Framework Laptop 12 review: Doing the right thing comes at a cost

Earlier this year, Framework announced it was making a smaller, 12-inch laptop and a beefy desktop to go alongside its 13- and 16-inch notebooks. A few months later, and the former has arrived, putting the same modular, repairable laptop into a slightly smaller body. Unlike its bigger siblings, the Laptop 12 is a 12.2-inch touchscreen convertible clad in brightly colored plastic. It's aimed at students, with a focus on robustness and quality you won't see in the usual machines you find at the top of the bargain list. My initial impression is that it's a damn charming piece of gear, but I immediately wonder how many kids in school will actually get to use this thing given it's far pricier than its competitors.
Framework's 12-inch laptop is an alternative to low-cost laptops, but it is too expensive to compete. $799 at Framework
Laptop 12 is the first Framework machine clad entirely in ABS plastic, available in black, pink, lavender, gray and green. As soon as you open the packaging, you'll be instantly charmed by its look and feel given how different it is from the rest of the market. My green and off-white review unit (which the company calls 'Sage') stands out from the crowd almost by default. Framework founder Nirav Patel has long harbored dreams of bringing back the translucent and colorful aesthetics found in Nintendo's Game Boy Color. Here, the 12 reminds me of the OLPC XO or one of the fancier LeapFrog 'computers' that glowed up when you weren't looking. Daniel Cooper for Engadget
Its footprint isn't dramatically smaller than the 13-inch model, but because it doesn't taper like its bigger sibling, it feels a lot chunkier. The chassis has a metal frame clad in two layers of plastic that, the company promises, will take whatever shocks and bumps you throw at it. It also has the same quartet of expansion card slots, which are now available in a variety of colors if you want things to match (or clash). Plus, all of those cards can be shared with the other Framework machines since they're all, mercifully, uniform size.
Framework clearly learned from making its bigger machines, adding several quality of life tweaks to the 12 for both daily use and repair. The folks who regularly open and close their Framework laptop will instantly spot the changes that will make things a lot easier. For a start, the input cover is held in place with more screws (eight, compared to the 13's five), which better balances tension across the surface area. The input cover now slots into grooves on the front of the deck, making it easier to place than the 13. More importantly, the input cover connects to the mainboard via pogo pins rather than with a ribbon cable. I don't think I've ever damaged a ribbon cable myself, but it's always a worry if someone tries to yank off the lid without first disconnecting it from the mainboard. Daniel Cooper for Engadget
Rather than screwing the SSD in place, Framework now uses a hinged plastic clip that you press in to secure the drive. Similarly, there's a little flip-down plastic cover to protect the RAM, with a large printed reminder to flip it back once you've installed the DIMM. Naturally, the board layout has changed, as has the battery — to a smaller, 50Wh cell — so the mainboard and battery won't work with its slightly larger sibling.
(Aside: If you're a hobbyist hoping the 12-inch mainboard will be dramatically smaller than the 13-inch model to make smaller projects, expect to be disappointed. It is smaller, but not by such a significant degree that you probably wouldn't rather just use the 13-inch model instead.) Daniel Cooper for Engadget
The power button has been moved from the keyboard to the right side of the deck, next to the expansion card slots. There's no fingerprint reader, either, which is one of several omissions you can attribute to 'cost saving,' 'this is a machine made for kids' or both .
Would-be buyers get the choice of a 13th-generation Core i3-1315U or a Core i5-1334U, which can support up to 48GB of DDR5 RAM, albeit only at the slower DDR5-5200. You can throw in an M.2 SSD with up to 2TB of storage, and if that's not enough, you can get an additional 256GB or 1TB unit to sit in one of the laptop's four expansion card slots.
Patel knows enough about keyboards and trackpads not to mess with what works, and what people like. The keyboard and touchpad are as robust and pleasing to use as you find on the 13-inch model. I'm not sure yet, but I might actually prefer typing on the 12-inch keyboard compared to the 13's, maybe because of the former's all-plastic build and the slightly louder, punchier keyclicks. Daniel Cooper for Engadget
This machine was offered as a better, longer-lasting and more sustainable alternative to those dirt-cheap laptops sold to kids and students. But while everything already mentioned is more than good enough, we soon start to see where the cost-saving trims have been made. This is the first Framework to ship with a touchscreen, which is a 12.2-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 glossy LCD with a max brightness of 400 nits. In short, it's the same sort of screen you'll find on a lot of lower-end notebooks and so adjust your expectations accordingly. The gloss is an occupational hazard given it's a touchscreen, but the weaker backlight means you'll deal with the usual high-reflections and washed-out view in bright light.
