Framework Laptop 13 (2022) Laptop Review

The Framework Laptop's design is simple and identical to its predecessor, the Framework Laptop (2021). It has an aluminum chassis with ports on both sides, relatively thin bezels, and a Framework logo on the lid. On the bottom, you can find the speakers near the front and the vents near the back.

The build quality is excellent. It has an all-metal chassis that feels very sturdy, with a finish that doesn't scratch or smudge easily. There's some flex in the display but almost none in the keyboard deck. There are more gaps than you would typically see on other thin and light laptops; however, that's by design, as it allows for greater serviceability. The feet feel strong and adhere firmly to the bottom of the laptop.

The hinge is outstanding. It has a wide range so you can share the screen with someone opposite of you. It feels smooth when opening and closing the lid, and it's very stable, with almost no play at all. The screen only wobbles slightly when typing aggressively.

The Framework Laptop and its power adapter are compact and easy to carry around.

The serviceability is excellent. The internals are easily accessible; you only need to remove five P5 screws and undo a few clips to remove the keyboard deck. You can replace nearly every component in the laptop, including the CPU, motherboard, and display. This means that if you have the Intel 11th Gen, first-generation Framework Laptop (2021), you can simply buy the motherboard and CPU from Framework and upgrade it yourself, which is cheaper than buying a whole new unit. Framework provides manuals with simple instructions to help you service the laptop, which you can find here.

• Framework Laptop 13 2022
• 60W power adapter and cord
• I/O Expansion cards
• P5 Screwdriver
• Documentation
• Stickers

The Framework Laptop's display looks very sharp and provides just enough room for some light multitasking. Its 3:2 aspect ratio is a little taller than a standard 16:9 display. It's good for productivity because you don't need to scroll as much when reading documents and websites; however, you'll almost always have black bars at the top and bottom when viewing standard 16:9 videos. The bezels are available in various colors, including black, gray, orange, green, lavender, and red.

This laptop is only available with a 60Hz display. It has a slow response time causing noticeable ghosting behind moving objects, so it isn't ideal for gaming or viewing fast-moving content.

The display has a good contrast ratio. However, it's still relatively low compared to other display technologies like VA and OLED. It isn't the best for dark room viewing as blacks look gray.

The display gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings. You can use it outdoors in broad daylight, but you may have trouble with visibility if there's light shining directly on the screen. It gets very dim at the lowest brightness setting, which helps reduce eye strain when viewing content in a dark environment.

The display's reflection handling is decent. Its glossy finish struggles mainly with direct reflections, like a lamp or open window during the day. You can still see these reflections even when viewing bright-color content with the display at max brightness. However, unlike matte finishes, it keeps the bright reflections localized, so you don't get a hazy glow in other areas of the screen. If you prefer a matte display, you can get the newer Framework Laptop 13 (2023) or buy the display from Framework and replace it yourself.

The display's black uniformity is satisfactory. It looks a little patchy as there's backlight bleed along the top and bottom edges of the screen.

The display's horizontal viewing angle is decent. The image remains accurate until you reach a moderately steep angle to the left or right, meaning you can share color-critical work with someone else as long as the other person isn't too far off to the side.

The vertical viewing angle is decent. Like the horizontal viewing angle, the image remains accurate until you reach a moderately steep angle, which is great in tight places that force you to view the screen from above or below, like a bus or airplane.

The Framework Laptop's out-of-the-box color accuracy is great. Most color and white balance inaccuracies are minor and hard to spot with the naked eye. The color temperature is a little warmer than the standard 6500K target, resulting in a slight, almost imperceptible, reddish tint. The gamma sticks close to 2.2 instead of following the sRGB curve, making dark scenes too dark and bright scenes too bright.

The display's color gamut is excellent. It covers the entire sRGB color space used in most content. It has great Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage; however, it isn't enough for creators working in those color spaces. If you need a laptop with full Adobe RGB or DCI P3 coverage, check out the Dell XPS 13 Plus (2022).

The Framework Laptop's backlight is entirely flicker-free, which helps reduce eye strain for people sensitive to flickering.

The Framework Laptop has a good keyboard. The layout feels spacious and is easy to get used to. The plastic used for the keycaps feels okay; not particularly premium but not too cheap either. The keys are stable, have a good amount of travel, and provide relatively satisfying tactile feedback. The operating force is at the higher end but isn't too bad, so depending on what you're used to, it may feel a little tiring to type on for an extended period. Typing noise isn't overly loud, not enough to be bothersome in a quiet setting. You can adjust between three backlight brightness levels or turn it off completely. The light shines around the keys, not through the legends.

The Framework Laptop has a great touchpad. It's decently large and feels very smooth. It responds to all movements and gestures, and there aren't any issues with palm rejection or actions like dragging and dropping. However, you can only click in the bottom part of the touchpad, and the click mechanism itself doesn't feel particularly satisfying.

