Framework Laptop (2022) review: promises kept

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Tech companies are notorious for not following through on their promises. Everyone was skeptical when Framework announced its completely upgradable thin and light laptop last year.

You don't know with these things, as I said in my review of that device. Much of the laptop's value was dependent on how well the company supported it. Framework promised that it would make replacement parts, repair guides, and a centralized marketplace available to laptop owners. We didn't know if it would.

It has been around a year. The framework did it. All it did was do it.

The company has announced a new version of its laptop, and is shipping it out. It is releasing a 12th Gen mainboard that can be used by last year's unit owners. The company published the repair guides and put up a marketplace where you can buy a lot of things.

The new Framework laptop is admirable in its representation. Framework puts its money where it's mouth is and is committed to repairing. This market has been burned many times but it is worth celebrating.

The framework's lid is the only design change. On this cover, the company has switched from an aluminum forming process to a fullCNC process. It's fair. The lid feels more rigid now than it did a year ago, but there isn't much to say.

The lid is made of recycled material. It is looking for post-consumer sources. 70 percent post-consumer recycled plastic is used in the screwdriver, 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastic is used in the keyboard, and 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic is used in the battery. I am happy to see the numbers that every company proclaims about every model.

The company has released designs for 3D-printable cases and stands that people can use to reuse their old mainboards. I don't know how many people will do this, but I appreciate that the company encourages people not to throw away their old parts.

Framework has a "coming soon" sticker on a new ethernet expansion card that is supposed to be a port option. There are four ports you can choose from on the framework model. I could have swapped in a number of other things, including HDMI. The only limitation is that you have to use the laptop's built-in charging port. This is a PSA to anyone who has been sad by the demise of a laptop with ethernet.

The best part of the structure is still the same. You can swap out everything from the bottom cover to the fingerprints.

You can find replacement parts on Framework. This was a ghost town last year, but looks better this year. Everything is up for sale, from mainboards to speakers and everything in between. Each part you receive has a code on it that you can use to find information.

Framework tells me that I should be able to order mainboards today and that they will be shipped this month.

The last framework is still my main gripe. You can't open it with a regularPhillips screwdriver because it's held together with T5Torx screws. It will be less of a problem for previous Framework owners who already have Framework's screwdriver, but it may make finding replacements more difficult. The framework told me last year that it uses Torx screws because they don't strip issues that can come up withPhillips screws.

This is a repairability dream in a lot of ways. IFixit gave it a rare 10 out of 10.

That's the upgradeability. The Framework is used as a laptop. It's okay. It's alright.

The device is thin and light and can be carried around. The gear logo on the lid is cute, but it hasn't collected fingerprints or smudges during my testing I wish you could get a lid in a matching color to jazz up the look. The orange and gray ones are more expensive. It is not covered in branding, but it has a flair.

The display has a 3:2 aspect ratio and is 13 inches in size. It maxes out at 444 nits in my testing. It doesn't interfere with my work at medium brightness.

Last year it was the norm, but now it's rare. The volume of the speakers is acceptable, but not amazing.

The keyboard is not as clicky as I'd like it to be, but it's not as loud as I'd like it to be. If you want to swap keyboards back and forth, you can order replacement keyboards in a number of different languages.

There were no palm rejection issues that I experienced with the 4.5 x 3 inch touchpad. There are different colored keys available, and I wish you could change the color of the touchpad as well. There are replacements listed on the marketplace.

The 12th Gen Core i7-1260P, which is found in some of the best thin and light laptops on the market, is powered byIntel. Four performance and eight efficiency are contained in it.

The 1260P, which costs $1,449 and is currently estimated to ship in August, is accompanied by a pre-built Framework unit with 16 gigabytes of ram and 512 gigabytes of storage. There are two Core i7-1280P models that are shipping in August and September.

You can leave certain parts out if you already have your own, and the kit starts at $819, which is more than enough for most people. It seems like the kits are close in price to the pre-builts.

Every person has a different need for their device. I have put together information that may be helpful to disabled users who are considering this product, which may or may not be included in the review. Feel free to let me know if there is information you want to see.

Framework Laptop (pre-built)

• The letter keys are 1.5 x 1.5 inches with 0.5 inches between them. All keys are backlit. Only the Caps Lock key has an indicator light. The power button is 1 x 1 inches. The volume keys are 1.5 x 1 inches. The keys are black with white text and take a small amount of dedicated force to depress.
• The speakers reached an average of 73.6 decibels in my testing with a maximum of 79.3 decibels.
• The Framework laptop weighs 2.87 pounds.
• Two ports of the user’s choice can be placed on each side. The headphone jack is on the left side. The laptop charges by USB-C, and can charge on either side depending on your selected layout.
• The lid can be opened with one hand. It can be tilted flat but not further.
• The screen is 13.5 inches with a 2256 x 1504 resolution. It reached 444 nits of brightness and a 1360:1 contrast ratio in my testing. There is no touchscreen option.
• The touchpad is 4.5 x 3 inches and supports precision gestures.
• Setup involves slotting ports into the sides, turning the device on, and clicking through several menus.
• The Framework Laptop supports fingerprint logins but not facial logins.

