Framework's Laptop 12 Could Inject New Life Into Budget Portable PCs

Budget Windows laptops still suck. Framework's upcoming repairable and upgradeable machine could change the game.
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When Framework's repairable and upgradeable Laptop 13 came out a few years ago, it was exactly the disruption we needed in the portable computing space. Here was a laptop that let you customize its guts when ordering, and then you could upgrade or repair various components in the future as needed. It was expensive, but you wouldn't have to shell out a wad of cash for a new laptop every five years just because you don't have enough RAM.
The company is back to do it again. Earlier this week, Framework announced the Laptop 12 alongside a new desktop PC. The Laptop 12 is a budget laptop that doesn't look awful, is fully modular, and doesn't skimp on the performance and display. If it sounds too good to be true, you're not alone. We don't know the price yet, which is incredibly important. But keeping it a 'budget' laptop is Framework's stated goal.
'We build products to fix what we see as a broken industry, and few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops,' says Framework CEO Nirav Patel on the company's blog. Whether or not Framework has the antidote, Patel is right about the diagnosis. Shopping for a cheap Windows laptop today will leave you depressed about the state of the industry. They're often underpowered and slow, not to mention quite ugly too. Chromebook Killer
The Framework Laptop 12 has a small 12.2-inch screen, hence the name. But it's a convertible 2-in-1 laptop, meaning it has a 360-degree hinge that lets you flip the screen around to use it as a tablet. With that comes a touchscreen and optional stylus—a first for Framework.
We're still missing several details to complete the picture, like the laptop's thickness and weight—those details will arrive when preorders open up in April—but photos of the machine show a stylish PC that looks better than any budget laptop I've ever seen. The five new bold color options don't hurt either.
It has some very thick bezels around the display though, something you won't find outside the budget Chromebook world these days. The Laptop 12 makes up for it by ensuring the display is better than what you'd typically find on a budget laptop. It has a 1920 X 1200-pixel resolution and up to 400 nits of brightness (the MacBook Air tops out at 500 nits).
Framework's key selling point once again is modularity. Unlike Chromebooks—and virtually all Windows laptops—the Framework Laptop 12 is fully modular, just like its bigger siblings. The Mainboard system is still in place, allowing you to easily swap out the CPU (and attached motherboard) for something more up-to-date years down the line. It's so easy that an IT administrator could upgrade a boat-load of these PCs in just a few hours.
Everything else is removable too, including storage, memory, the Wi-Fi card, the keyboard, the battery, and more. As revealed by one of its investors, the keyboard and RAM are easier to replace this time around—Framework itself claims that the Laptop 12 is its 'easiest product ever to repair.' At the very least, you no longer have to remove the flat ribbon cable connected to the keyboard, which was the more fragile component of the repair process in previous iterations.
Modularity and repairability will be what drives these machines into the hands of educators and IT managers. A fleet of these babies could last many, many more years than some old, chunky Chromebooks—and probably make the students and faculty more happy with an up-to-date machine. Framework even admits that students are its target audience here, using 'overmolded shock-absorbing' materials over the plastic and metal structure to make it durable.
Modular ports have become Framework's calling card, and the Framework Laptop 12 has four, not counting the headphone jack. Having the flexibility to choose what ports you get is fantastic, and in this model, those ports can be locked in place from the inside.
Pricing remains the biggest point of contention. After all, we live in a time when you can buy an M1 MacBook Air for $629. While Apple's machine is more than four years old, its performance and battery life will likely still run circles around the 13th-gen Core i3 Intel processor employed by the Framework Laptop 12. You can even buy a previous-gen Asus Zenbook OLED 14 for just $550.
Neither the MacBook nor the Zenbook have the modular features of the Framework Laptop 12. If the company nails the right price for this machine, it could be a fresh start for budget laptops, and it could mean sending less e-waste to the landfill.

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