One of the biggest gripes about modern hardware is that it's not user expandable. If that sounds like a complaint you've had about your hardware, you need to check out the new Framework Laptop, an upgradable and repairable laptop that allows you greater control over your hardware than ever before.
What Is the Framework Laptop?
The Framework Laptop is a new modular laptop that allows you to pick and choose the bits you want, swapping them out for better modules and different expansion cards to keep your device updated.
A Framework Laptop comes with a basic level of specs, including an 11th generation Intel Core processor, a 13.5" 3:2 2256 x 1504 resolution screen, and weighing just 2.86 pounds with a "high cycle-life 55Wh battery. So far, so normal for a laptop.
But what sets the Framework Laptop apart from its competitors is the addition of modular expansion bays, which allow you to swap out the ports on your laptop for alternatives. For example, the four swappable bays on your laptop allow you to swap between ports for USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, MicroSD, and more.
The Framework Expansion Card slides in and out of the ports with ease, allowing you to chop and change parts as you desire. Then there's the easy-swap bezel that uses magnetic attachments to make customizing the style of your laptop simple.
Each module is easy to replace, but at the base of each option is a USB-C interface. While that might seem simplistic, it gives you much greater control over what your laptop can do.
But more than anything, the Framework Laptop makes all of the other parts of your laptop easy to swap. How many times have you tried to repair a laptop, only to find soldered RAM, a ridiculously difficult to remove battery, or an irreplaceable screen?
It's commonplace. If you think you'll escape the draconian hardware restrictions put in place by most laptop manufacturers by spending more, or even by spending less, you're out of luck. A $2,000 Mac can be just a difficult to mend as a $200 generic notebook.
The Framework Laptop Will Reduce E-Waste
E-waste is a global scourge. Western nations produce millions of tonnes of electronic waste every year, and it is a drain on resources.
Framework (the laptop manufacturer) is setting out its stall; it's selling a future that delivers greater control into consumers' hands while reducing the volume of outdated hardware that ends up in the e-waste heap. Detractors will say, "It'll end up there anyway." But if the Framework Laptop reduces the amount of e-waste heading to the junkyard by even a few percent, it's an overall win.
You don't have to be an eco-warrior or otherwise to realize that resources cannot continue pouring out of the planet forever. However, until we can get our hands on the Framework Laptop, it remains to be seen exactly how this excellent-sounding modular laptop truly fits together.