Framework is presently developing its own stylus, but until that launches, the laptop is compatible with any USI 2.0 or MPP 2.0 stylus. You'll have to source your own right now, and for the review, I was supplied with a Metapen M2 for testing. So far, however, I've found the pen experience to be more than a little frustrating, with the palm rejection a big issue. It needs a tweak — and I'm sure it'll be addressed swiftly — given the amount of times I prodded open a menu or closed a window with the flesh on the side of my hand.
Similarly, the 2-megapixel webcam is a big step down from the 9.2-megapixel sensor found in the 13-inch model. Again, you can expect the same washed out, artifact-heavy video as you would find in many other low-cost laptop cameras.
Framework has worked to improve its sound quality over the last few years but the size of the 12's chassis is a limiting factor. The pair of 2W speakers here are tinny and quiet even at full volume, but at least they don't rattle or vibrate with heavy bass.
My review unit was equipped with a Core i5 with 16GB RAM, and it was more than able to handle the sort of stuff you'd expect to perform on a machine of this class. Writing the bulk of this review, watching videos, viewing and tweaking images are all well within this machine's reach. Hell, I even managed to get Hardspace: Shipbreaker to play, but not very well, and while Fortnite does run, it's janky enough to not be worth your while. Again, tweaked drivers will likely tidy those issues up, but I suspect this machine doesn't have enough grunt for doom room gamers.
Of course, it's a Framework laptop, so you can already guess the one major issue that pops up whenever you put the silicon under load. As usual, the fan noise is pretty noticeable when the hardware temperature rises, and I wouldn't recommend you using this thing on your lap. And you should expect to have this thing plugged in for the duration of your time using it, as the battery life isn't stellar. If you're using this to run any sort of demanding app or game, you won't get more than four hours on a single charge. Daniel Cooper for Engadget
Right now, you can only buy the pre-built edition in black, with the DIY version the only place you can pick your chassis color. It's available in gray, lavender, bubblegum and sage, and I'd heartily recommend you picking any of those options over the standard black. The pre-built edition starts at $799 with an Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and Windows 11 Home. If you want to step that up to the higher-end Performance model with an i5-1334U, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, it'll set you back $1,049. On the other hand, you can pick up the DIY edition for $549 (for the i3) or $699 (for the i5), leaving you to source your own RAM, SSD and OS.
I'll admit I'm struggling to work out what the Framework 12's competitors are, since this is a tricky machine. When announced, the company said it was an alternative to the sort of entry-level laptops bought for kids and students, which are 'janky, locked-down, disposable, underpowered and frankly, boring.' This means it's going up against $500 notebooks and Chromebooks, the likes of which you'll normally find on sale at Best Buy. The ones that, you know, have a reputation for surviving until a week after the warranty expires, leaving you out of pocket until the next sale.
From a utilitarian perspective, the higher price is offset by the knowledge it should outlast every other computer in your kids' cohort. Not only is it durable and repairable, but you should be able to swap out the mainboard in two or three years' time to keep pace with technology. But, by that same utilitarian argument, you could just as easily pick up a refurbished Framework 13 with a Core i5-1340P, when available, for just $779. Daniel Cooper for Engadget
I'm fond of the Framework Laptop 12 because I can easily see it having a place in my life when I'm on the go. It's cute, good-looking and small enough you could easily throw it into a bag when you're in a hurry. The durability of the chassis and repairability, plus the swappable expansion cards, means it should run for years and years. And it's fun! I love the idea of a little laptop that stands out against the endless rows of cheap black plastic or silver aluminum notebooks.
Those dirt-cheap notebooks built with low-end parts and sold to kids and students for $300 or so aren't much good for anything. If you want quality, you'll need to cough up for it, and this will at least last for years without endless replacements.
But. The limited performance and battery life here gives me pause and I'm not sure a machine that, right now, needs a stretch to run Fortnite would be too popular. My gut tells me Framework had intended to sell this for less before tariffs pushed the prices up beyond what made sense. But as a consequence, the Framework Laptop 12 falls between two stools: Not cheap enough to be compelling to the price-sensitive buyers and not powerful enough for people with bigger budgets. Unless you happen to have a spare SSD, RAM and Windows license kicking around that'll bring the cost down to sticker price. My gut tells me that this laptop's real audience will be adults looking for a quirky second device to take on the go.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Verge

