I recently went back to school after 20 years, and obviously a lot has changed in two decades. I see a lot of my fellow students utilizing tablets and other touch screen devices and they seem very useful for taking notes, highlighting, and whatnot.
I am currently a Framework 13 user and I’m trying to decide whether I should upgrade to a Framework 13 Pro (and sell my current 13) or buy a 12 exclusively for school (and keep my current 13).
Can someone with school/studying experience with either of these devices share their input?
First just curious why you would sell your 13 and buy a Pro instead of buying the upgrade parts?
I am in the same boat as you and was considering both options. The main points for this scenario as I see it boil down to this:
Do you need to write on it: depends on what you are studying, I prefer hand written for Physics Math etc.
Do you need performance: Also depends on what you are studying eg. do you need CPU power for CAD, CFD, FEA, and so on or if you are doing a humanity might just need it for typing word documents.
Form Factor: Do you prefer a bigger screen for visuals eg. Spreadsheets.
Most of these are self explanatory which you would pick in each scenario hope this might help!
There are so many parts I’d like to upgrade that it’s just easier for me to sell a complete 13 laptop than sell all my older 13 parts separately. I visit the US a couple times a year, and have only a few week window to sell whatever I’m selling. I don’t want to end up going back home with some parts I was unable to sell.
I’m doing vet med, so a lot of anatomy, bio, chem, etc. It seems useful to be able to circle and draw and jot down notes on a screen like it’s a piece of paper. I’m mostly digesting information rather than typing.
I don’t really need significant CPU power, I’ll be mostly working with a browser and office documents.
A bigger screen sure is nice, but I think I’d be okay with that trade-off if I’m convinced of 12’s practicality over the 13 Pro.
The one thing to keep in mind for the 13P is that the screen does not rotate 360 Degrees it only does 180 so you wont be able to use it like a tablet like you would with the 12. There are some threads on that here and here.
I would probably say that you should get a 12 because:
Its cheaper
You can use it as a tablet to write notes like its a tablet
The performance difference might not be as noticeable with the new Wildcat Lake processors
It has a stylus add on option and the Ram and upgrades will be cheaper
Just a quick point. The stylus is an extra add-on. You can add it onto an order, but it is not included by default. I just wanted to point this out so someone expecting and counting on a stylus will know they have to add one to the order if they want one. One is not included by default.
Also, the Framework stylus works fine and I’m happy to support even the small move toward repairability that their stylus has, which is the replaceable battery. But if someone is on a budget and looking to save some money, I tried a Metapen M2 for like half the price and it worked fine too. I think any MPP 2.0 or USI 2.0 pen should work. Just a heads-up for anyone who wants a stylus for the FW 12.
Does FW13 touchscreen work with stylus? I think it’s different technologies and much more basic pen (and probably a lot less precise) would be required. Would be far inferior experience.
i did some school in a very different sector (creative arts) with a standard 13
are u aware that u can get a touch display in the 13? it comes standard on the pro. itd be perfectly fine for circling and highlighting stuff, unfortunately no stylus support for drawing tho. would it be practical to plug in a drawing tablet if u really gotta draw?
i thought biology and chemistry rely a lot on heavy math… i hear a lot of crazy shit about folding and how these sectors have been using “AI” for a crazy long time
if you’re absolutely sure that you’re just doing browser and word processing stuff then disregard, but otherwise, id seriously consider just sticking with the 13 or doing 13 pro, since both have the dual channel RAM