Framework 16" 2-in-1 with Pen enabled

Framework Laptop 16
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What would you think about a 16 " pen enabled 2-in-1 with high-DPI (like 260ppi above, like 3840x2400 16:10 aspect ratio on 16")?

So a 16" Laptop with a 4096 pressure sensitivity-touchscreen and a 360° hinge or sth similair to what surface studio laptop has (i know it could also be a fully detachable, but that is way more complecated). Something like a HP Spectre x360 16" (3160x2400 version). But you know, from framework with upgradeability, choice of bringing your own ram and ssd and all the stuff…

I feel like there is a big gap, which framework in the laptop-field does not fill up. It is the school 2-in-1 (13" version) and the professional version of it (16" version). I know that there are a lot of people, who don’t need that, but i also know, that minimum as much people really would never buy again a laptop without 2-1 (like students or professionals…or me :smiley: ).

For me it would be important to have a high dpi, because when a pen is involved (hand writing or drawing), you really want to have a high-dpi above 250ppi. I know most people can’t believe that. For normal Laptops 1440p is far enough for 16" and i never tought i would say sth different. But i for example have a 15" Surface Book 3 and since i have it, i even can see sometimes some pixelated lines, when writing/drawing with a pen. And this device has 260ppi. So it is a completly different story, when you use a Laptop as a real note-book with pen, because you are closer on the display, like when you are writing on paper and also because when you write by hand (or draw) you have more curved lines, which are more sensitiv to “low” resolution like lower than 2160p.

But also i would preffer the 16" professional one, because i need power (battery life), perfomance (better hardware) and bigger screen.

My Surfacebook 3 is working for now, but because everything is glued, i can not upgrade ssd or ram and for sure the models with enough ssd and ram have absurds costs.

So yeah, over all i would love to see a Framework 2-in-1 with pen and high dpi. What’s about you?

2 Likes
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I would like a 2-in-1. I wouldn’t want such high resolution, though. But if a 16" 2-in-1 comes, of any resolution, I don’t think it will be soon. I think Framework would focus on the most popular products and form factors first. It’s what they have done so far, and it’s what’s smart for prioritizing their resources and building up the company.

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Sure, normal laptops have a bigger userbase, but 2-in-1 is not a niche anymore. It has a quite big userbase.

But for sure, i think 13" 2-in-1 would be the first step because of that. But if you ever were in a university, you know how much people have a 2-in-1 laptop (but yes, the smaller one, not the big ones).

But high resolution is really important for drawing/writing. But the important thing is ppi. not resolution. For example also the cheaper (below 1000$) surface pro, which a lot students have, has 260ppi. So it is not only for the professional big laptops (there is a “pro” in the name, but this means nothing). It has really a reason, why even below 1000$ deviced have such a high ppi like 260. It’s important.

So for the small one it would be 2880x1920 (3:2 aspect ratio) and for the 16" it would be 3840x2400 (16:10). So same aspect ratio as normal framework laptop.

An yes, for sure they concentrate first on the most common laptops. But they did already now. That’s why i asking now. Framework has already a chromebook, 13" laptop and now 16" laptop with or without graphics card.

So now it is time to develop a 2-1. I don’t see what laptop-formfactor else should have a bigger userbase as a next product. I think, it is the next important step.

Im atm writing here on my desktop-keyboard on my 27" 4k monitor with my surfacebook 3. But i can’t use it as my gaming- and encoding-dekstop, because CPU is shit. With specs similair to the framework 16" laptop i could. Inside it there is a cpu similair to a intel core i5 13400, which is great. AMD does great job on mobile cpus.

Look, you have to see it on another aspect: With a 2-in-1 with framework-like things, we could add an eGPU and then you can have nearly high-end gaming, moderate encoding (CPU based) and high-end encoding (GPU based), laptop, school and touchscreen in one.

That means, it is a lot more friendly to the environment, because we would have to buy only one device to get “all”. So less e-waste.

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I would probably buy that. It would be nice if it could use almost all the same parts as the regular 16, but with the way the GPU expansion bay is done on the 16 it might have to be a swivel type 2-in-1 rather than a flip.

Not sure about demand. As far as I can tell, there are no 16" 2-in-1s that are designed for Linux compatibility. Latitude, Elite book, and ThinkPad cap out at 14". You can go to other model lines, but then Linux compatibility becomes trickier. So, it might be an unfilled niche.

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I use a Lenovo Yoga 16" and love it. I just wish I could upgrade it over time. It took awhile to get good Linux support.

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I had two of the X1 Yogas. The 1st-gen one was the best, as is usually the case with the X1 models. After three or four years the hinges failed and I got a replacement, which lasted maybe a year before I gave up on getting Lenovo to replace the faulty motherboard (long story short: video card fault reliably appeared after ~ 40 hours of uptime, repair shop “could not duplicate the error”, and when on the final attempt I specifically requested a motherboard replacement, they claimed they did it, got paid by Lenovo, but my sharpie mark on the motherboard was still there when I got the machine back - go on, ask me why my next laptop was a Framework :).

Lenovo laments aside, those Yogas are a great design. If Framework could figure out how to do the hinges, it would be a good variant for the 13. Looking at the hinges on the 16, yeah there’s no way it could be done.

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I had a 2-in-1 once and it definitely wasn’t for me. Every time I wanted to wipe dust off the screen or point something out to somebody looking over my shoulder, I’d mess up I was working on! Clearly that’s a “me” problem and not the machine’s fault.

I would like to see an alternative touchpad, though. The Asus ProArt series (which I was seriously considering before I opted for the FW16) has a touchpad that also functions as a drawing tablet when used in apps like Illustrator or Photoshop. While I doubt Asus would pair with a competitor to produce a similar touchpad module for the FW16, it would be awesome if a company like, say, Wacom, would partner with Framework to make use of all the real estate below my keyboard and built a hot-swappable drawing tablet module.