An entry-level laptop that behaves like a premium one: Framework’s 12 laptop is rugged, upgradable and repairable but what about the price?

LovabledanielsMarch 1, 202595 Views

Framework says Laptop 12 is the “purest manifestation” of company vision
It will come in a choice of five colors and be hard to break, easy to repair
No word on pricing, but pre-orders start in April, with shipping in the middle of 2025

Do you remember the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project? The super-ambitious initiative, which launched in 2005, looked to provide low-cost, durable laptops to young students in developing countries at a time when an estimated one billion children had little access to education and no access to computers.

OLPC introduced the XO-1 laptop in 2007, featuring a unique energy-efficient design, a sunlight-readable screen, and mesh networking capabilities. The goal was to sell it for $100 per unit – although costs ultimately far exceeded expectations. There were also logistical challenges, such as limited internet access and a lack of teacher training.

Now, Framework, the company behind a range of modular laptops, has introduced the Framework Laptop 12, a “durable, repairable, upgradeable” 12.2-inch touchscreen convertible notebook that reminds me of that project. It’s surely no coincidence that Framework’s founder and CEO, Nirav Patel, worked on OLPC, creating open source camera and computer vision libraries for the Sugar OS on the XO laptops.

“Purest manifestation” of Framework vision

Patel says the new Framework Laptop 12 is, “the purest manifestation of our vision and product philosophy at Framework, and is in many ways the product I started the company to create.”

Available in five colorways, each with an optional color-matched stylus, it features an overmolded shock-absorbing TPU over rigid PC/ABS plastic, with an inner metal structure for durability. And because it comes from Framework, if you do break it, it will be easy to repair.

It might be small, but it’s also mighty. As Patel explains, “Instead of using a typical small-core processor, we brought in the full 13th Gen Intel Core processor in i3 and i5 variants. We enabled support for up to 48GB of DDR5-5200 RAM, 2TB of NVMe storage, and Wi-Fi 6E, all of which are modular and upgradeable.” The 1920×1200 display delivers >400 nits of brightness along with touch and stylus support.

“Even though we had students in mind when we began developing this product two years ago, we found as we iterated through prototypes that every adult who tried it wanted one too!” Patel says.

There’s no word on pricing yet (it certainly won’t be $100), but we should know more soon, as it’s expected to be available for pre-order in April, with shipments in mid-2025. As always, you’ll be able to choose between Windows or Linux.