Windows 11

• Windows 11 includes a dedicated accessibility menu.
• Windows 11 includes a built-in screen reader (Narrator). It supports third-party screen readers including NVDA from NV Access and Jaws from Freedom Scientific. A full list of compatible software can be found on Microsoft’s website.
• Windows 11 supports voice typing (accessed by Windows + H) and speech recognition (toggled with Windows + Ctrl + S).
• Color Filters including inverted, grayscale, red-green, and blue-yellow can be toggled with Windows + Ctrl + C. Contrast themes are toggled with Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen. Standard Dark Mode and custom colors are also available under Personalization.
• Caption color and size can be customized, and appear close to the bottom of the screen.
• The keyboard can be remapped with Microsoft’s PowerToys. Sticky Keys is supported. An onscreen keyboard is available.
• The cursor’s size and speed can be adjusted, and gestures can be remapped in Touchpad Settings.
• Windows 11 supports eye control with external eye trackers.
• Windows 11 includes a Snap Layout feature, accessed by hovering over the Maximize button on any open window.

I didn't run into a lot of problems in the real world. I used this as a primary work driver, which included around a dozen Chrome tabs, a couple of other apps and a stream. I didn't feel the heat in the keyboard when I put the device through a lot while on battery saver. I didn't hear fan noise while I was working. The framework is quiet, fast, and cool. It wasn't a problem to import and edit a bunch of photos in the program.

I wouldn't use this computer if I had to use Adobe's Media Encoder. I was getting the spinning wheel left and right when I tried to export because the programs were slower and less responsive than they would be on a more powerful machine.

The Framework averaged 32 frames per second on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which is better than the M2 MacBook Air, but not as good as you would hope. It lost to the Air in most of the synthetic benchmarks we ran, and in some cases it was worse. It is showing improvement over its 11th Gen predecessor, the Core i7-1165G7, which we have seen worse results in. Some of the tests it gives a run for its money are with Intel's flagship Core i7-11 85G7.

There is one area where all of those laptops are superior to this one, and that is battery life. I averaged about five hours and 20 minutes of work per day with the screen at around 200 nits of brightness and battery saver on. It's not good for thin and lights. It is close to half of what I get out of the best thin and lights out there, like the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, but it is less than half the price of the MacBook Air.

The products are both lighter and thinner than the Framework. More efficient devices use less energy and I would hope that would be a significant part of the mission that Framework has made so central to it.

• 13.5” 3:2, 2256 x 1504 display
• Intel Core i7-1260P (4.7 GHz, 4+8 cores)
• 16GB DDR4-3200
• 512GB Gen4 PCI-e NVMe storage
• 4 x user-selectable expansion cards, 3.5mm headphone jack
• 60W high-efficiency GaN USB-C
• 2 x 2W speaker, 2 x microphone with hardware privacy switch
• 1.5mm key travel backlit keyboard
• 1080p 60fps webcam
• Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• 11.68 x 9.01 x 0.62 inches (15.85mm x 296.63mm x 228.98mm)
• 2.87 pounds (1.3kg)

I would like to assign different scores to the company and the laptop. Framework is showing an admirable vision and a reparability achievement that has never been seen in the thin and light space. The Framework Laptop is a bit expensive for what it has to offer.

How to reconcile these facts is something I have wrestled with. Reparability has costs, that's where I end up. The framework has a battery life that is the biggest. They can be seen in many different ways. Shoppers will be able to find machines that match or beat it in almost all categories. I don't like issuing a blanket recommendation because I love the Framework a lot.

Framework has never said that any of these areas are the Framework's calling card. The company hasn't always promised to deliver the best speakers. It has told us time and time again that a rigorous system for repairability is on the way. It was delivered there, and it is betting that there is an audience who cares about that ecosystems more than anything else. The point is not to compare this device to other laptops in its category.

Every smart device has a set of terms and conditions that you have to agree to before you can use it. It is not possible for us to read and analyze all of them. We started counting the number of times you have to agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people can't negotiate.

The Framework Laptop presents you with a number of things to agree to or decline.

There are mandatory policies for which an agreement is needed.

• A request for your language and keyboard layout
• Connect to Wi-Fi network
• Microsoft Software License Terms
• Sign into a Microsoft account or create a password

There are a lot of things that can be agreed to.

• Device privacy settings: Find My Device, Inking and Typing, Advertising ID, Location, Diagnostic data, Tailored experiences

There are mandatory and optional agreements.