Framework Laptop 12 Review: The Most Repairable Laptop Ever

Laptops for the budget can You save money in the short term, but if they are made at a lower cost and quickly exceeded, you could end up replacing them shortly after. That’s why Framework ethics is such a perfect fit for Budget laptops. Being able to upgrade or replace almost all the components of the device yourself, in theory, means many years of life for your laptop, Keep the devices out of discharges.

The new Framework laptop 12 Starts at only $ 549 for DIY edition, a fantastic affair for the price, but also a laptop that could potentially last a lot, much longer than your average machine.

Plastic please

Photography: Luke Larsen

The Framework laptop is the third major product in the range so far. The company first launched the Framework laptop 13 In 2022, followed by a larger 16 -inch (and more powerful) model. But the 12 -inch laptop is however unique, because it is not only the smallest but also the cheapest, bringing the philosophy of the frame to a brand new demography. The Framework 12 laptop is like Student laptopsespecially Chromebooks. These are designed to withstand certain abuses, making it an appropriate adjustment for schools.

Although it only uses a 12.2 -inch screen, its overall footprint on the table is a little larger than you assume. Due to the almost comical glasses around the screen, the device is larger in certain dimensions than certain 13 -inch laptops, such as the Dell XPS 13. It is so thick (and the glasses are so large) that it is even greater than the 13 -inch MacBook Air With the open cover, despite more than one thumb of less screen to work. It is a small screen on which to work on, especially compared to the size of the device to be transported.

There are a few interesting songs on the screen. It is the first framework device to have a 16:10 appearance ratio and a shiny touch screen. The portable computers Framework 13 and 16 have Mate screens. But the reason for the touch screen is that it is a Laptop 2 in 1This means that the hinge can be around 360 degrees. There is even a stylus that you can buy to take notes or drawings, although mine has not come with it.

Photography: Luke Larsen

Photography: Luke Larsen

It also means that it cannot easily open with one hand. There is also no lip for your finger, so you will need both hands to open it. Fortunately, the quality of construction is decent. It is made of plastic, yes, so there are donations in the keyboard and the lid. But Framework says that he has an “inner metallic structure” which gives him his fairly robust feeling. It doesn’t feel fragile at all. Framework also uses the thermoplastic “over -dressed, absorbing shocks” to strengthen the edges, ensuring that it is not done or the bump. It’s no different from what you see Chromebooks budget intended for the class.

The quality of the screen is struck or missed. The colors are the biggest damage to the screen and the laptop as a whole. He has a ugly green shade, which I confirmed with my Spyder colorimeter. It is typical for laptops of this price, but always disappointing to see. The good news is that it is very clear at 1,920 x 1,200 pixels a resolution and quite shiny, maximum to 434 nits of brightness. It helps.

Although the screen has its shortcomings, the laptop 12 has strong points in its favor. The first is the keyboard, which seems fantastic to type with its key trip of 1.5 millimeters. The touchpad can be even more surprising. It is common to see touchpads that do not respond to this price that feel awkward to slide or have strong and noisy click mechanisms. It is even true on inexpensive laptops that I like, like the Asus Vivobook 14. But the laptop of Framework 12 has a high -end touchpad which is just as fluid and responsive to use as a MacBook Or Microsoft Surface. It does not offer haptic feedback like these, but the click mechanism is silent and precise. This may look like a small reason to like the laptop of the frame 12, but like the parts of the laptop with which you interact directly, they greatly help make it feel premium rather than cheap.