Framework’s New Ultra-Repairable ‘Pro’ Laptop Lets You Ditch Windows Fully

“Pro”-level devices don’t all the time indicate what you suppose they do. For occasion, the newly introduced Framework Laptop 13 Pro guarantees higher specs, however there’s one thing extra in retailer. The new laptop computer will allow you to ditch Windows and its Copilot obsessions fully with Linux put in proper out of the field.

Framework shared particulars of its new laptops and equipment on Tuesday. All the modularity of Framework’s previous laptop computer continues to be there, together with the 4 slots for enlargement bay I/O ports. Laptop really feel is further necessary this time round. The “Pro” laptop computer swaps the outdated, stiffer mechanical trackpad for a haptic touchpad. And for the primary time, it’s also possible to get a Framework laptop computer with a touchscreen.

You can nonetheless get the brand new Framework Laptop 13 Pro with both no OS or Windows 11. You may all the time flash the open-source Linux working system to the machine your self. But should you don’t need to cope with the trouble, there’s a less expensive model of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro that ships with Ubuntu, a Linux distro.

New selection of chip and a discrete keyboard

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro has the selection between one in every of Intel’s newest Core Ultra Series 3 processors and the older AMD Ryzen 300 sequence. With that comes an anticipated battery life overhaul. Framework says customers ought to see as much as 20 hours of battery life in streaming checks. In actuality, you must anticipate it would supply higher longevity than final yr’s 13-inch Framework, perhaps sufficient to final the workday.

Framework instructed Gizmodo there are alternatives between the Intel Core Ultra 5 chips in addition to the touted X7 and X9 processors. We’ve seen these chips in lots of different laptops in 2026, and so they supply robust GPU capabilities that make them surprisingly good for graphics rendering and even mild to average gaming.

The Framework Laptop 16 additionally has just a few new choices like a haptic trackpad and a one-piece keyboard with out the numpad or want for facet plates. For the tinkerers, there’s additionally the OCuLink Dev Kit, which connects with the Framework Laptop 16’s enlargement bay and its PCIe lanes to allow using exterior GPUs (eGPUs).

If all that wasn’t sufficient, Framework additionally introduced a brand new discrete wi-fi keyboard. It guarantees the same really feel to the Framework Laptop 12 with mechanical keys. The keyboard comes with a trackpad on the facet and a dongle that sits flush contained in the physique when not linked to your PC. Eventually, Framework could create a particular adapter card that may join by a Framework laptop computer’s enlargement slot. It appears odd that the corporate identified for customizability wouldn’t allow you to swap the trackpad for one of many firm’s personal numpad modules from the Framework 16. Either manner, it might supply just a few extra advantages to Framework Desktop homeowners as properly.

Who needs to befriend a penguin?

Framework has been hit tougher than most by the continued RAM scarcity—thanks partially to its concentrate on providing discrete reminiscence elements. Still, the prices of each pre-built and DIY kits aren’t out of vary for different laptops with these capabilities. A prebuilt Windows 11 machine begins at $1,700. A DIY package with a pick-and-choose setup begins at $1,200. The kicker is the Ubuntu mannequin, which prices $1,500 at its lowest configuration. Those will doubtless include Intel Core Ultra 5 processors, so the X7 or X9 model will value extra.

Company founder and CEO Nirav Patel not too long ago declared that the PC trade was “asking you to own nothing and be happy.” It’s half a gross sales pitch and half a cry of alarm. PC homeowners have been put by the ringer with skyrocketing costs of desktop elements, laptops, gaming units, and all computer systems massive and small. By selling Linux units, Framework can eschew the price of a Windows license and offset the rising worth of RAM.

These new machines will nonetheless enchantment extra to the PC savant than the common laptop computer purchaser. You can’t flip the swap to Linux with out first contemplating compatibility together with your present peripherals or software program suite. We’ll see what number of PC consumers need to ditch Windows and hang around with fellow penguins (or at the very least see extra of Tux, Linux’s mascot).