Latest news with #Laptop13
Engadget
06-05-2025
- Engadget
Framework Laptop 13 (2025) with AMD Ryzen AI 300 review: The usual iterative upgrade
You might know the story by now: Framework makes repairable, modular laptops where you can sub in new components for old or broken ones. It's been two years since the company debuted an AMD mainboard for the Laptop 13 and so it's time for the first replacement to arrive. The new model gets AMD's Ryzen AI 300, a series of power-efficient chips for notebooks that can do all the Copilot+ AI nonsense the industry insists people need and want. Framework sent me the new AMD mainboard to slot into the existing chassis, along with a new bezel and input cover. Rather than the usual solid colors, the company is now offering translucent plastic versions for all those late '90s kids who owned Game Boy Colors. I prefer the tinted translucent version over the clear transparent one, but you can judge for yourself in the pictures. The upgraded AMD mainboard is faster than its predecessor but not enough to be earth-shattering. $899 at Framework Mainboard with AMD Ryzen AI 300 Daniel Cooper for Engadget Would-be buyers have three options: They can buy a new pre-built laptop with Ryzen AI 300, a DIY edition to assemble or just get the mainboard on its own. Either way, you get the pick of a Ryzen 5 340, Ryzen 7 350 or the flagship Ryzen 9 HX 370 capable of harnessing up to 96GB of RAM. Naturally, the price will start to climb the greater your technological ambitions. I was supplied with the midrange Ryzen 7 350, which took me about 11 minutes or so to swap into the existing AMD model. It's amusing to think it took me the better part of an hour the first time I did this but once you're fluent, it becomes effortless. If you, like me, lost the muscle memory to swap components at the turn of the millennium, don't feel like this is beyond you. The Ryzen 7 350's performance is fine for the sort of tasks you'd expect to do with a 13-inch notebook. I didn't find there was a clear, epoch-shifting leap between what I got out of this and the 7840U it replaced. If you're using it for the usual stuff — work, browsing and watching videos — then it'll handle that all with aplomb. As usual, the best reason to recommend the AMD model over its Intel equivalent is for its greater strength in gaming. After all, you can easily get 50 to 60 fps in titles like Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto V , making this an effective all-rounder. There are two downsides to Framework's modular approach, one of which is that the hardware will always look more functional than its rivals. The second, and more critical, is that all of the CPU cooling has to be integrated onto the mainboard itself. Whereas a lot of machines can be designed around thermal management, this one can't because everything is modular. So the fan on top of the mainboard has to do all of the work with one hand tied behind its back. Consequently both the Intel and AMD versions of Framework's laptops are noisy in ways more modern machines aren't. Framework says it addressed the noise issue by redesigning the heatpipe, improving the fan algorithm and switching to Honeywell's PTM7958 thermal paste. Sadly, as many hours as the company may have put in here, you're still going to have to deal with plenty of fan noise and heat under heavy load. And while AMD promised the 300 AI was designed to be more power-efficient, the new processor further dents this thing's battery life. I didn't get anything close to a full day on a charge here, but that seems to be the way with so many laptops these days. Daniel Cooper for Engadget I've always commended Framework for its commitment to improving every hardware component as it goes. This time around, the company worked with manufacturing partner Lite-On to give its keyboard a makeover. It focused on hard-to-spot improvements like printing the caps in a slightly thinner weight, replacing the fingerprint sensor and redesigning the Shift and Enter keys. Thankfully, what hasn't changed is the 1.5mm key travel, and founder Nirav Patel told me years ago that he had no interest in trying to fix what wasn't broken. This means the keyboard itself remains as easy to use as it was before, albeit with a slightly quieter typing action. The keys aren't as loose in their housing as they were on the older model, which is another sign of higher quality. Users can also pick from keyboards with a dedicated Windows Copilot key or the Framework key, depending on your operating system loyalties. More importantly, the company addressed feedback that the wide keys would rattle when the speaker played at high volumes. There's a new scaffold supporting the Shift and spacebar to reduce vibration when the sound gets loud. I think the original problem was overstated, but perhaps my audio picks aren't as bass-heavy as some other folks. Regardless, the changes here are welcome and when I've watched explosion-heavy audio, I found little to no rattle at all. It's not as simple to swap an Intel mainboard for an AMD one as there are issues with hardware compatibility. Similarly, the AMD boards support different USB standards for different expansion card slots, as you can see in the picture. This is true for AMD boards no matter the manufacturer, but it's one thing to remember before you make your purchase. Daniel Cooper for Engadget If you are already inside Framework's ecosystem then feel free to sleep on this upgrade. Yes, the AI 300 is better than the chip it