10 hours ago

• The Verge

The Nintendo Switch 2 is an awesome upgrade for parents like me

I wouldn't have preordered a Nintendo Switch 2 just for myself. The price is high, there's no new Smash Bros. or Metroid Prime (yet), and I've got a perfectly good original Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck that keep me plenty busy. At first, I could only justify the $450 because I write about gaming tech for The Verge. But two weeks in, I can almost justify the cost one additional way: the Switch 2 is turning out to be an upgrade for my whole family. I'm not primarily talking about hand-me-downs, though yes, you could absolutely hand your original Switch down to a kid while basking in the glory of the Switch 2's larger, faster screen. Mom and dad always get the best seats in the house, right? But no: I'm talking about how Nintendo's new features are helping me share the delight of gaming with my 8-year-old kid like never before. We bought my daughter a Switch Lite last Christmas, with Animal Crossing and Let's Go Pikachu, and that's pretty much all she played. All other gaming monopolized the living room TV, where she and her younger sister often clash over what to watch next. But two weeks ago, my eldest suddenly realized that we could now magically beam any of my old purchased digital games from my Switch 2 to her Switch Lite, lending them out like a library for two weeks at a time. While I played Mario Kart World for the Switch 2, she practiced her skills in my old copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; soon, I'll play the gruesome Cyberpunk 2077 while she tries Stardew Valley. And in both cases, I don't need to worry whether she'll lose a cartridge. Then we found GameShare, a feature that lets a Switch 2 beam its entire screen and controls to a second Switch, giving a second person their own screen and control for a selection of multiplayer games. We began playing Super Mario Odyssey as daughter and dad, alternating between who controlled Mario and who controlled his sentient flying hat, Cappy. Since each of us effectively had our own portable TV, she didn't shove her head between me and the screen like she sometimes does when we're reading bedtime books. And since neither of us was monopolizing the TV, the younger kid got to keep on watching her YouTube videos of intricately animated stop-motion Lego food factories. When it was time for me to fly across the country last week, my eldest begged me to let her keep playing Mario Odyssey while I was gone. Virtual game cards came through once again: five quick taps, and a game download magically appeared on her Switch. She did have to start the game from scratch, since I couldn't find a way to sync a save game between two different consoles with two different Nintendo accounts… but it turns out that was her plan all along. Apparently 8-year-olds enjoy repetition much more than us adults! Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan of physical media, and I especially worry that Nintendo will pull the rug out from under our digital purchases given its track record of closing eShops. I think Nintendo could do a lot more to make the Switch and Switch 2 better for parents, too. For one, I wish the company hadn't arbitrarily locked its webcam-enabled GameChat to the new Nintendo Switch 2, as I would have loved to play Mario Kart with my daughter during my business trip. The original Switch and Switch Lite might not have the horsepower for simultaneous four-player screen sharing and video chat like the Switch 2, but surely they have enough for the webcams alone? It's also awkward that there's still no obvious way to merge the save games from the offline 'kid' profile on my original Switch to my daughter's Nintendo account. But most of all, I fear the two-screens-for-one-game GameShare may not get the attention or adoption it deserves. It's such a clever way of repurposing cloud gaming technology, but the initial list of GameShare-compatible games is vanishingly short and doesn't yet include obvious wins like Mario Kart World or Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the newest mainline entry in the series and one that's great to play with kids. It's been nearly 25 years since Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance let you hook up four portable consoles to play limited multiplayer, even if only a single person had a copy of the game. Mario Kart DS did the same thing 20 years ago over Wi-Fi, again offering single cartridge multiplayer, with 'DS Download Play.' But it required conscious effort from game developers to create new single cart mulitplayer modes for their GBA and DS titles, and not every deserving game had one. GameShare shouldn't have that problem: since it's just streaming a screen and controller inputs, it should theoretically work on any game you'd play on a single screen today. And yet for some reason, Nintendo hasn't turned it on for many games at once. If Nintendo can make GameShare standard for the Switch's many fabulous third-party couch games, like Overcooked 2, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and Lego Star Wars, while enabling its own titles, like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong Country, and Luigi's Mansion 3, it could make the Switch 2 an easier choice for parents who want to play together with their kids. And that would play right into Nintendo's end goal for the past seven years. As Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto laid out in 2018: 'Our ultimate ambition is for a Nintendo Switch to be owned not just by every family, but by every single person.' Personally, I now have a Switch 2, a Switch, and a Switch Lite in our house. We are almost Nintendo's dream family.

