is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021.
Framework finally made a touchscreen laptop, and the convertible 2-in-1 is one of the coolest-looking computers ever made. It doesn’t have top-tier specs, but its two-year-old 13th Gen Intel Core i3 processor isn’t on its last legs just yet. Like Framework’s Laptop 13, the new Laptop 12 has modular ports and fully repairable innards. And you should be able to upgrade it to a newer chip eventually, given Framework’s business model of selling new parts for older laptops.
But charm aside, you’re still paying extra for repairability and upgradability. The Laptop 12’s $799 starting price, along with its middling webcam, keyboard, and chunky bezels still make it feel like a laptop for the true believers; others may have a hard time turning down similarly priced laptops with little to no repairability but better specs.
7 Verge Score Framework Laptop 12 $ 799 $ 799 The Good Easy repairs and potential upgrades
Fun design
Rubberized TPU edges make it more resilient for kids
Modular ports with internal “child locks” The Bad Not exactly cheap, especially with more RAM and storage
Aging processor, starts with 8GB of RAM
Chunky bezels
No Windows Hello unlocking $799 at Framework How we rate and review products
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