The Framework Laptop 16 is a modular, repairable, customizable, and upgradeable laptop with a 16 inch display, and AMD Ryzen 7040HS processor, 6 Expansion card slots that let you pick your own ports, and an Expansion module on the back that lets you add a custom discrete graphics card.
First unveiled in March, the new 16-inch laptop is the big sibling to the original 13.5 inch Framework Laptop, and the larger model is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2023. It’s up for pre-order now with prices starting at $1399 for a DIY edition or $1699 for a prebuilt model with memory, storage, and an operating system.
In a lot of ways the Framework Laptop 16 sounds almost too good to be true. Once upon a time most laptops shipped with user-replaceable batteries, memory, and storage. But as PC makers moved to make their notebooks thinner and lighter, those sorts of features have fallen by the wayside. It’s still possible to find a notebook with accessible memory and storage slots, but the battery? Even if you can tear out the old one, good luck finding a compatible replacement.
But not only does the Framework Laptop 16 allow you to replace any of those components, the mainboard, display, and keyboard are all designed to be replaceable as well. That opens the door to not only repairing a broken part, but also upgrading the processor in the future if Framework launches a next-gen model in the future.
And there’s a good chance the company will do that. When the Framework Laptop 13 first launched a few years ago, buying one was a bit of a gamble: spend a bit more than the price of a typical notebook for a modular, customizable, and repairable system in the hopes that the company would stick around long enough for you to be able to buy spare parts and upgradeable components.
Now we know that Framework has followed through on its promises. The original Framework Laptop shipped with an 11th-gen Intel Core processor. Since then the company has shipped upgraded mainboards with 12th and 13th-gen Intel chips, and an AMD Ryzen 7040U version is coming soon.
The Framework Laptop 16 is even more ambitious than the 13.5 inch model. It has a bigger screen and larger body… and the company makes use of that extra space to pack a higher-power processor, two additional Expansion Module slots, a customizable keyboard area, (you can opt for a number pad, an LED light bar, or none-of-the-above), and the aforementioned Expansion Bay connector that lets you attach high-throughput accessories like a discrete graphics card to the back of the system.
At launch, there’s a single discrete graphics option available. It features an AMD Radeon RX 7700S GPU and sells for $400, bringing the starting price of a Framework Laptop 16 DIY Edition with a Ryzen 7 7840HS processor and Radeon RX 7700S graphics to $1799. Prices for pre-built systems with the graphics module start at $2099.
The GPU has a 100 watt TGP, 8GB of GDDR6 memory, 32 compute units, and support for frequencies up to 2.2 GHz.
Framework also offers the laptop with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and says the notebook has two 75mm fans, three heat pipes and a liquid metal thermal interface that helps keep the 45-watt processor cool.
Folks who don’t need the power of discrete graphics will probably get pretty decent performance from the integrated AMD Radeon 780M GPU that’s built into the Ryzen 7040 processors. It’s the same iGPU used in the Asus ROG Ally and other recent handheld gaming PCs.
And that could free up the expansion bay for other add-ons. The Expansion Bay has two 74-pin connectors that handle eight PCIe lanes and support for up to 210 watts of power, which could open the door not only for higher-power graphics cards in the future, but also other accessories. According to The Verge, the company is already planning to begin selling a storage expansion module later this year that gives the notebook two extra M.2 2280 slots that you can use to add high-speed storage.
Framework isn’t yet ready to promise that it will deliver additional GPU modules in the future. Other companies have made that promise and then failed to follow through in the past, so it makes sense for the company to be cautious. But so far Framework’s too-good-to-be-true promises of modular, upgradeable notebooks have all come true. So there’s good reason to think that if the company wants to offer next-gen GPU modules, it’s reasonably well positioned to make that happen.
