. The card reader broke, the optical drive broke, the hard drive broke, even the shitty plastic/chrome trim broke.
I don't abuse computers. I keep them cool. I don't use them while the vents are blocked by blankets or paperwork. I don't throw them around. Hell my old Gateway from 2006 is in better shape than the
Cool idea, but... (Score:1)
even a basic one with some USB ports and the smallest NvME and decent RAM can easily get above $1,500.
So, for the 'expansion ports', it's a recessed USB-C port to their adapter thing to get a USB-A/HDMI/headphone jack?
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So, for the 'expansion ports', it's a recessed USB-C port to their adapter thing to get a USB-A/HDMI/headphone jack?
As I understand it you are correct. Due to the open nature of the framework others have made expansion cards of their own. A quick Google search for Framework Serial Port showed pictures of adapters people have made for adding a Serial port. The port is proud of the laptop, but it takes up less space than a USB - Serial adapter if you are frequently using it. Since the ports are just USB-C you could always order just USB-C dongles to fill the slots and plugin random USB adapters to the outside of the cas
Too expensive (Score:2)
The price as it is puts it I to a luxury item category, not everyday essentials. Not even mid-range.
Maybe that's their plan. I'll pass.
I don't understand the port thing. (Score:1)
Ok sure, you can trade out ports on the side to have what you need, but they all plug into a USB-C port... so why wouldn't I just get a USB-C to whatever-the-fuck-I-need cable for $20 and be done?
This is just more parts to lose, and a thicker case from all that plastic.
Nope. (Score:2)
No upgrades on any devices until prices return to same levels for ram and storage. And if that means years, then so be it. My phones, tablets, and desktops are all fine, and I have enough parts and last-gen components and devices in my graveyard to ride out a few hardware failures.
I paid $600 for 128GB of DDR5. I'll be damned if I'll pay more for less.
Need a Mobile Workstation that Can Cool Itself (Score:2)