[FEEDBACK] Framework 16 screen and Linux (why not 4K)

Colord is great, but not everything works well with it. For example, in Firefox on Linux, images are color managed, but videos are not, and so on wide gamut displays videos are oversaturated. It could be worked around by piping the video into mpv which is color managed, but that is a fairly sizable change to my workflow. Instead, I just toggle my current monitor to its sRGB mode and don’t worry about it. But that’s typically not possible on a laptop display.

No 100% or 200% scaling unfortunately means a lot of hassle. Please provide at least 1920x1200 screens if 4k is not possible.

This screen is perfect for me, 188DPI is not a problem for me, I don’t care at all if I can see LCD pixels and prefer everything on the screen is small, I care more about the high refresh rate above 120Hz and the color gamut coverage of 100% DCI-P3.

2 Likes

Just adding my opinion to the mix, I love what I have read and seen about Framework and I have been itching to get a Framework 16 since the first anoucements. But having had 4k screens since 2016 and having the MacBook Pro 15 with retina (2880x1800) in 2013 I just can’t take myself back 10 years in my resolution preferences.
I really appreciate that they are looking to maximise their screen’s market appeal, but I’m afraid it’s just a deal breaker for me ATM.
I stand with everyone else hoping they release a high-res (ideally OLED and Touch) option in future.

6 Likes

We do appreciate everyone’s feedback. I will touch more on recommendations, etc, in the near future.

5 Likes

ALL I want is a 16:10 screen , make it so much easier at work

Framework Laptop 16 has a 16:10 display.

1 Like

thanks these 16:9 screens have been killing me at work for years , always have to have my old 16:10 screen attached to my laptop which is a pain on the road or on site .
this laptop is a dream come true for me

3 Likes

I would choose the Framework 16 with a 4K 120hz panel if I could. Preferably while keeping the 16:10 aspect ratio ( 3840 × 2400, also called WQUXGA or UHD+)

Higher resolution allows me to lower the font size and fit more on the screen at once which is useful for all kinds of work on the go. Programming, spreadsheets, graphs, photo editing, reading,…

Also, as the thread starter said, it is exactly 4x times the pixels as 1080p so upscaling is straightforward, and 4k is also the same resolution I use on my desktops so it makes remoting easier than with 2560x1600. I don’t mind and actually prefer letterboxing a few rows to keep 19:10.

I am not so concerned about the battery life because I can use an external USB Type C battery if that becomes a problem on a long distance plane flight or similar.

There are some 16inch laptops with 4K/WQUXGA 120Hz screens already on the market, but of course I would prefer Framework.

2 Likes

Languages, or rather writing systems, are not created equal. While 16-inch 1600p without scaling might be OK for English and other Latin-based languages, it is certainly too small for CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) texts. Those characters are more dense in strokes, and would be displayed way better on 2x scale. I’m guessing it’s the same for Thai and south asian languages, too. Currently I’m using a 15-inch 3200*2000 screen with 2x and I feel perfect. Would really hope to see a 4K (2160p) screen for Framework 16.

2 Likes

The Framework 16 looks to truly be a dream! But I am hesitant to buy based on the screen. Why is there not a cheaper 1920x1080 option? I’m really not ready to jump on the hi-def bandwagon yet. It seems lame to go hi-def only to then start having to play with scaling.

Probably because Framework can’t afford the extra logistical overhead, or additional production steps.

Then don’t, or just use Gnome Wayland Fractional Scaling on a supported distro like Fedora where it simply works.

1 Like

besides more GPU choices, I think screen choices is up there as my most requested type of platform customization yet to be realized for the FW16.

*plain jane 1080 replacement as a barebones/cheapest option
*current offering as the default/primary
*4k or OLED with Touch as premium offering.

future options include nit/contrast monitor for creatives or super high refresh for gaming.
**or nearest equivalent resolution

1 Like

KDE Neon also offers a very nice Plasma experience with even easier to setup fractional scaling through the UI. Using it as I write this.

Gnome, KDE or sway with apps built in recent GTK or QT really provide usable fractional scaling, but then there are apps built in older toolkits (Gimp) or non-native apps (all those Electron apps) and you are in trouble again. And I’m also not sure how well are supported setups with multiple screens with mixed DPIs…

I use Gimp and some older apps and do not have any real problems with them. As to mixed DPIs well I am running the laptop with two 4K screens and don’t have any issues, also previously had a 1080p monitor in the mix instead of one of the 4K displays so three different resolutions.

I had a 26" 4K monitor, and it was way too small at native res. Back in the day, scaling at 200% still screwed up some UI elements. Instead, I got a 2K (1440p) monitor at the same size and it’s perfect at 100%.

When I saw the native resolution on the FW16, I thought it was perfect. It’s basically a 2K display (1440p) except it’s 1600p due to it being 16:10 rather than 16:9. At 16", I thought it would be the perfect resolution for closer-viewing (unlike a desktop monitor) and no need for scaling - I can just keep it at 100%.

I know everyone’s use case will be different. I hope Framework will eventually have more options later. Unfortunately don’t have any precedence of this with the FW13 except for having an matte version.

They gave us insight as to why they chose the specs the way they did in their Display Deep Dive.

For their first outing, I thought they hit a pretty good sweet spot. But of course, it won’t work for everyone.

I really wish there is a 3rd party that looks at Framework and say “hmm…there’s an untapped market there” and start making parts and accessories such as displays with different specs, keyboards, and expansion ports/bays. Otherwise, all of these different specs and parts will fall on Framework’s shoulders, which right now don’t have the resources to make all that happen.

I personally think they chose specs that would satisfy the majority of the customer base out there. There will always be someone who it won’t cater to, and that’s unfortunate. And while it’s an open platform, not everyone has the means to create their own custom parts (ex: display, keyboard, trackpad) that will suit their needs, or to sell them to make it worth while.

7 Likes

Just wanted to give an update on my opinion about the F16’s display size and resolution now that mine came in: It’s great! As soon as I went into Fedora’s settings and turned on “large text”, everything became the perfect size – no scaling needed.

They also absolutely NAILED the refresh rate. Everything feels so gat dang SMOOTH on 165 Hz, even if you aren’t gaming! It really should be the new norm; I don’t know if I could ever go back.

2 Likes

I’m running KDE Plasma Wayland with the 16" display at 1.65 scale and the external 28" 4k display at 1.4 scale. Everything is crisp and sized perfectly.

The concerns about DPI on linux is only relevant for X11, on Wayland, even many X11 apps (e.g. JetBrains IDE’s) support dynamic self-scaling, so they work fine.

I had to run steam with -forcedesktopscaling 1.65 so it’s scaled right, but even if I drag it on the 4K scaling text slightly down from native still leads to a pretty crisp interface.

Generally have no issues with display scaling.
I do have a colour space mismatch that’s more concerning at this point. Wondering if loading an ICC profile could fix it up.

If you’re on batter power, the 165hz draws about an extra watt of power, translating to ~1hr of battery life if you’re seeing the typical 10hrs. If that doesn’t bother you, then there’s no reason to switch it over to 60hz.

I switch between the two depending on the workload.

3 Likes