The Framework Laptop has decent speakers. They sound fairly natural and clear, even at max volume, but they lack bass and treble extension, so they're good for dialogue-heavy content but not so much for music or movies. Unfortunately, they don't get very loud.

The Framework Laptop's webcam video quality is excellent. The image looks very detailed, with good color reproduction and exposure, and the microphone picks up voices clearly with only a little bit of background noise. The microphone's gain is high, but it isn't as bad as its predecessor. There are physical privacy covers for the camera and microphone. Closing the privacy covers also disables the camera and microphone at the software level.

The Framework Laptop doesn't have a preset port configuration. Like its predecessor, the Framework Laptop (2021), it has a modular port system that allows you to change the ports as needed. Each port is a small cartridge called an 'expansion card', and there are also expansion cards with a built-in SSD to increase storage. You can buy as many expansion cards as you want from the following options (there are four slots on the laptop):

• USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 2, up to 10Gbps)
• USB-C (USB 4, charging, DisplayPort Alt Mode)
• DisplayPort (1.4)
• MicroSD (UHS-I)
• HDMI (2.0b)
• Ethernet
• 250GB SSD (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
• 1TB SSD (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
• 3.5 headphone jack (input and output)

The USB-C port doesn't officially support Thunderbolt 4, but it works with most Thunderbolt 4 docks and can output to two 4k displays at 60 Hz. It can output an 8k 60Hz signal; however, the connection isn't stable, as it sometimes cuts out or makes the screen completely green. For charging, it's best to get at least one USB-C expansion card because the USB-C port that the expansion card plugs into is recessed, making it difficult to plug in a power cord.

The wireless adapter is an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX201. Wi-Fi 6E has faster speeds, lower latency, and less signal interference than previous Wi-Fi standards. However, you need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E to benefit from these features. The Intel Core i7-1280P configuration has Intel vPro enabled, which adds remote management capability for enterprise IT.

The Framework Laptop is available with the following CPUs:

• Intel Core i5-1240P (12 cores/16 threads, up to 4.4GHz, 12MB cache)
• Intel Core i7-1260P (12 cores/16 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 18MB cache)
• Intel Core i7-1280P (14 cores/20 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 24MB cache)

Intel's P-series CPUs are designed for thin and light laptops, with a base power configuration of 28W. Unlike Intel's 11th Gen, these new chips have a hybrid architecture with a mix of performance and efficiency cores. Only the performance cores have multi-threading–the ability to process multiple threads simultaneously–which is why the number of cores and threads seems a little unusual. Performance-wise, they sit above the U-series CPUs designed for ultraportables with a weaker cooling system but below the more power-hungry H-series CPUs typically found in mobile workstations. The P-series CPUs can handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback, as well as some more demanding tasks like photo and video editing.

Choosing between these three CPUs largely depends on your workload. If you only perform light productivity tasks, the Core i5-1240P is more than enough. The Core i7-1260P is faster than the Core i5 due to its higher clock speeds and larger cache memory, but the difference isn't huge. The Core i7-1280P is the fastest and the best option for those with a CPU-intensive workload.

The Framework Laptop is only available with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. The Core i5-1240P's integrated GPU has 80 execution units, while the Core i7s have 96. Intel's Iris Xe graphics can handle general productivity tasks and some light photo editing or gaming; however, it isn't powerful enough for graphically-intensive AAA games or high-resolution video editing. The Core i7s' integrated GPU only performs slightly better than the Core i5's, not enough to make a huge difference in most workloads.

The pre-configured models of the Framework Laptop come with a fixed amount of memory. The base model has 8GB, the Performance model has 16GB, and the Professional model has 32GB. For the DIY edition, you can configure it with 8, 16, 32, or 64GB of memory. Some of the options are in single-channel mode. If you don't plan on upgrading the memory yourself, it's best to get a configuration with dual-channel memory, as single-channel memory can cause a performance drop in some CPU-intensive tasks. For the DIY edition, you can skip the memory configuration if you want to put in your own memory modules.

Like the memory configuration, the pre-configured models have a fixed amount of storage. The base model has 256GB, the Performance model has 512GB, and the Professional model has 1TB. For the DIY edition, you can choose from the following storage options:

• 250GB WD_Black SN770 PCIe NVMe SSD
• 500GB WD_Black SN750 PCIe NVMe SSD
• 500GB WD_Black SN850 PCIe NVMe SSD
• 1TB WD_Black SN770 PCIe NVMe SSD
• 1TB WD_Black SN850 PCIe NVMe SSD
• 2TB WD_Black SN770 PCIe NVMe SSD
• 2TB WD_Black SN850X PCIe NVMe SSD
• 4TB WD_Black SN850X PCIe NVMe SSD
• None (bring your own)

All of the storage options are PCIe Gen 4 SSDs. The WD_Black SN850X is the fastest drive, followed by the SN850, the SN770, and the SN750. It seems that Framework uses a different SSD in the pre-configured models than the DIY edition. The Western Digital PC SN730 in our model has a slightly faster sequential read speed than the WD Black SN750 but is slower than the SN770. You can skip the storage configuration (DIY edition only) if you want to put in your own storage drive.

