I have a Framework Laptop 13, Intel 13th gen, with a 61 Wh battery. I’ve just contacted support to ensure I don’t miss a warranty window, but I want to know what you think.
I recently noticed the touchpad feel had changed. It was feeling a bit squishy along the travel, and there was usually a gentle clicking sound right when starting to push down (still followed by the functional click at the bottom). Then I noticed a small gap between the bottom cover and the input cover, so I opened it up to see if anything needed to be reseated.
I’m no battery expert, but this looks puffier than the store listing and guide photos. Each of the four sections has a little bit of give when touched gently. It’s hard to convey in a photo, but what do you think? Perfect condition, normal aging, or rapidly getting spicy?
While looking this up I just learned about the issue with holding these batteries at 100% charge and the corresponding warranty extension. Well, I’ve kept this laptop on the charger for almost all of the ~22 months since it arrived. If this battery isn’t already toast, it’s at least had a hard life.
Definitely spicy. The expansion could damage the battery and cause a runaway reaction. I’ve seen a lot worse, but I’d still take it to a disposal site ASAP. Whatever you do, don’t puncture it! You can use the laptop without the battery installed.
Thanks for the quick check, everyone. I’ve removed the battery to a safe place and will run the laptop tethered until this is resolved with support.
Edit: I am pleased to note the touchpad feel is back to what I was used to. So it seems the gently inflated battery was pushing on it and interfering with the mechanism, but nothing else is damaged.
I did not think to check battery health while it was still powered on, but that would be interesting information. When I have it open again with a new battery ready, I’ll consider connecting the old one again for a quick boot to capture the output from upower.
Maybe with the new battery, it might be a good idea to set the charge limit to 60% or 80% and not 100%. The battery might last a bit longer that way.
I normally leave mine on 60% if I have the PSU plugged in most of the time.
If I am going on a trip, I might charge it to 100% just for that trip, but then reduce it to 60% once I get back again.
