Review: Framework’s next-gen laptop delivers on its upgradeable promises

It’s one thing to say They make a fully user-serviceable, upgradeable laptop. Actually going through with it is another thing.

The original Framework laptop we tested last year had a a lot of of things right. It’s easy to open and manipulate, ports can be swapped out as needed, and it’s rugged and well-built enough to take on traditional, less upgradeable and repairable Ultrabooks like Dell’s XPS 13 or Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

But making “a surprisingly good laptop” is not the same as creating a laptop ecosystem with upgradeable, interchangeable, and user-serviceable parts. To do this, you need to keep up with new component versions. You need to fix the flaws in your original theme (or even release new revisions) without ending support for previous versions of your theme or breaking compatibility with previous versions of your theme. And your small, independent business needs to too continue to exist So it can do all that work for a few years, year after year.

I can’t say what the next year or two will bring, but I can say that the second generation Framework laptop still does almost everything right. It’s a slightly redesigned version of the original chassis, designed around a 12th Gen Intel Core CPU rather than an 11th Gen version, and the motherboard is available as a drop-in upgrade for anyone who have already purchased a Framework laptop.

The Framework Laptop mainly has problems with the battery life. But overall it’s a thoughtfully designed computer that treats DIYers and PC builders like adults who can make their own decisions. There is still no comparable laptop.

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