Engadget

10 hours ago

• Engadget

Engadget review recap: Switch 2, Playdate games and a Framework laptop

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been all the rage around the Engadget HQ for the last few weeks. Even the editors who didn't write the official review have had their hands glued to their new toys. Of course, we've been testing other things too, mainly a repairable laptop that's design for student use. Read on to catch up on the reviews you might've missed over the last two weeks. With the Switch 2, Nintendo improved everything we liked about the original while retaining its sleek and portable design. $449 at Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 finally made its way to gamers this month and several of us have been putting the portable console through its paces. Senior reviews reporter Sam Rutherford wrote our full review, noting that the company managed to take everything that make the original model so good and make it better. However, there's still room for improvement, especially with regards to battery life. "The Switch 2 has everything that made the original so great, but now there's more of it to enjoy," he said. "Granted, Nintendo's latest console commands a higher price, but as the successor to the iconic system that revived handheld gaming, this thing is worth it." The Switch 2 Pro controller is clearly the most refined gamepad Nintendo has ever made. It's just a shame that it's so expensive and doesn't have Hall effect sticks. $85 at Best Buy A new Switch means a new Pro Controller, so senior reviews reporter Devindra Hardawar took a deep dive on Nintendo's new accessory. Despite being "the most refined gampad" the company has ever made, he took offense to the price and the lack of advanced design features. "As much as I like the Switch 2 Pro Controller, it's undoubtedly an extravagance at $85 when 8Bitdo's Ultimate gamepad offers even more features for $50," he explained. "But if you're a dedicated Nintendo fan, or you just can't accept third-party controllers, it's also one of the best gamepads you can buy today." Framework's 12-inch laptop is an alternative to low-cost laptops, but it is too expensive to compete. $799 at Framework The Framework Laptop 12 takes the company's familiar spin on modular, repairable machines and puts it in a smaller body with students in mind. However, the price is an issue and overall performance isn't good enough. "The limited performance and battery life here gives me pause and I'm not sure a machine that, right now, needs a stretch to run Fortnite would be too popular," senior reporter Dan Cooper wrote. "My gut tells me Framework had intended to sell this for less before tariffs pushed the prices up beyond what made sense." Weekend editor Cheyenne Macdonald recently proclaimed that there haven't been any flops at the halfway point of Playdate Season Two. The two newest additions are Long Puppy and Otto's Galactic Groove!!, two games that are fun but still offer a challenge. You can also revisit her thoughts on The Whiteout and Wheelsprung or the initial column on Fulcrum Defender and Blippo+.

