It only requires some holes to be drilled in the back edge of the bezel, or maybe a few slots, which is about all Framework could do.
I use my laptops closed, plugged into docking stations unless I am at a client site. Even there if the gig is longer than a day I’ll have an external keyboard/mouse/monitor. My work laptops are lenovos and running them closed works fine. My framework is attached to an egpu box that has additional I/O ports so I have all my peripherals plugged into external box.
I noticed the heat with it closed so I’ve been running with it open, but it would be nice to be able to run with it closed.
So how about removing the bezel so the air will is pushed straight out the back ? Is that a problem?
Bezel removal / replacement guide:
I meant is it a problem for the aforementioned user to use it without a bezel, not is there a problem in the actual removal > It just pulls off when the lid is open 180°
But thanks for your concern
Just looked over my wife’s new $1800 X1 Carbon. Slots in the back similar to the Framework. Looks like they’re all going this way? Not sure why, the old way of exhausting out the side was better from a usability standpoint, but it took away space for I/O’s.
Anyway, interesting to see that.
It’s just a bummer that the manufacturers are optimizing exhaust flow for the lid being open. Clamshell is a common use case amongst professionals who already have multiple large format monitors but frequently travel between offices or home and office.
Probably as most users use their laptop open. I’ve been using laptops exclusively for 26 years, college, programming ~ not high games where a large screen may well be ‘essential’ and never used the laptop closed. And as I have mentioned I’ve never seen anyone do so. Six children and lots of friends using DELL XPSs and all sorts of decent and not so machines.
So whereas it may be a ‘common’ use amongst ‘professionals’ clearly not common enough to weigh upon the design and maybe not that many professionals comparatively to consider.
Anyway it is easy to modify the back of the bezel to let air out, which if a ‘professional’ I would do.
When I did IT for oil and gas for about 6 years, the number of users with laptop became a 60/40 ratio (60 being laptop users so they can bring it home and remote in as well). 100% of those users (we are talking thousands) docked their laptops when they were in the office with the lid closed so they can use dual external displays. Some of those users were even engineers using programs like autocad etc, better cooling on lid closed would have been useful. I switched to IT in the automotive business so I am not sure how many use laptops today in oil and gas but I assume with things like covid the numbers grew. I also always have it docked at home with the lid closed. So it’s more common than you think.
That’s just a ‘small’ industry as far as consumers go. So even if 100% of that industry want to use the laptop closed it is a very small percentage I would imagine.
And this is only about the Framework where the bezel can be removed in less than a minute.
Just ordered a Framework laptop and use my older X1 Carbon mostly closed and docked like 90% of the time. This is a major deal for me and causing some hesitance to jump into the pool on Framework right now.
I’ve been told multiple times on this thread that closed and docked laptop usage is such a small use case that it’s almost unconscionable there are some of us that actually do it. It’s been strange working in offices full of people using laptops closed and docked - we must be such oddballs.
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Total bummer. Have been following Framework and finally ordered after looking at specs and wanting to change the cycle of the churn of hardware every few years.
Cancelled the order and have to go with something that I know will be okay closed for long periods of time at high utilization. Hoping a bezel and or redesign options come down the road on my next laptop cycle.
Bah.
I personally still find the serviceability of the Framework worthwhile, but I can understand where you’re coming from. I just run it with the lid open 45 degrees in my stand and it keeps temps acceptable.
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Since the Framework has a 180 degree hinge, doesn’t it use the same amount of space to stand it up open as having it closed as clamshell? My laptop stand will let you stand it up virtually vertically (may at a 5 degree tilt) and it looks like there are plenty of compact stand options that would let you do something similar.
Also, the marketplace sells extra bezels, so for $40 and 15 minutes anyone could drill, dremel, or even hole punch the ventilation they wanted if clam-shell mode was a must have?
Is the problem just that you want to pay someone else to do it for you?
Personally, I do think I’m going to try a “bezel mod” when I have the time. Cutting a few vertical slats with a rotary tool would be a good solution to the issue. Framework seems to be committed to their users, so I wanted to raise the issue in case they want to tackle the problem with an “airflow” bezel option.
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“Is the problem just that you want to pay someone else to do it for you?”
No. That is not the problem.
I’ve been getting tired of all the assumptions people are making about the amount of other users with certain use cases. The only people who would truly be able to know statistics like these are Framework themselves, and it’s entirely likely they just never had a reason to try the laptop in this use case before release.
I would also like to note that this thread is not the only response I’ve seen on closed laptop use. There was a post on the Framework subreddit (that of course I can’t find now) saying that they’d been using the laptop shut with no issues. The best way to know if it will work for you is to get it in your hands and test it, and since Framework has a 30 day warranty, you can return it for a full refund if it isn’t right for your use.
I will finish this with advice for everyone who has already contributed to this thread, and everyone who finds it in the future, if you haven’t already, send a message to Framework support letting them know that this is a feature you would like. This is a user forum, and while the staff does sometimes read and comment on things, the best way to let them know you want this to be improved in the future is to directly get in touch.
I wish everyone who wants the ability to use their laptop closed the best of luck in getting a Framework Laptop that can be used that way, even though I don’t use it that way. Your use case is valid, and can hopefully be supported better in the future.
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Well done.