A Brief Framework 16 Review

Let me save you some time: the Framework laptop is great, and you should buy it. The rest of this post will delve¹ into the why, but that’s the “so what.”

In a recent update to the post detailing my setup, I explained that neither my aging MacBook Pro nor my iPad Pro could accommodate my travel schedule while also handling the data science and machine learning jobs I threw at them. Rather than buy from one of the big-name manufacturers, though, I decided to take a chance on Framework. The company’s admirable goal of building user-serviceable laptops had caught my eye back when I built my own desktop in 2021, so I snagged an early pre-order for the Framework Laptop 16. After months of anticipation and no small amount of misgivings about build quality and reliability, especially after the first batch of reviews came out, I got my new laptop in March of 2024.

Assembly #

I opted for a DIY model, which arrived as a collection of components rather than an assembled system. After a delightful unboxing experience reminiscent of an Apple device, and painless assembly courtesy of Framework’s excellent documentation, I had a working machine. While the laptop doesn’t match the sturdy feel of a unibody MacBook Pro, for example, few do. The Framework matches the build quality of most other laptops I have used in recent years, and with the added benefit of user serviceability, I consider that an impressive achievement. As for the assembly process itself, it felt like putting together my desktop — no more complicated, no more difficult. Two of my primary concerns, that the intersection of repairability, economy, and scale would inevitably yield a low-quality machine and that assembly of such a system would prove finicky, had been allayed.

Setup #

Next, I shifted focus to setting up my new laptop. I installed Ubuntu on one drive, then Windows 11 on the other. Both installed without issue, but each time I booted into Ubuntu, Windows would then refuse to boot until I repaired the drive with the setup utility. I got tired of troubleshooting the problem, so I installed Windows 11 on the first drive, then Ubuntu on the second drive, which fixed the issue. I suspect the problem had something to do with the two operating systems not cooperating rather than something to do with the hardware, but I did not get to the bottom of it. The only other issues I ran into involved the fingerprint reader: first, it didn’t work in Ubuntu (Framework has a helpful forum post that fixed it in a few minutes), then setting up fingerprint authentication in Ubuntu and Windows seemed to corrupt each other. By chance I cleared both then setup Windows and Ubuntu, in that order, which fixed the problem.

These were strange problems, but based on my experience running both Windows and Ubuntu in the past, not unusual ones. Importantly, these problems were not ones that indicated a fundamental unreliability with the hardware itself — my last major concern with the laptop. All three had relatively straightforward (if inexplicable) fixes, so not a deal breaker for me. Given my use cases I expect a non-zero amount of work setting up my computers, and this troubleshooting fell within those bounds.

I use a couple of shell scripts to configure my computers, so once I had the operating systems set up, the rest of the configuration process took less than an hour and completed without issue.

Regular Use #

With the exception of a couple problems during setup, both Ubuntu and Windows 11 work well with the Framework laptop. I do most of my writing and development work in Ubuntu, so I use it almost every day. I use Windows for gaming and the occasional work task, so much less frequently. Battery life is great in both, even with the external GPU. Performance is exceptional across the board. After almost two months of use and several cross-country trips, I can happily say that the Framework Laptop 16 is one of the best laptops I have ever used. The Framework laptop is great, and you should buy it.

↩ Not a bot.