Feature Request Megathread

Framework Laptop 13
82

+1 for a:

  • trackpoint.
  • bigger battery (I don’t mine if it needs a thicker bottom cover for that)
  • dock station
83

Something I would like to see in Framework Laptop 2:

  • some sort of cool way to swap out the battery. I was thinking unlock 2 locks then press it in from the front and it pops out kind of like those fancy drawers you have to push in to open. Like literally those clicky things from IKEA cabinets near the motherboard. Or alternatively just use the battery design from older laptops like the chunky ThinkPads but they are quite low capacity.
  • GLOSSY QD-OLED panel. I prefer matte displays but you can always add a screen protector that makes them matte, you can’t make a matte screen glossy. Also QD OLED is so much better than OLED in terms of less burn in, brighter image, better colour accuracy and it’s just cooler. Also TouchScreen would be appreciated.
  • Adjustable hinges that can be adjusted with a screwdriver. This means that those weirdos who like to open the laptop with 1 hand will be happy and the rest of us with a reliable hinge will be happy.
  • Of course as the TrackPoint. They are non obtrusive and people barely even know what they do but is an extra feature the community will appreciate I think. Because some people can’t live without them.
1 Like
84

That wouldn’t be a good idea and would go against the whole modularity of the laptop. Besides, people can make other chargers such as magsafe expansion cards for the laptop. If that non-modular port breaks, then the motherboard will have to be replaced like a stereotypical laptop.

85

Well yes and no. If you are replacing 2 modular ports with lots of built in ports, the battery would be worse as the Serial Bus controller would be under more strain. Also, the whole point of this laptop is not having ports on your laptop that you never use. For example, I rarely use ANY display connectors and I have never used an SD card in the last 5 years. If you want this, just go out and buy a laptop from another company.

1 Like
86

A metal bezel.

I have always really liked how the original MacBook Air looked with its metal bezel around the screen. Would it be an option for Framework to provide a metal option for the bezel on the marketplace at some point down the road?

3 Likes
87

I’d like a kit to recolor the backlighting, if possible. Could be fun, especially with some of the color schemes we’re out here tossing on our machines.

1 Like
88

Four ports is very little for me, I have three possible solutions for this.

Adding more slots for expansion cards is the most obvious solution, although it will waste a lot of space, might make sense in a 15 inch version.

Multiple ports per unit, I don’t know how practical this is since there’s not a lot of space, iirc from when I looked into this, two type a ports physically wouldn’t fit, but there are possibilities, double type c, maybe a type a combined with a headphone jack. although fitting the necessary controllers in there would be tight.

I think the most sensible option is just including some ports, if you include the really essential stuff, it would give you a lot more freedom for what to do with the expansions, the fact there isn’t even a type c port built in kinda baffles me, you basically only have three slots free because one of them is forced. If I get one of these I’d get a couple type as, a headphone combo jack, and whoops I’m out of space. No hdmi, no ethernet, no extra type c, no extra storage, it’s so limited.
Personally I’d like to see a type c, type a, and a combo headphone jack, I think most people would get use out of those and it would actually give you a lot more freedom for what you want to have, instead of forcing you to compromise.

This is supposed to give more freedom, but with only four ports, I feel I have less freedom than with my 9 year old Acer. Other than type c, it has all the ports I could ever need just there, ready for action. Other than adapting the SD card slot to micro SD, I’ve never had to use a dongle or adapter, and I don’t want to buy a brand new laptop just to give that up.

1 Like
89

So how big is your Acer or is that an Acre :slight_smile:

90

A USB-C dock might help here. 4 ports are meant for on the go use.

91

Even on the go three ports is nothing, if use one for storage you suddenly only have two ports, only one better than that macbook everyone made fun of a while back.
I’d probably go two type a and headphone jack, so I wouldn’t be able to hook up to an external display, no ethernet, no sd cards, no type c if I’m charging.
I really don’t want to use dongles and docks, they’re an extra expense, and being who I am, I know I’m going to forget to bring them or lose them at some point and that would really suck

92

Lol, nice pun

It’s really not taht big, 15 inches and a bit thicker than modern laptops but very reasonable.

93

You don’t need to put the port in a big chunky module to make it easy to replace, there are other solutions, ports don’t break so often that you need to be able to swap them in two seconds. as long as they aren’t soldered and have some sort of internal connector that hooks them up to the motherboard, I think it’s fine.