replaces but not to the extent I'd suggest you shell out several hundred dollars on one. If you aren't, then you'll probably be swayed by Framework's broader pitch rather than this specific update. My suspicion is that the company's maturing ecosystem is ideally placed to take advantage of the current geopolitical brouhaha. After all, if the cost of every notebook is at risk of leaping through the roof, being able to keep one machine running for longer is compelling. And, if you're looking to leap in, you should grab one of the discounted Ryzen 7040 machines before they go. After all, if you find the performance a little slow in a few years' time, you'll be well-placed to take advantage of the next generation upgrade when it arrives. I know there are some who feel Framework's underlying platform is getting a little stale, which I do understand. Tech consumers are constantly clamoring for a newer, flashier doodad, and when the Laptop 13 first launched, it already looked a generation behind rival 13-inch notebooks in the same class. When the Laptop 13 first launched, it already looked a generation behind rival 13-inch notebooks in the same class. Five years down the line, it won't beat any machines from Dell, Acer or ASUS in look or feel. But while it may not have the razzle or dazzle, it does have the staying power, and that's going to be a bigger asset in the next few years. If you're the sort of person who would buy a Lenovo Thinkpad and run it until it falls apart, then this is a better option. After all, with a Framework, you won't even have to worry about it falling apart.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Razer halts all direct laptop sales in US ahead of tariffs going live
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Razer appears to have halted direct laptop purchases on its US site ahead of tonight's looming Trump tariffs going into effect. Spotted by The Verge, the laptop configurator for pre-ordering the new Blade 16, available as recently as last week, no longer appears and instead takes you to 404 page featuring Razer's cutesy snake mascot. The page also has a new Notify Me button instead of a link to a store. As far as we can tell, the store page has been scrubbed clean of any laptops and only seems to be offering skins and smaller laptop accessories. Additionally, Razer just announced a new laptop stand that normally would be available now but also only has a Notify Me button. For comparison, the same stand on the Razer Canada site is listed for $99.99 Canadian, and the Blade 16 configurator is available. We don't know for sure, but it's possible this move may be related to tariffs as President Donald Trump's sweeping global reciprocal tariffs are slated to go into effect at midnight tonight. Tom's Guide as reached out to Razer for comment and will update this story if we receive a response. The Razer Blade 16 is already an expensive laptop starting closer to $3k with the all-in configuration going for closer to $5,000. That's the only version we could find on Amazon as less expensive configurations do not appear available currently. Keep in mind, this is before you get to taxes and fees. However, tariffs would add an astounding fee on top of all that. Apparently a few days ago, PR manager for Razer Andy Johnston told the Verge, "We do not have a comment at this stage regarding tariffs." Razer isn't the first tech company directly facing issues thanks to the tariffs and they won't be the last. Today, Framework, the modular laptop maker, announced that it was "temporarily pausing" sales of its 13-inch Laptop 13 systems in the United States. Those laptops are some of the most affordable ones that Framework offers. In the gaming space, Nintendo has delayed pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 in the United States and Canada as it attempts to deal the new tariffs. We expect to see more companies pull products or severely limit access to devices as tariffs kick in and the world attempts to figure out how to respond to them. I rarely stream PC games to my phone but Razer just convinced me with PC Remote Play Razer Blade 16 with RTX 5060 spotted in new leak — with a pretty shocking $1,999 price tag I just tried Razer's new gaming chair that can heat you up or cool you down — meet Project Arielle
WIRED
27-02-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Framework's Laptop 12 Could Inject New Life Into Budget Portable PCs
Budget Windows laptops still suck. Framework's upcoming repairable and upgradeable machine could change the game. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED When Framework's repairable and upgradeable Laptop 13 came out a few years ago, it was exactly the disruption we needed in the portable computing space. Here was a laptop that let you customize its guts when ordering, and then you could upgrade or repair various components in the future as needed. It was expensive, but you wouldn't have to shell out a wad of cash for a new laptop every five years just because you don't have enough RAM. The company is back to do it again. Earlier this week, Framework announced the Laptop 12 alongside a new desktop PC. The Laptop 12 is a budget laptop that doesn't look awful, is fully modular, and doesn't skimp on the performance and display. If it sounds too good to be true, you're not alone. We don't know the price yet, which is incredibly important. But keeping it a 'budget' laptop is Framework's stated goal. 