Framework guns for cheap laptops with upgradeable alternative

Chromebook-area pricing for latest designs

Framework, maker of modular and repairable laptops, is aiming at a wider audience with an upcoming 12-inch touchscreen convertible that will target the entry-level market.

The new Framework convertible

The California-based biz detailed its plans at its Framework (2nd Gen) Event in San Francisco this week, when it also unveiled an updated version of its 13-inch portable and a mini desktop PC.

The Framework Laptop 12, expected mid-year, is being billed by the firm as the "purest manifestation" of its "product philosophy."

Set to be a repairable and upgradeable 12.2-inch touchscreen convertible, it will target a broader audience, such as the students and young people who often buy entry-level laptops, said founder and CEO Nirav Patel.

The company promises easy repairability

"We build products to fix what we see as a broken industry, and few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops. They tend to be janky, locked-down, disposable, underpowered, and frankly boring machines," he stated.

With that in mind, the new model aims to take the upgradeability and longevity of the Framework Laptop 13 and deliver it in a smaller, lower-cost, and more consumer-friendly format, the company says.

It will be available in five colors, and is designed for durability with shock-absorbing thermoplastic polyurethane construction over rigid PC/ABS plastic with an inner metal structure, according to Framework.

"In the event you ever do manage to break it, it's also our easiest product ever to repair," Patel said, promising more details closer to launch.

Specifications include Intel 13th Gen Core processors in i3 and i5 variants, up to 48 GB of DDR5-5200 memory, 2 TB of NVMe storage, and Wi-Fi 6E, all of which are claimed to be modular and upgradeable. The display will have a 1920 x 1200 resolution with touch and stylus support. Pre-orders for the 12-inch model are set to open sometime in April.

Framework's first product was a 13-inch laptop, and now there is an updated version sporting AMD's Ryzen AI 300 Series CPUs, claimed to offer a jump in performance along with Radeon RDNA 3.5 graphics. This is available for pre-order today, with shipments from April.

As well as extra processor options, the update adds Wi-Fi 7, a revamped thermal system, a next-generation keyboard, and new bezel and expansion card color options.

The fresh Framework modules are promised to be backwards compatible

However, Patel promises that "any Framework Laptop 13 owner, going all the way back to the original 11th Gen Intel Core version in 2021, can pick up the new modules and upgrade the computer they already own to the latest technology."

Processor options go up to a Ryzen 9 HX 370 with 12 CPU cores at up to 5.1 GHz and 16 GPU cores, plus a 50 TOPS NPU making it Copilot+ compatible. The mainboard has two slots for up to 96 GB of DDR5-5600 memory, plus one PCIe 4 M.2 2280 slot for up to 8 TB storage.

That next-generation keyboard features a Copilot key for Windows 11, but the DIY Edition has an alternate set of keyboard artwork options with no Windows logo for Linux and BSD fans.

Pricing starts at $899 for the DIY Edition and $1,099 for pre-built systems, but buyers can pre-order just the new mainboard from $449.

While the firm has focused on laptops until now, it is moving into desktops with a small 4.5-liter Mini-ITX PC powered by AMD's Ryzen AI Max processors. Expected to be available from "early Q3" 2025, the Framework Desktop features up to 16 CPU cores at 5.1 GHz and up to 128 GB of LPDDR5x memory.

Desktop PCs have pretty much been modular and upgradeable all along, of course, which Framework acknowledges.

"We leveraged all of the key PC standards everywhere we could," Patel said. "Framework Desktop's Ryzen AI Max-powered mainboard is a standard Mini-ITX form factor with ATX headers, a PCIe x4 slot, and a broad set of rear I/O (including 2x USB4, 2x DisplayPort, HDMI, and 5Gbit Ethernet), so you can drop it into your own case if you prefer."

However, despite the company's ethos, the system's LPDDR5x memory is soldered to the motherboard to enable the 256 GBps memory bandwidth that Ryzen AI Max delivers, it explained.

"We spent months working with AMD to explore ways around this, but ultimately determined that it wasn't technically feasible to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256-bit memory bus. Because the memory is non-upgradeable, we're being deliberate in making memory pricing more reasonable than you might find with other brands," Patel said.

The mini PC's case can have either black or translucent side panels, with an optional carrying handle. Its front panel is made up of 21 color-customizable tiles, the design of which has been open sourced so users can 3D print their own. It also supports the Expansion Card system from Framework Laptops, allowing two slots at the front for the user's choice of ports.

The base configuration with an 8-core Ryzen AI Max 385 and 32 GB of memory will start at $1,099, but buyers can also pre-order the mainboard on its own, starting at $799.

Framework was founded in 2020 in order to make laptops that are user repairable, instead of having to be ditched because of a broken screen, connector that can't be fixed, or battery wearing out.

In addition to costing consumers money to buy new, the throwaway nature of many modern products leads to a problem with electronic waste, with over 50 million tons being created each year, according to Framework.

Last year, The Register revealed how global e-waste is growing almost five times faster than it is being recycled, according to a United Nations report, with the net annual economic monetary cost put at $37 billion.

A report last year by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) claimed that Apple laptops are the worst for ease of repair, while Intel this year published its own proposals for more modular and upgradeable PCs and laptops. ®