Dual Screen Framework 13 in our near future?

Creators & Developers
1

Now that we have touchscreens and an external keyboard on the way…

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Dual-screen Framework 13 idea (no mainboard changes)

I’ve been thinking about this for a bit (well, the AI has been thinking), and I think a dual-screen Framework 13 is actually doable without touching the mainboard.

The key idea:

Don’t treat it like a second internal display — treat it like an external display that’s mounted where the keyboard is.

How it would work

Use one of the USB-C ports:

  • DP Alt Mode → video
  • USB → touch input
  • Power → panel

Internally:

USB-C → DP → eDP bridge → internal panel
        + USB → touch

So the bottom screen is basically just a compact internal USB-C monitor.

What we’d need

  • eDP touchscreen panel
  • Small DP → eDP bridge board (Realtek / Analogix / Parade)
  • Custom top plate to replace the keyboard
  • New hinge (likely the hardest part)
  • Clean cable routing through the hinge

Why this works

  • No motherboard redesign required
  • Uses existing USB-C DP Alt Mode
  • GPU already supports multiple displays
  • Fully reversible/modular concept

Challenges

  • Designing a durable hinge
  • Running high-speed display signals through a moving joint
  • Power + thermal considerations under the second screen
  • Making it look clean (not like a hack job)

Bonus idea

If this approach works, the keyboard area could become a modular slot:

  • second display
  • drawing tablet
  • macro pad
  • e-ink panel

Having that advanced hinge could open up many dual-screen possibilities for the 13 series.

Closing thought

Feels like something the community could prototype without waiting for new hardware.

Curious if anyone has already tried something similar or sees any major blockers.

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And that’s where you lost me. It seems like a really cool idea but if you need AI for even this basic outline, I have no trust that you actually have the knowledge for what is a pretty involved engineering challenge.

Edit: And if you’re not planning to do it yourself, then why go into so much technical detail?

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This is almost exactly what I’m currently building, a FW13 with both OLED panels from the ASUS ZenBook Duo UX8406 in a custom 3D-printed chassis and maybe aluminum. I have a build log thread here if you want to follow along.

A few things I’ve worked through that are relevant: the FW13’s internal eDP connector can’t drive an OLED panel directly due to pinout differences, so both displays end up going over USB-C (ports 2 and 4) via DP Alt mode → eDP bridge chips. The eDP connector still contributes supplemental power though. The hinge is genuinely the hardest mechanical part, running high-speed differential pairs through a moving joint without signal integrity issues is non-trivial.

This is the thread I started up

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And this is why I made that post. To find a like-minded person, and even though I can’t do it, I can still encourage.

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That means a lot, thank you! The encouragement from this community has honestly been one of the best parts of the project so far. I’ll keep the build log updated as things progress, hopefully it can serve as a useful reference for anyone who wants to attempt something similar down the line.

1 Like
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I love the idea of a dual screen device. Was going to go with the FW13 Pro but the ASUS Zenbook Duo’s massive screen real estate and 99Wh battery pulled me away. Maybe the next model will be a dual screen (perhaps with a new main board but the 13 panels)?

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Maybe it would be easier to do this with FW12. No hinge redesign needed.

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Considered that as well. But the thickness of the new Pro might be a better target. Once AI infiltrates CAD systems, we can just throw things on the wall and see if they stick, with minimal risk.