Enlarge / The Framework Laptop 13. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Since Framework showed off its first prototypes in February 2021 , we've generally been fans of the company's modular, repairable, upgradeable laptops.

Not that the company's hardware releases to date have been perfect—each Framework Laptop 13 model has had quirks and flaws that range from minor to quite significant , and the Laptop 16's upsides struggle to balance its downsides. But the hardware mostly does a good job of functioning as a regular laptop while being much more tinkerer-friendly than your typical MacBook, XPS, or ThinkPad.

But even as it builds new upgrades for its systems, expands sales of refurbished and B-stock hardware as budget options , and promotes the re-use of its products via external enclosures , Framework has struggled with the other side of computing longevity and sustainability: providing up-to-date software.

Enlarge / The Framework Laptop 16. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Now that the Framework Laptop 13 has been through three refresh cycles—including one that swapped from Intel's CPUs to AMD's within the exact same body—the company is setting its sights on something bigger.

Today, we're taking an extended look at the first Framework Laptop 16, which wants to do for a workstation/gaming laptop what the Framework Laptop 13 did for thin-and-light ultraportables. In some ways, the people who use these kinds of systems need a Framework Laptop most of all; they're an even bigger investment than a thin-and-light laptop, and a single CPU, GPU, memory, or storage upgrade can extend the useful life of the system for years, just like upgrading a desktop.

The Laptop 16 melds ideas from the original Framework Laptop with some all-new mechanisms for customizing the device's keyboard, adding and upgrading a dedicated GPU, and installing other modules. The result is a relatively bulky and heavy laptop compared to many of its non-upgradeable alternatives. And you'll need to trust that Framework delivers on its upgradeability promises somewhere down the line since the current options for upgrading and expanding the laptop are fairly limited.

Enlarge / The Framework Laptop 13, with Framework's gear logo on the lid. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Part of Framework’s sales pitch is that the company’s modular laptops are a ( somewhat ) more sustainable, responsible alternative to buying a hermetically sealed and non-upgradeable model from one of the big PC makers. The company has attempted to encourage reuse and recycling by offering refurbished models and 3D-printable cases for repurposing laptop motherboards as tiny desktop computers.

Earlier this month, the company took another step in that direction , opening up a Framework Outlet section in its online marketplace to sell refurbished products and things that have been returned by their original buyers. The company is also expanding its "factory seconds" offerings—it previously offered some 11th-gen Core i5 Framework Laptop motherboards this way, but that's now expanded to Core i7 motherboards and some complete Framework Laptop models built with bodies and screens that have minor manufacturing defects.

"With the excess displays we received from the factory, we found a subtle cosmetic defect on some of them," wrote Framework CEO Nirav Patel. "There is a wavy pattern and backlight non-uniformity that is visible from certain angles. Because of this, we’re calling these systems “B-Stock” and pricing them even lower than our 11th Gen refurbs. As always, you can upgrade any part of the system including the display using parts from the Framework Marketplace whenever you need to."

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  This is the Framework Laptop 13. We're using the same pictures as a previous review because it's the exact same laptop. [credit: Andrew Cunningham ]

The Framework Laptop 13 is back again.

My third review of this laptop is probably the one that I (and many Framework-curious PC buyers) have been the most interested to test, as the company has finally added an AMD Ryzen option to the repair-friendly portable. Updates to the Intel version of the Framework Laptop have boosted CPU performance, but its graphics performance has been at a standstill since the Framework Laptop originally hit the scene in mid-2021.

Even AMD's latest integrated graphics won't make a thin-and-light laptop a replacement for a gaming PC with dedicated graphics, but a bit more GPU power makes the Framework Laptop that much more versatile, making it easier to play games at reasonable resolutions and settings than it is on Intel's aging Iris Xe graphics hardware.

Enlarge / The Framework Slabtop, as I dub it. Not a NUC, not quite a desktop. (credit: Kevin Purdy)

Many industry pundits were skeptical when the new laptop company Framework announced a repair-friendly, upgrade-ready laptop in 2021 . Could you really swap parts between laptops—reasonably thin and lightweight laptops—year over year? Would that even work as a business model?

