A little over a year after the announcement of the first version of its ultra-repairable, upgradeable laptop, Framework launches the second generation of Framework laptops. It’s designed to be significantly faster and a little more robust, but most of all it’s a signal that the Framework is serious about building really long-lasting devices and can actually fulfill the often promised and rarely fulfilled dream of upgrading, modular gadgets. .
The main specification of the new laptop is the processor: it comes with a 12th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 chip with the best model of $ 2,049, running on Core i7-1280P. (This is a complete leap from the current model generation, and these new Alder Lake chips promise big performance improvements and increased efficiency.) The base model, which runs on the Core i5-1240P, starts at $ 1,049 fully assembled. All are available for pre-order now and start shipping in July, although you shouldn’t expect one too soon: Framework uses a pre-order system to manage demand and seems to expect deliveries to take some time.
In addition to the jump in performance, Framework has redesigned the top cover of the laptop, which he says is now much stiffer than before. This is a welcome change: when Monica Chin of The Verge reviewed the first model, the inevitable fragility of the laptop was one of the device’s worst qualities. In addition, the Framework also said that it has a “carefully optimized battery life”, which was average only for the latest model.
Most of the other specs haven’t changed: the new laptop still has a 13.5-inch screen, weighs a shade under three kilograms and has the same decent keyboard and trackpad. Overall, the new Framework Laptop sounds like a nice, albeit quite predictable, improvement on what you can already buy. It’s worth noting, however, that even the existing model is already a meaningful upgrade over what the company launched last year: Framework has added Wi-Fi 6E support since launch and offers a handful of new keys for its expansion ports. That’s all the work of the Framework, really; the laptop is not a static device, it is a constantly changing device.
The new Framework laptop is also an upgrade of the old one. Image: Frame
Which begs the real question about Framework: how do you start a new laptop when your whole company is based on allowing people to upgrade and improve their laptops without just having to buy a new one?
This is where the Framework message gets great: the new chipset will also be available in the Framework Marketplace, which means you can buy a motherboard with a 12th generation chip and put it in your existing Framework laptop without you have to buy a completely new device. Or you can choose to replace your top cover with a new, stronger one without changing anything else. (The upgrade kit, which includes both parts, starts at $ 538.) Framework plans to continue selling the first-generation laptop at a discounted price of $ 899, while its inventory is worthwhile, so you can start on your way to upgrading when you wish.
The idea behind the announcement of the Framework is really more exciting than the announcement itself. Framework’s plan to build more durable laptops can only work if the company remains committed to the upgrade option and makes sure that consumers who purchase its devices do the right thing with the promise of future upgrades. We’ve heard that promise before, of course, whether at the beginning of Alienware Area-51m’s failed dream, Google’s canceled Ara project, or Intel’s semi-upgradeable NUC Extreme, and abandoned Compute Card initiatives. These things are not prone to happen.
The question of how long the Framework will maintain its original chassis and design is still very open, given how many companies have made promises of modularity and longevity, only to break the system as soon as a shiny new thing appears. The new Framework laptop is both a new thing and a completely backward compatible thing. This is a big deal.
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