'We build products to fix what we see as a broken industry, and few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops,' says Framework CEO Nirav Patel on the company's blog. Whether or not Framework has the antidote, Patel is right about the diagnosis. Shopping for a cheap Windows laptop today will leave you depressed about the state of the industry. They're often underpowered and slow, not to mention quite ugly too. Chromebook Killer The Framework Laptop 12 has a small 12.2-inch screen, hence the name. But it's a convertible 2-in-1 laptop, meaning it has a 360-degree hinge that lets you flip the screen around to use it as a tablet. With that comes a touchscreen and optional stylus—a first for Framework. We're still missing several details to complete the picture, like the laptop's thickness and weight—those details will arrive when preorders open up in April—but photos of the machine show a stylish PC that looks better than any budget laptop I've ever seen. The five new bold color options don't hurt either. It has some very thick bezels around the display though, something you won't find outside the budget Chromebook world these days. The Laptop 12 makes up for it by ensuring the display is better than what you'd typically find on a budget laptop. It has a 1920 X 1200-pixel resolution and up to 400 nits of brightness (the MacBook Air tops out at 500 nits). Framework's key selling point once again is modularity. Unlike Chromebooks—and virtually all Windows laptops—the Framework Laptop 12 is fully modular, just like its bigger siblings. The Mainboard system is still in place, allowing you to easily swap out the CPU (and attached motherboard) for something more up-to-date years down the line. It's so easy that an IT administrator could upgrade a boat-load of these PCs in just a few hours. Everything else is removable too, including storage, memory, the Wi-Fi card, the keyboard, the battery, and more. As revealed by one of its investors, the keyboard and RAM are easier to replace this time around—Framework itself claims that the Laptop 12 is its 'easiest product ever to repair.' At the very least, you no longer have to remove the flat ribbon cable connected to the keyboard, which was the more fragile component of the repair process in previous iterations. Modularity and repairability will be what drives these machines into the hands of educators and IT managers. A fleet of these babies could last many, many more years than some old, chunky Chromebooks—and probably make the students and faculty more happy with an up-to-date machine. Framework even admits that students are its target audience here, using 'overmolded shock-absorbing' materials over the plastic and metal structure to make it durable. Modular ports have become Framework's calling card, and the Framework Laptop 12 has four, not counting the headphone jack. Having the flexibility to choose what ports you get is fantastic, and in this model, those ports can be locked in place from the inside. Pricing remains the biggest point of contention. After all, we live in a time when you can buy an M1 MacBook Air for $629. While Apple's machine is more than four years old, its performance and battery life will likely still run circles around the 13th-gen Core i3 Intel processor employed by the Framework Laptop 12. You can even buy a previous-gen Asus Zenbook OLED 14 for just $550. Neither the MacBook nor the Zenbook have the modular features of the Framework Laptop 12. If the company nails the right price for this machine, it could be a fresh start for budget laptops, and it could mean sending less e-waste to the landfill.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Framework teases a low-cost 2-in-1 convertible version of its modular laptop
Framework, the company making an ever-wider range of modular, endlessly repairable machines is showing off its next big project. Today, it previewed the Laptop 12, an affordable 12.2-inch touchscreen convertible built with the same ethos as its bigger siblings. Laptop 12 is targeted as an entry-level machine for young people, students and folks on low incomes. But, rather than the usual compromises inherent in such a machine, it will be just as repairable, modular and crucially upgradeable as the rest of the Framework lineup. 'Few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops,' explained founder Nirav Patel, 'they tend to be janky, locked-down, disposable, underpowered and frankly, boring.' Laptop 12 takes the general design language of the Laptop 13, but trimmed to suit the smaller footprint and screen. It ships in five colors, with an optional color matched stylus, each one clad in TPU with a metal skeleton for rigidity. Patel said if users are able to break it, repairs are even easier than on the Laptop 13. The company emphasized the Laptop 12 won't use the same sort of no-name bargain-bin parts you often find on entry-level machines. It hasn't released a full spec list yet, but said you will see options for a 13th-generation i3 or i5 Core Processor supporting up to 48GB DDR5 RAM. You can also opt for an NVMe SSD up to 2TB and Wi-Fi 6E, with the usual pick of Windows 11 or Linux. Patel added the 1,920 x 1,200 display has been customized to push out 400 nits of peak brightness with touch and stylus support. Framework says we're likely to see all of the gory details arriving at some point in April, which is also when pre-orders will open. Shipments are expected to begin at some point in the summer, and we're looking forward to seeing how this operates out in the real world.
