After about 1.5 years of using my Framework 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series), I wanted to share some thoughts from a my user perspective: a software developer. I bought it for the modularity and long-term upgrade promise, and I’ve been using it alongside my desktop setup for both work and personal tasks. This is not an in-depth technical review, but rather a practical look at how the device holds up over time; what works well, what doesn’t, and some reflections now that the new PRO version is on the horizon.
(This post has been partially machine translated: apologies for any odd phrasing.)
TL;DR
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The Framework 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040) is a solid, reliable laptop that “just works” once assembled.
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Modularity is great in theory, but in daily use I rarely swap modules.
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Some build quirks (input cover gap, speaker crackling) reduce the premium feel.
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Biggest issue: battery drain while powered off, often completely dead after a couple of days and boot sequence from drained battery doesn’t work as expected.
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BIOS updates and security patch timing feel slower than expected.
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I like the idea and upgrade path, but for the price (~1557€ barebone), it leaves a slightly bitter taste.
Detailed experience
1. First impressions & daily use
The initial excitement wears off quite quickly, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Once assembled, the laptop just works. I didn’t need to tweak or fight with it, and I ended up using it like any normal device.
That’s good… but also a bit underwhelming. The “modular laptop experience” fades into the background fast.
2. Input cover gap / build feel
After a few days, I noticed a small gap and slight shift in the input cover, especially near the opening angle.
Every now and then, I need to reseat it. The visible lip doesn’t feel very premium.
I understand this is part of the repairability tradeoff, but at this price point I didn’t expect it.
Maybe it’s just my OCD, but a better chamfer or design to hide the mechanism would have helped a lot. In my case, it looks like some leftover flash or a burr from the injection molding process that wasn’t properly trimmed. The tiny gap sometime trap my arm hairs. Not a great experience when it appends.
3. Expansion cards: expectation vs reality
Marketing videos make it look like swapping seamless party trick you’d do mid-meeting like changing ports during meetings. The reality is much clunkier so I almost never do it.
Swapping cards isn’t actually that smooth: it’s the exact same struggle Jeff Geerling showed in his recent video about the ARM mainboard.
It’s way less stressful to just leave the USB-C modules in and grab one of the many dongles usually lying around the conference room.
4. Audio issues (speaker crackling)
At first, I didn’t notice any problems because I was using Bluetooth headphones.
Later, during meetings at home, I started hearing speaker crackling.
Interestingly:
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With the input cover removed → no issue
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With it installed → crackling appears
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Putting some pressure on stabilized keys → noises vanishes
So I don’t think it’s the speakers themselves, but more a mechanical or resonance issue.
Framework eventually released a revised keyboard with plastic stabilizers, which basically confirms the issue was real. Honestly, I’m disappointed nobody mentioned this sooner, especially since it’s clearly been a problem for years. I wouldn’t have bought the laptop if I’d known. I’m not expecting MacBook level audio, but when a €200 Chromebook from years ago has the same problems, you know there’s a value gap.
5. Battery drain when powered off (main issue)
This is my biggest problem. Leaving the laptop at ~80% for 2-3 days the battery is completely drained.
I discovered this the hard way, on Friday it was unplugged at 80%. Monday arrived and the standup meeting at 9: completely dead. No use during the weekend. I was out for a holiday trip.
As the issue continued to show with the same pattern I started to notice:
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At very low battery, the system struggles to boot (it partially initialize, memory controller probably retrain a lot of times, pick a very conservative speed)
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BIOS and kernel takes a long time, we are talking minutes compared to seconds.
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Linux kernel throws a lot of errors.
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System feels sluggish
Below ~5%, a reboot is often required once reached to stabilize things. I cant even properly login into the DE as the system is very slow and some keystrokes are lost.
This behavior is honestly frustrating and not what I expect from a modern laptop. The drain in fact reminds me the Chromebook I cited earlier.
6. BIOS updates & security
BIOS updates feel slow compared to other brands.
For example, the LogoFAIL vulnerability (a known BIOS-related CVE) took quite a while to be addressed.
When security issues are public, I expect faster turnaround, especially for a company that targets enthusiasts and developers.
Final thoughts
I really like the idea behind Framework:
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Modularity
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Repairability
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Upgrade path
That’s why I bought it.
But after paying ~1557€ for a barebone system (no RAM, SSD, OS), some rough edges are still noticeable, especially since this wasn’t an early revision. I was not expecting a pristine experiece like a Macbook but a comparable experience i previously had with Thinkpads and Latitudes. It leaves a slightly bitter taste.
A coworker and friend got a Lenovo instead (with very similar hardware) and his experience has been less frustrating.
Looking at the upcoming PRO and my future upgrade path.
Now I’m facing a dilemma. Should I upgrade to the new chassis (PRO)?
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It probably will fix:
- input cover flex?
- speaker issues?
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How about battery drain? Will a bigger battery actually solve the drain problem, or is it mainboard hardware related?
Right now, I’m not sure if upgrading the input cover will fully address these issues or just improve them slightly.
If anyone has similar experiences (especially with battery drain) or already has a chance to tried out the PRO, I’d love to hear your feedback.