| Framework Laptop 16 specs | |
| Display | 16 inches 2560 x 1600 pixels 16:10 aspect ratio 165 Hz 100% DCI-P3 color gamut AMD FreeSync 9ms rise + fall time 500 nits brightness IPS LCD Anti-glare matte display. |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 8 7840HS AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS |
| Graphics | Integrated + discrete GPU module option |
| RAM | Up to 64GB DDR5-5600 2 x SODIMM slots |
| Storage | Up to 2 SSDs 1 x M.2 2280 slot 1 x M.2 2230 slot |
| Ports | 6 x Expansion Module slots (powered by USB-C connectors)
1 x Expansion Bay for discrete GPU or other larger add-ons |
| Wireless | RZ616 M.2 module WiFi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Keyboard & Touchpad | Modular and customizable (Optional modules include number pad, LED light matrix, etc) |
| Audio | 2 x 1-watt tweeters 2 x 2-watt woofers Dual microphones (with hardware privacy switches) |
| Webcam | 1080p/60fps Hardware privacy switch |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor (Windows and Linux compatible) |
| Battery | 85 Wh Should retain 80% capacity after 1,000 charge cycles |
| Charging | 180W power adapter (optional on DIY models) |
| Dimensions | 356.58 x 270 x 17.95mm (14″ x 10.6″ x 71″) w/o graphics module 356.58 x 280.2 x 20.95mm (14″ 11″ x .82″) w/graphics module |
| Weight | 2.1kg (4.6 pounds) w/o graphics module 2.4kg (5.3 pounds) w/graphics module |
| Materials | CNC Aluminum top cover Magnesium alloy thixomolded bottom cover 155° hinges with 6.1kg force profile |
| Starting Prices | $1399 DIY Edition $1699 Pre-built configurations $1799 DIY Edition + Graphics module $2099 Pre-built + Graphics module |
via Framework Blog and The Verge (hands-on with the Framework Laptop 16
I was initially interested in this model, but after looking into the pricing, it’s just too hard to justify.
This 7700S GPU performs somewhere between a 4050 and 4060, and the $2300 price (Ryzen 9 model) is the same price as a similar laptop with a 4080 GPU. Yikes, that’s a big compromise.
Also, when you consider what it might cost you to upgrade this laptop in the future, it doesn’t seem worthwhile. As a total guess, I’m going to base this on what Framework is currently charging for replacement motherboards ($700-1000 for higher-end i7 models), and they’re currently asking $400 for this GPU.
So if we assume that it might cost around $1400 for an upgraded motherboard/CPU + GPU in the future, and if we assume that GPU is going to be around the same level of performance, that doesn’t seem worthwhile at all. That’s pretty close to what you would pay for an entire new laptop with similar specs.
So you’ll spend $2300 today for a laptop that performs around the level of a $1600 laptop, and then later spend $1400 on bringing it up to the same level of performance. That’s a total of $3700, compared to spending $1600 twice for a total of $3200.
My feeling is that the 7700S has about 2-3 years of lifespan (based on my needs and my typical upgrade patterns). A similar laptop, but with a 4080 GPU would probably last me closer to 5-6 years.
I think I would prefer to spend $2300 on a 4080-equipped laptop. I love the idea of upgradability and repairability, but the compromise here is huge.
If this is as noisy as the smaller brother, I don’t care about any of the upgradability etc. I can’t stand fan noise
I really like Framework, and I’m really impressed with how successfully they’ve executed their existing models. Admittedly, I didn’t have a ton of faith when they were first announced. These kinds of ideas always seem too ambitious, but they really pulled it off.
With this new GPU-equipped model, I’m curious about a few things. I wonder how future upgrades will work regarding the GPU. Are future motherboards going to accept this current model of GPU? In other words, can I upgrade only the motherboard and keep the GPU working? In general PC-building wisdom, the answer would be yes, but with laptops there is so much more to think about.
Also, I wonder how likely it will be that they will release another GPU in the future to upgrade to.
I’m also curious how rigid and secure the GPU is while attached. It looks like it just clips onto the back of the laptop. I wonder if it’s strong enough to hold onto it, or if you need to be careful about how you’re supporting the laptop while holding it.