Framework released the first edition of its machine, and we found that it lived up to its promises. The company followed through with a second-generation laptop, and we reviewed the third iteration as "a box of parts" that upgraded the previous version. The upgrade experiment has been a success. All that's left are, well, the parts left behind.

It's 2023, and those who have Framework's first generation of laptops, containing Intel's 11th-generation Core processor) might be itching to upgrade, especially with an AMD model around the corner . Or maybe, like me, they find that system's middling battery life and tricky-to-tame sleep draining (since improved, but not entirely fixed) make for a laptop that doesn't feel all that portable. Or they're just ready for something new.

Enlarge / Time for an upgrade—new Framework Laptop 13 motherboards can be purchased new or installed into the Framework Laptop you already have. (credit: Framework)

For the second year in a row, Framework has announced new upgrades for its modular, repairable Framework Laptop that can be installed directly in older versions of the Framework Laptop. There are two motherboards: one with a predictable upgrade from 12th-generation Intel Core CPUs to 13th-generation chips and one that brings AMD's Ryzen laptop processors to the Framework Laptop for the first time.

Framework has also formally renamed its first laptop design; the 13-inch model picks up the "Framework Laptop 13" retronym to distinguish it from the new Framework 16 gaming laptop.

We know a little more about the Intel version of the laptop. There are versions with 12-core (4 P-cores, 8 E-cores) Core i5-1340P and Core i7-1360P, and a high-end version with a 14-core (6 P-cores, 8 E-cores) Core i7-1370P. These P-series processors were partly responsible for the most recent Framework Laptop's mediocre battery life , but the company says the 13th-generation CPUs are more battery-efficient and that it has made further "firmware optimizations" to improve runtime. All Intel models continue to use DDR4-3200 memory, so if you upgrade your motherboard, the RAM can be swapped along with the SSD you're using.

Enlarge (credit: Framework)

We were skeptical at first, but Framework has delivered on the promise of its original 13-inch laptop. Three product generations in, the company has made a respectable competitor for the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Air that can be repaired, modified, and upgraded, and owners of the original laptop can easily give themselves a significant performance boost by upgrading to the new 13th-generation Intel or AMD Ryzen-based boards the company announced today.

Framework is now looking to build on that track record with an all-new Framework Laptop 16. It's a larger-screened model that can fit more powerful processors, dedicated GPUs, and a range of different keyboard modules, all with the same commitment to repairability and upgradeability seen in the original Framework Laptop (now retroactively dubbed the Framework Laptop 13).

Framework isn't discussing many details yet; preorders won't open until "this spring," and shipments won't begin until "late 2023."

Enlarge / Framework's blog post shares this Steam Deck image to illustrate its commitment to housing gigantic Steam backlogs. (credit: Framework)

Steam Deck and Microsoft Surface owners looking to get more SSD storage than is typically offered (and for less money) have a new, unexpected source: Framework, the repairable laptop company.

Seeing the need for reputable vendors of smaller-size M.2 drives , the company decided to "add one more line item" to its typical Western Digital drive order. As such, the company has started offering a 2TB M.2 2230 drive for $300 in its US and Canada stores . As of this writing, the drives are sold out, but you can sign up to be notified when they're back in stock.

Enlarge / Printables is aiming to build a one-stop site for 3D-printed parts and accessories from brands like Noctua. (credit: Printables.com)

A number of device and accessory brands—including Adafruit, Framework Computer, Noctua, and Raspberry Pi—have started sharing free official 3D-printable models of parts, accessories, and mods on Printables, kicking off what the site hopes is a general trend toward repair-friendly parts and community mods.

Prusa Research, which shifted its PrusaPrinters site to Printables.com in March, writes that it had been "talking with a couple of giants in their respective industries" before launching a new section of the site, Brands . Giving customers the option of locally printing certain parts reduces inventory and shipping needs. By doing so, the company writes, that "makes it easier for brands to support the right-to-repair initiative"—and create some cool mods.

"We hope that in a few years, it will be the norm to release 3D-printable models to accompany the brand's products," writes Mikolas Zuza, marketing specialist at Prusa Research.