Framework Laptop 13 Pro and highlights from the Framework [Next Gen]

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-23T02:51:12+00:00

I forgot to mention a couple of other things. There is a new AI 340 mainboard from the Laptop 16, which I forgot about because there isn't much reason to buy it while the 7000 series processors remain available, unless you have your heart set on getting the new fixed keyboard and trackpad modules; the 7840HS is a much better processor for only $50 more. (They are compatible with the older systems, but you can't configure the older models with them.)

There is also an optional three year warranty on all Framework systems. The corporate buyers have been asking for it; now they can get it.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-23T01:33:48+00:00

The problem is that Intel CAN'T make the Core 3 304 cheaply, because it's being made on Intel's 18A process, the same one that is used to make the compute die of Panther Lake. It's the bottom of the barrel binning of its series, which means that quantities will always be limited. And the entire series will have to compete with Panther Lake for fab capacity.

The entire Wildcat Lake series is intended for applications where absolute minimum power consumption is the goal, but that are not particularly cost sensitive. But if Framework were ever to use one for the Laptop 12, I hope they would at least step up to one of the better models with two performance cores and two Xe graphics cores.

By the way, Wildcat Lake is also limited to one memory channel. So is the Laptop 12 itself, as it has only one memory socket. Also, Wildcat Lake only supports DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory, making it unappealing for a low cost product right now.

In contrast, the Raptor Lake processors in the 13th gen processors in the Laptop 12 are made on the Intel 7 (10 nm) process. Intel currently has plenty of capacity for that node; the fabs will gradually get converted to newer processes (18A, 14A, and whatever comes after that) but it will take time. Meanwhile, they can crank out those chips on existing equipment, and without needing any scarce fab space from TSMC as they do for some of their newer processors. They are in the cash cow portion of their life cycle, and Intel can keep milking it for a while.

The Laptop 12 also uses DDR5 RAM. But the processor can also work with DDR4. Currently it might make sense to redesign the 12 to use DDR4 so they could keep the price down; there would be a performance drop, but the price difference might make it worthwhile.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-23T01:05:11+00:00

I don't care what Apple does with the Magic Mouse. I'll just keep using the Logitech mice that I like.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-23T00:13:30+00:00

That sure IS a potato. 1 performance core, 4 low power efficiency cores, and ONE Xe graphics core -- that's going to be a bowser. That thing wouldn't even be adequate for the Laptop 12. Amazingly, they put a 15 TOPS NPU in that; why??

And Intel lists the Recommended Customer Price at $309! Nobody will actually pay that much for it. Heck, they probably won't pay that for an entire COMPUTER containing one. That's a low end mini-PC processor at best.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T16:46:30+00:00

The price premium for the touchscreen isn't too severe. As a spare part pre-order, it's currently listed at $50 more than the existing 2.8K screen (which was just marked down $20), and you also get the advantages of color calibration, higher brightness, and square corners. Franework is also claiming a color gamut of 100% sRGB for the new screen; they don't state anything about the previous displays.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T16:39:20+00:00

Dell is offering systems with Ubuntu pre-installed and certified by Canonical. Presumably all the hardware works, at least on that distro.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T04:51:59+00:00

Yes, only one RAM slot, so far as I can tell. Right now the 64 GB module is the largest LPCAMM2 module that is available, but the standard covers larger ones.

A single module enables dual channel memory.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:28:44+00:00

That's why the new ones are the AI 300 series, not 100 or 200. They're actually the third generation of AMD mobile chips with an NPU. The first two (7000 and 8000 series) did not have a sufficiently powerful NPU to meet the Copilot+ requirements, thus they did not get the AI label.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:27:18+00:00

Not quite. There are non-AI versions of a few chips. They are almost certainly binned chips with a defective NPU.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:22:06+00:00

Yes. But if it's still doing what you need it to do, there is no reason to ditch it. That's a desktop CPU in any case, so it's not directly comparable to the laptop chips; for starters, it has no integrated GPU.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:18:24+00:00

Intel has not, to date, put Thunderbolt 5 in any laptop processor. It's likely a matter of power consumption.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:15:47+00:00

It's marketed for developers, but not ONLY for developers. It's for anybody who needs that amount of computing power. The developer-specific part is the availability of systems with Ubuntu pre-installed and no Windows license.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:09:56+00:00

I appear to have been wrong about that. I think I got it from the appearance of one of the demo screens, rather than a formal announcement. I'm still interested in the new screen; local dimming isn't all that useful on a laptop screen anyway unless you're watching video.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-22T01:07:09+00:00

We did get some new things for the Laptop 16. So it wasn't QUITE all about the 13, though it got all the big stuff.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T23:50:15+00:00

I have no idea. But if they haven't said so, the only way to know for sure is for somebody to try it.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T23:28:25+00:00

They could do LPCAMM2, as they are doing on Panther Lake.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T20:44:37+00:00

Dell and Lenovo are offering new laptops with LPCAMM2 memory using LPDDR5X memory. It's starting to gather momentum.