The Framework Laptop has an outstanding overall score in Geekbench 5. The Intel Core i7-1260P is very fast and can handle demanding tasks like video editing, programming, and other CPU-intensive production workloads. The Core i5-1240P is only slightly slower, while the Core i7-1280P is a good deal faster, as it has two additional performance cores and higher clock speeds. As for GPU compute tasks, the CPU's integrated Iris Xe graphics doesn't perform well. If your workload needs a lot of GPU processing power, it's best to get a laptop with a discrete GPU or an Apple MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro or M1 Max SoC.

The Framework Laptop performs exceptionally well in Cinebench R23 benchmarks, making it suitable for professional rendering work. Some CPUs perform even better, like Intel's own 12th Gen H-series CPUs and Apple's M1 Max SoC, but for a thin and light laptop with a single fan, the performance is very impressive.

The Framework Laptop's Intel Core i7-1260P renders the simple 3D image relatively quickly in Blender. However, if you perform 3D renders for work and need it done as quickly as possible, almost any laptop with a discrete GPU can do it faster. An entry-level gaming GPU like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in the HP OMEN 16 (2022) can complete the render in a little over a minute, and higher-end GPUs that support NVIDIA Optix, like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in the Razer Blade 14 (2022), can complete it in under 15 seconds.

The Framework Laptop performs poorly in the Basemark GPU benchmark. Its Intel Iris Xe isn't bad for integrated graphics, but it's still much slower than even an entry-level discrete GPU like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650. It can only handle simple or extremely well-optimized games, and even then, you'll likely have to play at a lower resolution or the lowest graphical settings.

The Western Digital PC SN730 SSD in our unit has very fast read and write speeds, which help make the system feel snappier and more responsive. For the DIY edition, the performance will depend on which SSD you get. The WD_Black SN850X is the fastest, followed by the SN850, the SN770, and the SN750. You can see the advertised speeds on Western Digital's website.

Framework advertises that the 250GB expansion card SSD has up to 1000 MB/s read and 375 MB/s write speeds, while the 1TB drive has 1000 MB/s read and 1000 MB/s write speeds.

The Framework Laptop's battery life is disappointing. It doesn't last long enough to get through a typical 8-hour workday of light productivity, and it's even shorter for video playback and intensive tasks like gaming. You'll have to plug it in for a quick charge at some point during the day. Framework promised an update that will improve battery life in the near future; we'll update the review when it's available. In the meantime, Framework has released a larger 61Wh battery that'll last a little longer. If you want a similar laptop with longer battery life, check out the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (2022).

Borderlands 3 runs terribly on the Framework Laptop. The game is very choppy, even at the lowest graphical settings at 1080p. None of the configurations can run this game well.

Civilization VI runs poorly. The average frame rate is too low at 1080p with high settings, even for a strategy game that doesn't require fast reaction times or precise aiming. However, you can get much smoother gameplay at low settings. The average turn time is decent, about the same as Intel's 11th Gen H-series CPUs. Upgrading to the Core i7-1280P won't improve the turn time by much. The Core i5-1240P will perform slightly worse, with a lower average frame rate and longer average turn time.

The Framework Laptop's performance in CS:GO is mediocre. Although the average frame rate is good at high settings, the frametimes are very inconsistent, causing noticeable stutters. It runs much better at the lowest settings, but you'll still experience some choppiness. The Core i7-1280P will perform similarly, while the Core i5-1240P will perform slightly worse.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs poorly. At 1080p, it's only playable at the lowest graphical settings, and even then, you'll likely experience some stutters, which isn't ideal in parts of the game that require aiming. The Core i7-1280P will perform similarly, while the Core i5-1240P will perform slightly worse.

The Framework Laptop has okay thermal and noise handling. At idle, the keyboard is cool, and the fans are completely silent. However, the keyboard gets hot under load near the middle, above the letter Y, which can be uncomfortable. The fans are loud at full speed, but the noise isn't annoying as it's mainly the sound of heavy airflow, not a whining or high-pitched noise.

The performance over time is excellent. Both the CPU and GPU get hot under load, but the temperatures are still within the normal operating range. The CPU's performance loss isn't significant but still noticeable.

You can get the Framework Laptop with Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro. You can also skip the OS configuration if you want to install a custom operating system like Ubuntu or Pop! OS; Framework provides manuals on how to install it. There aren't any additional software applications other than the ones that typically come with a clean Windows install.

This laptop has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. You can use it to log into Windows, authorize purchases in the Windows Store, or auto-fill saved passwords on supported websites.