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Review: Framework’s Laptop 16 is unique, laudable, fascinating, and flawed

Great ideas go up against awkward limitations in Framework's 16-inch sequel.

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The Framework Laptop 16.
Enlarge / The Framework Laptop 16.
Andrew Cunningham
Specs at a glance: Framework Laptop 16
OS Windows 11 23H2
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7940HS (8-cores)
RAM 32GB DDR5-5600 (upgradeable)
GPU AMD Radeon 780M (integrated)/AMD Radeon RX 7700S (dedicated)
SSD 1TB Western Digital Black SN770
Battery 85 WHr
Display 16-inch 2560x1600 165 Hz matte non-touchscreen
Connectivity 6x recessed USB-C ports (2x USB 4, 4x USB 3.2) with customizable "Expansion Card" dongles
Weight 4.63 pounds (2.1 kg) without GPU, 5.29 pounds (2.4 kg) with GPU
Price as tested $2,499 pre-built, $2,421 DIY edition with no OS

Now that the Framework Laptop 13 has been through three refresh cycles—including one that swapped from Intel's CPUs to AMD's within the exact same body—the company is setting its sights on something bigger.

Today, we're taking an extended look at the first Framework Laptop 16, which wants to do for a workstation/gaming laptop what the Framework Laptop 13 did for thin-and-light ultraportables. In some ways, the people who use these kinds of systems need a Framework Laptop most of all; they're an even bigger investment than a thin-and-light laptop, and a single CPU, GPU, memory, or storage upgrade can extend the useful life of the system for years, just like upgrading a desktop.

The Laptop 16 melds ideas from the original Framework Laptop with some all-new mechanisms for customizing the device's keyboard, adding and upgrading a dedicated GPU, and installing other modules. The result is a relatively bulky and heavy laptop compared to many of its non-upgradeable alternatives. And you'll need to trust that Framework delivers on its upgradeability promises somewhere down the line since the current options for upgrading and expanding the laptop are fairly limited.

But the company has done a great job of building trust with the Framework Laptop 13—if you don't mind the design of the Laptop 16, there's a reasonably good chance you'll have appealing upgrades to grab. In a year or two.

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Andrew Cunningham Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue.

Promoted Comments

A couple of points:
  1. The keyboard uses QMK, so anyone with the technical skills could make an offline configuration tool. There's also some pre-made configuration tools like VIAL, though someone would maybe have to make the existing firmware compatible first. Having QMK built-in is one of the big reasons I'm getting a Framework 16 (though it sounds like it could be a while before there's a split ortho-linear keyboard module, as it isn't compatible with the usual homemade keyboard switches).
  2. One significant advantage of the expansion ports is that it puts the daily wear onto a (relatively) inexpensive dongle. That means that, most of the time, a physically broken port won't require a major repair or replacing the (expensive) mainboard and CPU. I'm also glad that I'll be able to make sure the critical ports I'll need to "dock" will all be on one side of the laptop -- I'll have to use multiple cords until someone comes out with a 180W+ USB4 dock that will allow me to go down to one or two plugs (since I'll likely connect my center 4k monitor directly to the GPU in the back regardless).

Channel Ars Technica

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