No other laptop maker would let me cannibalise the best bit of its new machine the way Framework does and that's a damned shame

HardwareGaming LaptopsNo other laptop maker would let me cannibalise the best bit of its new machine the way Framework does and that’s a damned shameWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future)

Framework 13 Intel Core Ultra Series 1 laptop

Dave James, Editor-in-chief hardware(Image credit: Future)This month I have been mostlyflapping about with new laptops, from upgradeable Intel Core Ultra devices to Snapdragon Elite machines. And dealing with Jacob’s complaints about the grim state of the office, which admittedly is entirely my fault.

Dave James, Editor-in-chief hardware

(Image credit: Future)This month I have been mostlyflapping about with new laptops, from upgradeable Intel Core Ultra devices to Snapdragon Elite machines. And dealing with Jacob’s complaints about the grim state of the office, which admittedly is entirely my fault.

(Image credit: Future)

Dave James

This month I have been mostlyflapping about with new laptops, from upgradeable Intel Core Ultra devices to Snapdragon Elite machines. And dealing with Jacob’s complaints about the grim state of the office, which admittedly is entirely my fault.

I did not love thenew Framework 13 laptop. The latest machine to come from the only company to put repairability and upgradeability at the forefront of its laptop design, sports the new Intel Meteor Lake mainboard, the Core Ultra Series 1. And, honestly, that new Intel chip doesn’t really do a whole lot for the Framework 13 as a whole.

Having said all that, there is one thing I wish the Ryzen Framework had that arrived alongside the new Intel Core Ultra Series 1 version: The new system came with an updated, higher resolution, high refresh rate display.

And, because of the way Framework operates, I don’t need to just wish. I can whip out a screwdriver and mercilessly cannibalise the hapless laptop. And it’s why I love the Framework 13 and the way this company handles its business.

I can whip out a screwdriver and mercilessly cannibalise the hapless laptop.

There is no other laptop manufacturer on the planet where you could have bought a machine three years ago, with four-generation-old hardware inside it, and then it releases a new laptop with a much better screen and you caneasilyslot that into your effectively ancient device.

I don’t know of any other manufacturer that would let you do that, let alonesell the panel on its own marketplace for $269.

That’s the situation here with the Framework 13. I picked up this Ship of Theseus in 2022 with anoriginal Intel 11th Gen CPUinside it. And I could have changed nothing and, still using the same screwdriver which came with that first device, simply removed the improved screen from the new laptop and plopped it into this old one in maybe 10 minutes and have it just work the instant it was powered on.

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As it happens, I have actually changed a whole lot of things in this laptop since first getting hold of the Framework 13. I’ve changed out the mainboard multiple times, settling now with the excellent Ryzen 7 7840U board, swapped memory, Wi-Fi module, and battery. And now I’m definitely going to change over that screen because it’s been my one persistent issue with the otherwise excellent laptop.

You probably wouldn’t think changing over an entire laptop panel would be either quick or straightforward, but I can swap the panel out in literally five minutes. It’s a hell of a thing. Just watch…

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