Framework Laptop 13 Deep Dive - Creating a custom high-resolution display

So cool, really interesting to read about the procurement and manufacturing processes behind the laptops. The open-ness on that front is very much appreciated and certainly contributed to my decision to purchase!


As OP posted -

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I believe it was mentioned in the other thread that the Lenovo screen for the Thinkbook 13x G4 has a minimum brightness of 5.6 nits if I recall. But it would be nice if the minimum nits value could be verified in addition to the maximum by Framework. The current matte screen seems a bit on the bright side for using in the dark I think.

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If I had the new, updated screen would that mean type faces would appear even smaller than they currently do? Is it possible to post side by side images to provide a comparison between the original screen and this updated, more dense screen?

Yes type faces would be smaller on the pixel level but you can set the ‘zoom’ of the screen to compensate.

If I upgrade my original Framework laptop to this new display, what can I do with the old one? Is there a driver board available that can turn it into a usable external HDMI/DP/USB-C display for DIY projects?

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Yes, there are a bunch discussed in this thread. I recommend trying the ones from the bottom of the thread as better boards were discovered over time.

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Perfect! Exactly why I love this community… :smiley_cat:

Sorry to tell, but the marginal hike from 400 to 500 nits brightness does not make working in bright daylight excellent - that would require at the very least 1000 nits (like some Apple notebooks offer, or some from HP), and if you want to work with pictures or video (like I do), at least 2000. I know what I’m talking about, from sad experience!

In your deep dive into the display production process you “overlooked” (?) one important possibility: the brightness of a display does not (much) depend on the LCD, it’s mostly a function of the backlight. And while the LCD production process indeed requires massive investments, the back end process where the backlight is added does not require such huge investments. Talk to BOE about it! I would be the first customer to buy a Framework 13 that has a display with 1000 nits general brightness and around 2000 nits peak for HDR material.

And if BOE can’t supply such a display, or requires too steep a minimum number to purchase, try to find out who makes the bright display of the Apple MacBooks or the HP Dragonfly G4. The latter doesn’t have rounded corners (as far as I can tell from the pictures online) and it comes in the same size as the Framework 13’s display, 13.5" with a 3:2 aspect ratio. I wouldn’t mind its lower resolution of 1980 x 1280.

I hope and wait for such a display option for the Framework 13!

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Is the battery performance the same as with the old display?

Higher resolution displays normally require more power, all else being equal. It’s one reason some may opt for the original display.

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Wondering if there was an ETA on this? (I know its 5 days into August, but I’m excited)

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Got the preparing your batch email yesterday, thanks!

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I think you won’t see such Framework 13 in the near future. Your requirement needs Mini-led, and AFAIK there aren’t any laptop with 13.5 inch 3:2 Mini-led displays. And even if there is, the electrical stuff of the eDP port of the Framework 13 may need a revamp since Mini-led will undoubtedly need much more power. The excellent battery life of M chip based Apple MacBooks is mainly due to their SoC design, OS, battery, not the display.
Also, according to a review of ThinkBook X, the Chinese version of ThinkBook 13X G4, done by the renowned NoteBook Club (笔记本吧) on Baidu Tieba, this new display reached ~600 nits in the field. Compared to ~450nits of the current display, that’s a massive 33% increase. Given most laptop manufacturers in China are giving up 13 inch format due to more power hungry processors and thirst for showing “our laptop can handle 60/70/80W SUSTAINED power”, this display is enough at least for me.
At last, Apple doesn’t have 13.5 inch Mini-led displays. MacBook Pro 14 uses a 14.2 inch display that’s CLOSE TO BUT NOT 3:2. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the HP Dragonfly G4 also uses a 400 nit display in the on sale configs.

Just so that no wrong impression remains here:

On the HP Website https://www.hp.com/de-de/shop/product.aspx?id=818N5EA&opt=ABD&sel=NTB

HP specifies “Entspiegelter WUXGA+ (1920 x 1280) mit einer Diagonale von 34,3 cm (13,5 Zoll), IPS, 1000 Nits, …”, in English “Anti-reflective WUXGA+ (1920x1280) with a diagonal of 34.3 cm (13.5 inch), IPS, 1000Nits,…” - I don’t know whether the backlight uses micro-LED, but this detail doesn’t matter to me. And it’s definitely a 3:2 with 13.5".

It’s clear that higher brightness needs more power, which will reduce battery life. But of course the brightness can be reduced - which will increase battery life - when the full brightness isn’t needed. I personally don’t need 12 or even more hours of battery life, I rarely ever work more than 3 or 4 hours, let alone in full tropical sunshine.

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Is BOE also doing the back end backlight integration? I would invest $$$ in a 1000 nit upgrade if you can sell a brighter backlight, practically that’s the limiting factor (more valuable than higher DPI when my Windows is already scaling 125% for 2256x1504) for using the laptop in more environments.

Batch 1 of the 2.8k display is shipping! Very excited :slight_smile:

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2.8k display just arrived! Wasn’t sure I’d ever see 120hz on this laptop, but wow… it’s beautiful…

I still need to tune some things to make 200% scaling on linux better, but it finally feels usable instead of just cartoonish.

The rounded corners are also very small. The bottom corner is just a few pixels, the top right corner is invisible since I’m using gnome with the black status bar on top anyways.

Great job framework team!

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I did get the 2.8K screen today :blush:. Very beautiful thing and works perfectly under Fedora with 200% scaling.
I’m fairly new to linux but managed to enable the experimental fractional scaling and variable refresh rate settings :blush:.

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Would be interested in hearing from anyone who’s gotten one to use with KDE plasma on how the rounded corners are in actual use.

Probably gonna pick this up if it’s not super jarring.

If I recall correctly (and I might not be or this may have changed), if the experimental fractional scaling setting is enabled on GNOME then even when scaling is set to 200% some apps will appear blurry (as it still treats it as fractional scaling even though it’s 200%). I suggest disabling the experimental fractional scaling setting.

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