Framework reveals its ‘MacBook Pro for Linux users’ — and fans say the new Laptop 13 Pro is ‘genuinely stellar’ aside from one drawback

• Framework’s new Laptop 13 Pro is up for pre-order
• It’s designed as a MacBook Pro that runs Linux, with a premium on power-efficiency
• There are some strong upgrades, including a new touchscreen, and those are made to be backwards compatible with existing Framework notebooks

Framework has a new laptop targeted at power users, which it’s designed to be the equivalent of a MacBook Pro that runs Linux.

This is the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, and it’s built around the company’s typical sustainability-based principles, while also being defined by a firm focus on power efficiency (and better battery life therein).

In a blog post introducing the laptop, Framework founder and CEO Nirav Patel said: “Our internal prompt when we kicked off this product was to build the ‘MacBook Pro for Linux users.’ We wanted to prove that you can have a computer that is refined, robust, and high performance, that still respects your rights through repairability, upgradeability, and the power to choose the software you want to run on it.”

Article continues below

There’s a choice of Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors under the hood, which are a big leap in terms of efficiency for Team Blue, going all the way up to the Core Ultra X9 388H, although you can also plump for a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 as this notebook’s engine.

There’s a completely fresh take on a power-optimized display, along with a haptic touchpad and aluminum chassis.

Framework has gone with LPCAMM2 for the RAM in the laptop, a new standard that allows for power-efficient LPDDR5X memory to be used here in a upgradeable form. (So you can switch in new RAM later on, which is obviously important if you intend to buy more memory down the line, a distinct possibility given the RAM crisis).

As well as the CPU and memory, another piece of the power-efficiency puzzle here is that display.

This is a custom-built 13.5-inch touchscreen, Framework notes, though it keeps the 2880 x 1920 resolution (3:2) that’s great for coding and text. However, it’s been upgraded with better color calibration, a 1,800:1 contrast ratio, up to 700 nits of brightness, plus an anti-glare matte polarizer (for better readability in brighter conditions).

Moreover, an LTPS backplane for the LCD means improved power efficiency, and power consumption will also be kept down by the variable refresh rate tech, which can drop to 30Hz when appropriate (with static on-screen content — the maximum refresh rate is 120Hz).

A larger 74Wh battery, which is 22% beefier than the one in the last-gen model (and features a higher level of energy density), also sits inside the Framework Laptop 13 Pro. This provides a claimed over 20 hours of battery life for Netflix streaming in 4K. Framework boasts that this is “not only 12 hours longer than we got on the previous-generation Framework Laptop 13, but it’s actually slightly longer than a 14-inch MacBook Pro M5!”

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro is available to pre-order now (to ship in June in the US, or from July elsewhere), and you can have a prebuilt portable with Ubuntu preinstalled as a fully certified and supported OS (or you can have Windows 11 if you prefer).

There’s also the DIY edition of the notebook, where you build it yourself and provide your own OS. These start from $1,199 in the US, £1,199 in the UK, or AU$1979 and €1349 in Australia and Europe respectively. Prebuilts start from $1,499 / £2,099 / AU$2479 / €2369.

Analysis: upgradeability and power-efficiency in spades

It’s great to see a new laptop from Framework which advances further in terms of its eco-friendliness, not just with the upgradable nature of the device, and the ease of making repairs — to keep the device going for a longer lifespan — but also the push for a more refined level of power consumption. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the design in this respect, particularly with the screen, which has been built from scratch by Framework, it’s worth noting.

The lengthy battery life that this newfound level of efficiency delivers is clearly a benefit to any laptop owner who needs to spend a lengthy period of time away from a power socket, although we need to season longevity claims, naturally.

Framework acknowledges this, stating in its blog post: “We know battery life claims from device makers are often bogus, so we’ll be publishing full-length videos and setup descriptions of each of our battery life test cases to the Framework YouTube channel over the next few months.”

There’s a level of confidence in these battery longevity assertions, then, which is good to hear.

Commendably, the thought processes around the design of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro extend back to existing devices. The laptop maker says the new mainboard and display kit for this notebook are built in the same form-factor, and with the same interface, as the previous generations of laptops, so you can drop these in as upgrades (and pre-order them as standalone products). So, if you want the touchscreen on your current Framework portable, you can have it (and by all accounts, this is going to be a popular upgrade).

A bottom-cover upgrade kit is also in the works packing the new battery, as well as an input cover kit that delivers the haptic touchpad to an existing Framework laptop. All of this gets a big thumbs-up, as does the new option for consumers in the US to avail themselves of a three-year warranty should they wish.

Reaction on Reddit has been favorable, and some people are very impressed with how well Framework is supporting upgrade options. For example, this Redditor enthused: “I cannot express how excited and proud I am to be supporting this company. I’ve loved my 11th-gen 13 for years now and I’m ecstatic that I can yet again pick and choose what I want to upgrade.

“I’m happy with the OG screen, my top shell is COVERED in stickers, and I’ve upgraded the mainboard to AMD, yet now I can get a bigger battery, a better lower case, and a better touchpad while keeping everything else. This is SO AWESOME.”

Another Redditor says: “The 13 Pro looks genuinely stellar in every way. Everything I could want out of a Framework chassis on paper, will have to see if it holds up in independent reviews.”

The main concern is that the new laptop seems pricey to some, particularly if the spec is pushed upwards, but that is, of course, a lot to do with the RAM crisis.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel – ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ – was published by Hachette UK in 2013).