1 Like
94

@Henrik_Arnoy It already has a combo headphone jack as a permanent port so that one you don’t have to worry about

As for the rest, I disagree about how necessary more ports are and how feasible it is

The number of ports is a hard limitation of Intel (and AMD for that matter). So long as Framework wants all ports to be equally fast then 4 is the most they can do.

I don’t really see how more ports are needed for a portable machine. Certainly I would need more for when I’m at a desk but a dock solves that.

1 Like
95

Previously, I used the Samsung np900x3 series notebooks which was a fantastic product line from them (I used multiple versions through maybe 8 years).

To set the bar as high as possible, I’m comparing my Frame.Work laptop to my NP900X3T.
With it’s upgrade-ability and modular setup the Frame.Work has a LOT of advantages, but this is the list that it could be improved on when compared:

  • Magnesium chassis (at least an option if it’s expensive to produce). The Frame.work is quite a bit heavier (with a smaller battery)
  • 74Wh battery
  • the Samsung has run WAY cooler. Compared to it the Frame.work is always quite warm, even if it’s just idling (exact same linux os, just plugged the ssd over)
    (- battery life comes naturally from the above two)

Misc:

  • An AMD APU would be nice

The Frame.work has MANY advantages, like upgradable memory the support, modularity, and the possibility to upgrade each component in time, etc. I love the product, and plan to keep it for many years!

1 Like
96

@GhostLegion I had forgotten that 3.5mm was included, that does help a lot, I’d get by mostly with those four but it’s rough. it also really sucks that I wouldn’t be able to use any interesting modules, since all slots would permanently be occupied by boring stuff I’m practically forced to have, I’d never get to properly take advantage of this really cool concept.

One way to get around the limits in bandwidth would be to chuck a usb 2.0 port on there, which would be plenty for something like a mouse but would take very little of the total io bandwidth, could also do a power only type c so you actually have four slots to play with rather than three.

1 Like
97

This would certainly be ideal but it isn’t entirely necessary. That is, so long as the battery life is sufficient, which they could improve by using a larger battery capacity.

Would it be better to have a plethora of ports available so you don’t have to pick and choose? Undoubtedly yes. Having said that, the expansion ports do make it easy to swap out things as needed.

98

Uhh- 4 ports, unless you’re charging in which case it’s 3. Also headphone jack is not a expansion card. If you’re hooking up a external display and ethernet, that calls for a dock.

1 Like
99

I would share my ideal laptop with the features below, though it might have some technical challenges.

My use cases: traveling, remote work, work outside such as in a cafe, and restaurant, and Linux development. Host OS: Fedora Linux.
Features: highly portable, lightweight, high CPU, open, stable. long battery life.

  • CPU: AMD 5 or 7 or Intel i7 (I want to run a portable genome sequencing device called “MinION Mk1B” recommending Intel i7 or i9 or AMD 5 or 7. (IT requirements). I also work for mainly around GCC (GNU C Compiler) x86_64.
  • Size: Around 11.8 inches x 7.56 inches (30 cm x 19.2 cm) . This is the same size as my current MacBook Air 11.6-inch and also a similar size to the StarLabs StarLite 11-inch.
  • Display (screen): 11 or 11.6 inch (edited). With Linux tiling window manager i3 and Sway, I am comfortable with a small display.
  • Weight: Ideally less than 1.1kg. Note Macbook Air 11.6-inch: 1.08kg, System76 Lumar Pro: 1.09kg, StarLabs StarLite 11-inch: 0.9kg
  • Battery: around 73Wh. Note System76 Lumar Pro has a battery 73Wh. The company says the battery life is up to 14 hours.
  • BIOS: coreboot
  • Linux friendly, upgradability, and repairability (of course!)

So, my ideal laptop is something like System76 Lumar Pro (better battery, coreboot, Linux friendly, weight) + StarLabs StarLite 11-inch (better size, weight, coreboot, Linux friendly) + Framework Laptop (better repairability, upgradability, community support on the community forum).

1 Like
100

That’s a 14" screen ??? and you are comparing it to an 11.6" and 11" for weight ???

101

No, I intended the “11.6” or “11” inch screen. Of course, a bigger screen is better, keeping the smaller size of the laptop.