WIRED

13 hours ago

• WIRED

Most Cheap Laptops Only Last a Few Years. The Framework Laptop 12 Could Last a Decade

Budget-friendly laptops may save you money in the near term, but if they're cheaply made and quickly outdated, you may end up needing to replace them soon after. That's why Framework's ethos is such a perfect fit for budget laptops. Being able to upgrade or replace nearly every component on the device yourself, in theory, means many more years of life for your laptop, keeping devices out of landfills. The new Framework Laptop 12 starts at just $549 for the DIY Edition, a fantastic deal for the price, but also a laptop that could potentially last much, much longer than your average machine. Plastic Please Photograph: Luke Larsen The Framework Laptop 12 is the third major product in the lineup so far. The company first launched the Framework Laptop 13 in 2022, followed by a larger (and more powerful) 16-inch model. But the 12-inch laptop is unique, however, as it's not only the smallest but also the cheapest, bringing the Framework philosophy to a whole new demographic. The Framework Laptop 12 bears a resemblance to student laptops, especially Chromebooks. These are designed to withstand some abuse, making it an appropriate fit for schools. Although it uses just a 12.2-inch screen, its overall footprint on the table is a bit bigger than you'd assume. Due to the almost comically large bezels around the display, the device is larger in some dimensions than some 13-inch laptops, like the Dell XPS 13. It's so thick (and the bezels are so chunky) that it's even taller than the 13-inch MacBook Air with the lid open, despite having over an inch less screen to work with. It's a tiny screen to work on, especially compared to how large the device feels to carry. There are a few interesting bits about the screen. It's the first Framework device to feature a 16:10 aspect ratio and a glossy touchscreen. The Framework Laptop 13 and 16 both have matte displays. But the reason for the touchscreen is that this is a 2-in-1 laptop, meaning the hinge can rotate around 360 degrees. There's even a stylus you can buy for taking notes or drawing, though mine did not come with it. That also means it can't open easily with one hand. There's no lip for your finger either, so you'll need both hands to pry it open. Thankfully, the build quality is decent. It's made out of plastic, yes, so there's some give in the keyboard and lid. But Framework says it has an 'inner metal structure' that gives it its fairly robust feel. It doesn't feel flimsy at all. Framework is also using 'overmolded, shock-absorbing' thermoplastic to reinforce the edges, ensuring it doesn't get nicked or dented. That's not unlike what you see on budget Chromebooks meant for the classroom. The quality of the display is hit or miss. The colors are the biggest detriment to the display and the laptop as a whole. It has an ugly green tint, which I confirmed with my Spyder colorimeter. It's typical for laptops of this price, but still disappointing to see. The good news is it's plenty sharp at 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution and quite bright, maxing out at 434 nits of brightness. That helps. While the display has its deficiencies, the Framework Laptop 12 has some strong points in its favor. The first is the keyboard, which feels fantastic to type on with its 1.5-millimeter key travel. Perhaps even more surprising is the touchpad. It's common to see unresponsive touchpads at this price that feel clunky to swipe across or have stiff, loud click mechanisms. That's even true on cheap laptops I like, such as the Asus Vivobook 14. But the Framework Laptop 12 has a high-end touchpad that's every bit as smooth and responsive to use as a MacBook or Microsoft Surface. It doesn't offer haptic feedback like those, but the click mechanism is quiet and precise. This might feel like a small reason to like the Framework Laptop 12, but as the parts of the laptop you interact with directly the most, they go a long way toward making it feel premium rather than cheap.