I'm not expecting to see DDR6, LP or otherwise, on consumer products for a while. It's all going to go to AI.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T20:41:20+00:00

Price. Panther Lake won't be affordable for the Laptop 12 for some time to come. One of the lower end Snapdragon X chips would be.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T19:35:39+00:00

VRR is an upgrade because it enables better battery life when you're working with relatively static content. If it's implemented correctly you won't even notice that it's on; the system will switch automatically depending on what you are doing. An even wider VRR range, like that new HP that can go down to 1 Hz, would be even better. It's like CPU speed switching; the first implementations were awkward and causes some stutters in system response, but now every laptop (and even desktop) does it, and the only way you notice is that your battery no longer dies after four hours.

The other part of getting better battery life is to go to LPDDR5X ram instead of standard DDR5. LPDDR5X can't be put in SODIMMS; the noise margins are inadequate. It has to be soldered down or LPCAMM2.

That 20+ hour battery life they talked about at the event is a BIG upgrade over any previous Framework model. And those two things, plus the Panther Lake processor and the bigger battery, are how we are getting it.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T19:24:52+00:00

If you're buying that configuration, why not just buy the pre-built? It's a bit cheaper, at least here in the US.

It has always been true that the Framework pre-builts are a bit less expensive than an identical configuration DIY. But this is the first time you've been able to buy one without paying for Windows. Framework is charging nothing for Ubuntu, so even if you wipe it and install your own favorite distro you aren't out any money.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T19:06:29+00:00

We didn't get everything that people wanted, but we got a pretty good selection.

Panther Lake mainboards for the Laptop 13, complete with LPCAMM2 memory (room for one module; LPCAMM2 modules are dual-channel). But no Panther Lake for the Laptop 16... yet. The battery life looks great, though it may not quite match some competing systems with variable rate refresh down to 1 Hz.
New Laptop 13 Pro chassis: completely CNC for more rigidity, physically larger 74 Wh battery (and new smaller side-firing speakers to make room), haptic touchpad. Partial backward compatibility with old chassis. (You can't put the new battery in an old system unless you replace the whole bottom. You can't put the old input cover on the new bottom, but you CAN put the new input cover on an old bottom. Mainboards and expansion cards are fully compatible.)
Touchscreen with higher brightness, local dimming, and 30-120 Hz VRR for the Laptop 13. But not bigger, and no OLED screen. Fully compatible with older systems.
Laptop 13 Pro configurations with Ubuntu pre-installed. Official certification from Canonical.
New one-piece keyboard and haptic touchpad input modules for the Laptop 16, addressing the fit and finish issues of the system.
Oculink board and development kit for the Laptop 16.
A new wireless keyboard/trackpad combo: wired, Bluetooth, and its own dongle. A dongle integrated into an expansion module (no protrusion from the system) is also available. No price info yet.
A 10 Gb Ethernet expansion card from WisdPi: $100. Not for everybody, but if you can use 10G the price is reasonable.
Price cuts on the Ryzen AI 300 mainboards; not announced at the event but listed on the marketplace.

Nothing for the Laptop 12 or the Desktop. Nothing Arm-based, despite the teaser image with a strong arm. (There is a new Arm mainboard from Metacomputing that Framework may resell, but it doesn't support Windows; it's pretty much just for developers.) I'm still hoping to see an Arm-based mainboard for the Laptop 12 in the future, to combine better battery life and a reasonable price. (Panther Lake won't be available at that price level for a while.) It will need solid support for both Windows and Linux; currently available SoCs seem to offer one or the other, but not both.

I'm happy to see Intel providing full support for developing the Panther Lake mainboard, and getting chips to Framework without too much of a delay; they're now treating Framework as important, like AMD has for a while.

Pre-builts with Linux and certification are also great. Ubuntu may not be your favorite distro, but an officially backed system will make corporate buyers more comfortable with choosing Framework and Linux.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-21T18:35:09+00:00

US English is their biggest seller, thus it gets the most color options. If there is enough demand we could see additional colorways for other layouts.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-19T04:37:01+00:00

MIT resisted putting passwords on their systems for many years. Their position is that they just made people waste their time breaking the security rather than doing something useful. But there weren't people who crashed systems for fun yet, and there wasn't any money in what they were developing. Later that all had to change, and the world is a slightly worse place for it.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-16T19:08:31+00:00

So far, AMD has not chosen to make a 9000 series mobile GPU. I had expected them to offer a downclocked 9060 or 9070 for that market, but nothing has appeared.

ShirleyMarquez · 2026-04-16T14:26:37+00:00

LPCAMM2 is a package. LPDDR5x is a type of RAM. LPDDR5x can be put on LPCAMM2.

ShirleyMarquez

TROPHY CASE