Framework Computer
Framework Computer, Inc. is an American personal computer manufacturer. The company positions itself as a proponent of the right-to-repair movement, and their laptops are designed to be easy to disassemble, with replaceable parts.
History
In January 2020, the company was founded by Nirav Patel, who worked on software at Apple and later was the original Head of Hardware at Oculus.In the first half of 2021, Framework was funded with a $9 million seed round.
In September 2021, YouTuber Linus Sebastian invested $225,000 in the company after having previously commended the 11th Gen Intel Framework Laptop 13.
In January 2022, the company raised an additional $18 million of financing in a series A round, led by Spark Capital.
In April 2024, the company raised an additional $17 million of financing in a series A-1 round, led by Spark Capital, with Buckley Ventures, Anzu Partners, Cooler Master, and Pathbreaker Ventures. In addition to the $17 million, the company is opening up $1 million to equity crowdfunding through $10,000 investments. The company announced its expansion into other areas of consumer electronics with this round.
Products
Framework works with an original design manufacturing partner Compal Electronics to build its products.Framework Laptop 13
In July 2021, Framework began fulfillment of their first product, the Framework Laptop, with an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 chip to the US and Canada. In December 2021, Framework opened pre-orders to the UK, Germany and France. In February 2022, pre-ordering became available for Ireland, Austria and The Netherlands.The Framework Laptop received a 10 out of 10 in iFixit's repairability score. The standard Framework Laptop ships as a fully assembled laptop, while the Framework Laptop DIY Edition ships with the RAM, storage, operating system, and in 11th Gen, the WiFi module uninstalled. All of these modules can be ordered with the DIY edition for an additional fee, or left out and purchased separately.
In May 2022, the company launched their Framework Laptop with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 chip that ships with an upgraded back panel, alongside their 12 Gen Upgrade Kit, to allow 11th Gen users to upgrade their laptops. In September 2022, pre-ordering became available for Australia.
In September 2022, the company launched a Chromebook edition based on their 12th Gen Intel model for $999. Unlike the standard laptop, the Chromebook's specification is fixed to an i5-1240P, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD, but it retains the same upgradability as the standard laptop. Framework claims that the Chromebook edition has upgraded speakers and batteries compared to the standard laptop, but the speakers were described as "muffled" by ZDnet and the battery life was rated as quite poor for a Chromebook by ZDnet, Engadget, and PCMag. The Chromebook was also criticized for its price.
In March 2023, the company announced their Framework Laptop featuring 13th Gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 7040 processors. The designation of Framework Laptop 13 was adopted to distinguish it from the concurrently announced Framework Laptop 16. During this same event, Framework announced a higher capacity 61 Wh battery, a matte display option, and a Cooler Master case to house Framework motherboards. The initial shipments of the AMD-based Framework laptops were delayed due to electrical and firmware related issues.
In May 2024, the company announced their Framework Laptop 13 featuring an Intel Core Ultra Series 1 processor.
In February 2025, the company announced their Framework Laptop 13 featuring AMD Ryzen AI 300 series as well as adding the improvements introduced with the Intel model. The upgraded model supports up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory and has a 2.8K 120 Hz display. The design retains Framework's emphasis on modularity, ensuring that most parts are compatible with earlier releases. Pricing for the DIY edition starts at $899, pre-built systems start at $1,099.
Motherboard
In April 2022, the company partly open-sourced their motherboard with CAD and electrical documentation being available in their marketplace, giving away 100 motherboards to makers and developers.There is an issue with the motherboards with 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs that requires complete removal and reconnection of both the main battery and the RTC coin cell battery if the laptop is not charged for a relatively short period of time. The company said that this issue is caused by the 11th Gen Intel Core silicon bug, and that they would work to swap out a replacement RTC coin cell battery or 11th Gen motherboard for the people facing the issue.
Firmware
Framework Laptop 13 uses proprietary UEFI firmware, InsydeH2O by Insyde Software, and an open-source embedded controller firmware based on CrOS EC by Framework. In April 2021, the company mentioned that open-source firmware was well-aligned to their mission. In January 2022, the company open-sourced their EC firmware. The company modifies the UEFI source code they bought from Insyde Software to meet their specific firmware needs. The company supports Linux Vendor Firmware Service to update the firmware. Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition uses an open source firmware, coreboot.In April 2024, an article by Ars Technica described that the company had struggled with the other side of computing longevity and sustainability: providing up-to-date software. After that, the company published a blog article about software longevity, saying, "We recognize that we have fallen short of where we need to be on software updates, and we are making the needed investments to resolve this." A June 2025 follow-up evaluation acknowledged that the company had made progress in this regard.
| Motherboard | UEFI product | Upstream UEFI vendor | Latest UEFI version |
| 11th Gen Intel Core | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.24 |
| 12th Gen Intel Core | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.19 |
| 13th Gen Intel Core | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.09 |
| Intel Core Ultra Series 1 | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.06 |
| AMD Ryzen 7040 | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.16 |
| AMD Ryzen AI 300 | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.04 |
| 12th Gen Intel Core Chromebook Edition | coreboot |
Battery life
The initial 55 Wh battery in the original Intel 11th Gen CPU Model has been described as middling. This feedback was addressed with the release of a 61 Wh battery, available as an option in the 2023 edition of the laptop. An Ars Technica review found that the battery life of the 13th Gen Intel motherboard was significantly improved over prior designs, gaining a 40% uplift in PCMark's battery test but remaining mostly the same when running Handbrake, despite the reviewer testing battery life with the 55 Wh battery from their previous machine; with an upgrade to the 61 Wh battery, the runtime improved by another 13%.The AMD Ryzen 7040U series option also showed additional battery life, better performance, less heat, and lower fan noise when idle, leading some to suggest that it rendered Intel models obsolete.
The battery drains even in a complete shut down state within UEFI version 3.07 or earlier with the 11th Intel Core motherboard, later fixed in UEFI unofficial version 3.08.
Technical specifications
As most components in Framework products are designed to be reconfigurable, this table lists stock specifications available at the time of purchase.Framework Laptop 16
Framework Laptop 16 is a larger laptop announced at the promotional Next Level event in March 2023. It has an expansion bay that can attach PCIe components such as a dedicated GPU, as well as adapt the laptop's cooling system, a fully customizable keyboard that can connect a numpad, and change the input modules, and 6 expansion card slots. In February 2024, Framework began fulfillment of the Framework Laptop 16, with an AMD Ryzen 7040 series processor.In August 2025, Framework announced their Framework Laptop 16 featuring AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processor, adding an optional Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 expansion bay GPU module, which is backwards compatible with the 2024 model; shipments were set to begin in November 2025, but later shipped in December 2025.[citation needed]
Expansion Bay
The expansion bay is a part which enables users to swap discrete GPUs, choosing the default shell, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, AMD Radeon 7700S discrete GPU, or a dual M.2 adapter.Firmware
Framework Laptop 16 uses proprietary UEFI firmware by Insyde Software.| Motherboard | UEFI product | Upstream UEFI vendor | Latest UEFI version |
| AMD Ryzen 7040 | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 4.02 |
| AMD Ryzen AI 300 | InsydeH2O | Insyde Software | 3.04 |