Framework announces the Laptop 13 Pro, its take on the MacBook Pro
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Modular PC maker Framework unveiled several new products at its busy show. [Next Gen] Live stream from the event on Tuesday – including the new Laptop 13 Pro, its version of a serviceable MacBook Pro.
The Laptop 13 Pro is Framework’s fourth laptop since its inception in 2020, when it launched the original Laptop 13. And “in many ways, this product was six years in the making,” company founder Nirav Patel wrote in a blog post. “We took all the feedback you gave us on the first seven generations of Framework Laptop 13 to make it the ultimate portable machine for developers and power users,” Patel said.
Laptop 13 Pro pre-orders are now open on Framework’s website, starting at $1,199 for the build-it-yourself “DIY Edition” and $1,499 for pre-built configurations, including options preloaded with Ubuntu for Linux users. The first wave of shipments will take place in June.
Framework also revealed updates to the gaming-ready 16-inch laptop, a new OCuLink development kit, and a new wireless keyboard during its livestream. Together with the Laptop 13 Pro, they “represent a step change in our capabilities” and meet recurring customer demands, Patel said. “We have the scale and resources to make the products you expect from us and to fulfill our mission of reshaping consumer electronics.”
Read on for a closer look at all the announcements.
Discover the Framework Laptop 13 Pro
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In creating the Laptop 13 Pro, Framework aimed to create a “MacBook Pro for Linux users,” Patel wrote in a separate blog post. “We wanted to prove that you can have a refined, robust, high-performance computer that still respects your rights through repairability, upgradability, and the power to choose what software you want to run on it.”
The Laptop 13 Pro looks a bit like a MacBook Pro. It has a new, fully CNC aluminum chassis weighing just over three pounds with a flat “slab” shape reminiscent of a modern Apple laptop. (In contrast, the standard 13 laptop has a silver chassis with the wedge shape of an M1 MacBook Air.) It launches in a graphite finish reminiscent of Apple’s Space Black colorway, but a silver version is coming soon.
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The Laptop 13 Pro is powered by powerful Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (“Panther Lake”) chips with 16 to 64 GB of fast and efficient LPCAMM2 memory. It is available in Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra X7, and Core Ultra X9 configurations.
The Laptop 13 Pro features a new 2,880 x 1,920 display that offers up to 700 nits of brightness, a variable refresh rate from 30 to 120 Hz, and touchscreen capabilities — something “many of you have been asking for for years,” Patel wrote. The screen features newly squared corners and an improved anti-glare matte finish.
Credit: Cadre
The Laptop 13 Pro also sports a new haptic touchpad. “Touchpad feel is an area where Windows and Linux laptops have historically lagged behind Macs, so that’s where we’re focusing a lot of attention from our mechanical, electrical and firmware teams to deliver the best possible experience,” Patel said. It has the same keyboard as the regular Laptop 13, but it comes in two additional colors besides the basic black.
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Additionally, the Laptop 13 Pro’s speakers are located on both sides of its base rather than below, as they are on the Laptop 13. They support Dolby Atmos, which is a first for a Framework laptop.
Credit: Cadre
A low-end touchscreen was previously only available on the Laptop 12, Framework’s budget hybrid, while the haptic touchpad is all-new for the Framework Laptop series. As with any Framework machine, all components of the Laptop 13 Pro are user replaceable and upgradeable, and its port modules are swappable.
Patel called the Laptop 13 Pro “a complete overhaul that brings a huge jump in battery life,” noting that better endurance has been the biggest request from customers over the years. Its 74Wh battery delivers more than 20 hours of 4K Netflix streaming per charge, it claimed, which is an increase of 12 hours over the previous generation 13 laptop with a 61Wh battery.
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Not only that, Patel added, but the Laptop 13 Pro’s battery life is “actually slightly longer than a 14-inch MacBook Pro M5!” A Panther Lake laptop I tested earlier this year offered more than 24 hours of video playback, so that’s not totally far-fetched. The MacBook Pro M5 only lasted 21 hours and 17 minutes in our battery life benchmark.
Credit: Cadre
The Laptop 13 Pro also comes with a larger 100W GaN power adapter for faster charging.
The Laptop 13 Pro is not intended to replace the base Laptop 13, which will continue to be sold alongside it, starting at $899 for the DIY edition and $1,099 pre-built. (A Framework representative told me that existing Laptop 13 owners will be able to upgrade their device with all of the upgraded components of the Laptop 13 Pro, including the new motherboard and touchscreen. The new battery is included with a bottom cover upgrade kit, while an input cover kit gives you the haptic touchpad. All of these parts and kits are now available for pre-order on Framework’s website.
Framework Laptop 16 updates – plus an OCuLink SDK in the works
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Framework offers new components for the beefy Laptop 16, its desktop replacement with swappable graphics modules, including a one-piece haptic touchpad and keyboard modules. Previously, the Laptop 16’s touchpad was integrated into its keyboard module; now they are separate components. The 16 laptop also gets a new translucent smoke gray bezel color and a new entry-level AMD Ryzen 5 340 processor option.
The Laptop 16’s new touchpad and keyboard modules are up for pre-order and will begin shipping in June, while the new bezel color will launch later this summer. The Laptop 16 with Ryzen 5 is up for pre-order today, starting at $1,249 for the DIY edition and $1,599 pre-built.
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Additionally, Framework demonstrated an OCuLink SDK for the 16 Laptop during Tuesday’s livestream. This dock will be “[enable] “Extremely high throughput devices like eGPUs,” according to Patel’s blog post. Connecting a laptop to a more powerful eGPU, or external graphics processing unit, is an easy way to improve its graphics performance when you want to use it for ultra-demanding tasks like AAA gaming, 4K video editing, and software development.
Framework said the Dev Kit would ship later this year.
Coming soon: Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard
Credit: Cadre
Finally, Framework introduced its upcoming wireless touchpad keyboard, which is exactly what it sounds like: a compact, portable keyboard with a built-in touchpad on the right side. It’s made in partnership with Lite-On, the same Taiwanese tech maker that’s been making its laptop keyboards for the past five years, and it features the same key spacing and travel. The touchpad itself supports multi-finger gestures.
The wireless touch keyboard will have a translucent back cover and a replaceable battery. Framework is currently working on a USB-A adapter expansion card that allows it to fit inside its laptops.
The keyboard won’t launch until the end of the year, but Framework wanted to introduce it well in advance “to allow developers to quickly start building around it,” Patel said.
You can watch the full frame [Next Gen] Live broadcast of the event on the company’s YouTube channel.
