The perfect laptop for me is a Framework 13 with a 360 degree hinge and touchscreen. They released the 12" but I really think it’s too small.
Kind of insane that a relatively small manufacturer like Framework is able to produce a laptop that has similar battery life, performance (Panther Lake chips are competitive with the base M5), build quality (CNC chassis), and QoL features as the Macbook Pros while also offering fully modular parts, upgradeable RAM and storage, customisable IO, a matte anti-reflective touchscreen (for one of those bits you need to pay an extra $200 to Apple for!), and the ability to install a freer OS (Asahi Linux currently does not support the M5 series well)
And by selecting the different options, it looks like an Intel X7 chip FW13 Pro with 16GB/1TB storage is more expensive than the Macbook Pro with the base M5 and the same memory config, but when you go to 32GB RAM and 2TB of storage, the Macbook is more expensive! Remember that you can upgrade the memory yourself on the FW, or reuse an M.2 from your old laptop/computer, saving even more cost! (FYI: this is UK pricing without tax or shipping, I’d imagine that would be a bit higher for Framework)
Double checking now, looks like RAM pricing has increased for Framework, so with 32GB/2TB the FW is a little more expensive than the Apple (by about £100 depending on what ports you select), and the gap is similar for 16GB/1TB, but that’s still very close (remember, Apple is in the top 2 of the richest tech companies in the world!), especially since FW is far better long term value.
One more thing, you can also BYO SSD, which can cut down cost by a lot if you already have one!
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I feel like you have to review new laptops (and the Steam Machine, for that matter) without considering the price these days. Normally, specs without a price means nothing, but no new releases in the space are going to be worth the cost.
Where this is more interesting, in my opinion, is compatibility with the older Framework 13. If you can buy the individual components from the pro variant that you want, it might be possible to upgrade without draining your bank account. Avoiding the LPCAMM2 modules seems like the best way to do that, which unfortunately means skipping on the mainboard (and processor).
Hopefully we see prices drop sometime soon. I think at a lower price, it’d be worth considering. At the current price, very few computers are worth buying.
You can fully upgrade the original 13. Some components have to be upgraded together, like the new keyboard and new battery because they have both changed dimensions. I’ve just put the new screen in my 13, and it’s MUCH better than the original screen the 13 came with, so I’m very happy with that.
You can, if you can afford it. Most people can’t afford, let alone find, LPCAMM2 memory. This, of course, includes Framework.
Can they ramp up their distribution for south east asia? There’s just too many slop hardware in Indonesia, too many AI, too little rightly built laptops. Can’t believe I said this, but the only sane buy for new laptops are old gens thinkpads and apple devices.
I don’t even like using macs, but it’s true, their build quality is better than your run of the mill asus/acer (the predominant brand here) laptops.
SEA market is not a good one for high end stuff. Until they can get big enough to make budget level THEN they may get into Indonesia officially
Big tent is coming for big tech!
