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Framework Laptop - Review 2021 - PCMag AU

Framework Laptop - Review 2021 - PCMag AU

Framework Laptop - Review 2021 - PCMag AU
Jul 22, 2021 2 mins, 25 secs

Manufacturers such as Acer and Asus have been experimenting with radical new laptop layouts of late—twin screens, or pop-up and slide-out keyboards—but the Framework Laptop is something else entirely: a notebook built around true modularity and component swappability.

Almost every core component in the Framework Laptop is easy to access and change out.

The Framework Laptop comes not from a major manufacturer, but Framework Computer, a San Francisco-based company that (if you couldn’t tell from the name) is all about this product in particular. The concept comes along at a time when both the "right to repair" push (the ability for end users to maintain and upgrade their tech purchases rather than dispose of them) and being more environmentally friendly are firmly in the zeitgeist.

It’s hard to argue with that; at most, some notebooks offer the ability to add or swap out the RAM or storage, but even that’s not a given, and mostly reserved for larger gaming or workstation-grade models.

It’s a tough ask to make every laptop component and part swappable, but Framework Computer is dedicated to exactly that.

More crucially, you can swap out the four actual port connections, which are housed in modules, for other modules that come in the box.

For example, you can switch out a USB Type-A port for a USB-C connection by changing the modules, or insert one of the video-out options (HDMI or DisplayPort) if you need to connect another display (but don't always need to).

The chassis has bays for four of these modules around the body, letting you leave the combination you need in place and change it up when needed.

These port modules (which Framework dubs "Expansion Cards") can be pulled right out of their slots by hand (you press a button on the laptop underside to release each pair) and swapped in seconds, so this really requires no expertise.

The port modules in the box include two USB-C connections, one USB-A connection, HDMI and DisplayPort modules, and a microSD card module.

Framework also offers 250GB and 1TB SSD storage modules that you can swap into any of these bays.

The storage modules were not included with our review unit.

Laptop makers have been squeezing the most out of increasingly slim chassis and optimizing cooling, and that was without having to make everything removable by end users.

In a clever turn, every replaceable component in the Framework Laptop has a QR code on it, which will take you to instructions on how to replace it.

A motherboard swap is not as trivial as the other component changeouts in the Framework Laptop.

Pre-orders of the Framework Laptop are available now, and stay tuned for more coverage of the Framework Laptop as we get it on our lab bench and give our test configuration a full benchmarking workout, as well as try out the various ports and modules

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