Six Months With the Framework Laptop 16
I bought the Framework Laptop 16 in March. Six months later — through a cross-country move, a conference, and a month where it was my only computer — here is the review I wanted before spending $2,300 on a laptop whose whole pitch is "you'll never have to buy another one."
Why I bought it
The pitch is simple and it worked on me: every part is user-replaceable. The RAM is SODIMM. The SSD is a standard M.2. The keyboard, screen, battery, and ports are all modular, and the ports are literally interchangeable — you buy a USB-C module today and swap it for an HDMI module later. I have owned exactly one laptop that died of a motherboard failure and one that died of a dead battery soldered to the case. I was tired of buying disposable computers. Framework is the counterargument.
The expansion bay: gimmick or genuine?
The headline feature is the Expansion Bay — a modular slot in the keyboard/palmrest area that accepts a GPU module, a dual M.2 storage module, or a set of USB-C/displayport modules. The GPU module is the reason to buy the 16 over the 13.
In practice: it works, and it is genuinely the only laptop GPU I have ever installed or removed in under a minute, with a thumbscrew. Gaming performance is roughly an RTX 4060 laptop-class experience at 1440p — solid, not spectacular, and the module is loud under load in a way that surprises you the first time the fans spool up. But the point isn't peak performance; it's that the GPU is an accessory, not a fate. When I'm traveling, the bay holds a second NVMe; at home, the GPU module slides in and the machine becomes a game-capable desktop.
The honest caveat: the GPU module is expensive ($400), and Framework's module roadmap is the bet — if they stop shipping new modules, the bay becomes a very heavy card holder. So far the roadmap is real, but it's a roadmap, not a guarantee.
The keyboard, screen, and the parts that touch you
The keyboard is the best I've used on a laptop, full stop. Key travel is deep (1.5mm), the layout is standard — no arrow-key compromises — and the backlight is even. The screen is a 2560×1600 IPS panel at 165 Hz with 100% DCI-P3; it's bright enough for a sunlit cafe and sharp enough that I stopped noticing pixels on the first day. It is not OLED, so blacks are gray-ish next to a MacBook Pro, but there's no burn-in anxiety either.
The one compromise: at 16 inches and 2.4 kg with the GPU module, this is a big laptop. It fits in a 16-inch sleeve, not a messenger bag pocket. The 13-inch model is the one that travels; the 16 is the one that lives on a desk and occasionally comes with you.
Linux support: the reason I stayed
I run Fedora. Framework ships with Fedora pre-installed as an option, and it shows in the details: the fingerprint reader works out of the box, the expansion bay hot-swaps without a kernel panic, suspend/resume is reliable, and battery life under Linux is within spitting distance of Windows — which is rare enough to be a headline in itself.
The dGPU under Linux is the roughest edge: Wayland + NVIDIA needs the proprietary driver, and there were two weeks where an update broke my external monitor. It recovered, and the community forum is genuinely responsive, but "Linux-friendly" here means "best-in-class for a dGPU laptop," not "as seamless as integrated graphics."
Repairability in practice
I have taken this laptop apart three times: to add RAM, to swap the SSD, and to replace the keyboard with the RGB version (yes, I'm that person). Each time took under ten minutes with the included screwdriver. Framework ships the repair manual with the machine, and parts are sold as first-party SKUs with real prices. This is the category-defining thing and it cannot be overstated: when the battery dies in 2028, I will buy a $90 battery and keep going. When any other laptop's battery dies, you buy a new laptop.
Battery and the everyday truth
With the iGPU (no GPU module), expect 7–9 hours of real work — browsing, editing, the occasional video call. With the dGPU active, that drops to 3–4. The 180W charger is fast but proprietary-ish in connector; a USB-C PD charger works for iGPU-only use, which is a nice escape hatch.
The price question
$2,300 for the configuration I wanted (Ryzen 9, 32 GB, 2 TB, GPU module) is real money — more than a comparable Dell or Lenovo. You are paying for the repairability, the module ecosystem, and the ideological position that laptops shouldn't be single-use plastics with a screen. Whether that's worth it depends on your answer to one question: how long did your last laptop actually last? If the answer is "2–3 years," Framework wins by year four. If you upgrade every year anyway, buy the cheaper thing and don't pretend otherwise.
Verdict
The Framework Laptop 16 is not the fastest laptop you can buy, not the lightest, and not the cheapest. It is the only laptop I have ever owned that I expect to still be using — and still be able to repair — in five years. For the repairability premium to pay off, you have to keep it long enough for the math to work. I intend to. That's the whole review.