I think you did not mount the side spacers correctly. They do not go under the keyboard as seen in your screenshots.
They’re not. The keyboard is a good bit recessed; the spacers fit well.
I guess I will check with support on the trackpad module itself.
I’ll look. I doubt it’s that – I can push them down with my fingers just fine and the spacers stay flat throughout. It’s just that the corners bounce right back up to bite.
I’m still unsure, personally, given I haven’t used it much, if I like how the spacers are recessed. But I literally just got it, so we’ll see.
I got my FW 16 about two weeks ago and tested everything except for the fingerprint sensor. Overall I’m quite happy with what I got. It was easy to put together. I like the attention to details like the physical mic and camera locks on the display bezel. When playing games the fans are quite audible but it’s within acceptable limits. And if there was an issue or question I found an answer in the documentation or forum almost every time.
There are some things though that I think could be improved upon, imho:
- The alignment and fit of the touchpad module could be better. See the discussion here: Framework 16 DIY Guide - Step 17
- There’s noticeable display flex when I’m lifting it, and sometimes I have the impression the display stays bent very slightly. I would prefer a sturdier display frame.
- DP++ mode: There is a knowledge base article mentioning that it is not supported (External monitor support on the Framework Laptop). It’s quite hidden and it would have been nice if that was mentioned on the DisplayPort expansion bay article page and when configuring the FW 16.
- Just booting into the BIOS setup the fans spin up and make a lot of noise. There’s really no need for that since the BIOS should not be taxing the system. Additionally, the BIOS itself is rather basic, it would be nice if it showed details like CPU and sytem thermals and if it allowed adjusting fan curves.
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As we have learned here, it uses well over 60W just being in UEFI, because there are no powersaving features used, only later in OS. So fans spinning up seems not that unusual.
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Yes, I know that this is the current state. That does not change my point of view that this could be improved. When I spend some time checking or modifying BIOS settings, I don’t need the system to go full power. I’ve gone through quite a few laptops and computers and FW16 is the first one where I encounter this. Looking at the Community BIOS Guide I guess that the FW13 BIOS is more mature with more options and FW16 will catch up to that at some point.
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I very carefully bent mine into as good a shape as possible. Took a couple of dozen tries because I didn’t want to go too far and of course didn’t want to break it. It now sits reasonably flat with the side spacers. Didn’t start out as bad as yours though.
Not sure what @Jorg_Mertin is talking about though, my touchpad & side spacers don’t go under the keyboard either; the keyboard is very obviously lower than side spacers and top speaker bar which I’ve assumed is deliberate. Or maybe I’ve installed mine incorrectly (it all works) … what have other people got?
BIOS updated, made no difference to charging speed so I bought a USB C power meter. The MOMAX charger delivered max 15W even when only the PD port was being used so it’s going back. Framework adapter I’ve seen deliver over 150W whilst charging the laptop in use (dropped to maybe 110W whilst charging asleep).
There’s a “raise maximum volume” checkbox in the Ubuntu volume settings and the speaker is now plenty loud enough for me. Distorts a bit at max volume but I’d expect that anyway and is fine at volumes I use.
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Here’s hoping it’ll get better. My current laptop doesn’t do that but my desktop definitely does. I can see that being rather bothersome while using a laptop.
I posted some Teething troubles with my (batch 12) unit but on the whole very happy with it so far, although it’s early days yet (so I can’t comment on battery life, for example). From reading earlier reviews my main concern was fan noise but it has turned out to be no problem - and I’m notoriously sensitive to that as a musician who works late.
I love that I can do things I could previously only do on my desktop PC (because my previous laptop was so old) - such as view details in photographs, run virtual machines, edit video. There’s no facial recognition but the fingerprint sensor is great. Love love love that I can upgrade and repair it.
The only thing that stops me recommending it to everyone is the cost. Maybe that will come down if it gets really popular.
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Mine looked pretty much like that. I contacted support and they sent me a new touchpad module. The fit is still not perfect but nowhere near as bad as the one they shipped with the laptop.
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I guess I’m having issues with my touchpad too. Originally I thought it was because of my Logitech drivers. But nope. It’s definitely a connection issue with the module. Whenever I touch the module on the middle the keyboard and macro pad disconnect.
I’m contacting customer support right now to see if they can send me a new module
This is probably intentional so that the keys don’t touch the screen when the laptop is closed.
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I just received my laptop yesterday. So far, I’m impressed with the build quality. The spacers on the sides are noticeably not attached, but otherwise are perfectly fine. The keyboard doesn’t have flex while in use. I’ve played some Helldivers 2 on it and that ran flawlessly. Yes, the fans got a bit loud, but that is to be expected with a gaming laptop.
The screen is gorgeous, and the only complaint is having issues connecting it into Microsoft Intune for my work (I blame Microsoft, not Framework).
Overall, this is a great device that works incredibly well.
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Batch 14 here. Received my laptop next day from when shipped. That was sweet! (Others are still waiting.)
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Specs: DIY, 7840HS, With GPU & Expansion bay shell, US RGB Keyboard w/ black spacers, black bezel, 180W charger, 1x16Gb memory module, 1x512GB SSD. Modules: 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A, 1 DP, 1 Audio, 1 RJ45
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Putting it together took about 30 minutes (I didn’t have desktop space so it took some extra time)
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Installing Windows 11 the first time failed with my computer didn’t meet the specs required. A fresh Windows 11 USB installed fixed this as the existing one was probably a year old =/ - I had downloaded the latest Firmware and Drivers for after it was installed and that went smoothly.
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(My Slackware Live USB was too old and wouldn’t boot into the GUI, but the terminal worked fine.)
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Screen flex: Seems normal with other laptops, but why would you open the screen from a corner?
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Keyboard flex: I didn’t notice this at all. Keyboard feels like my other laptops.
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Audio sounds nice and on par or slightly better than other laptops. Way better than the Framework Chromebook.
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Charger: This is my favorite laptop charger! The block can be unplugged from the wall plug and the laptop plug which makes it nice to travel with. Each cable has a velcro strip that makes management nice for my OCD self!
Oddities:
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Screen is too bright at night. I haven’t tested full sun yet. The Windows 11 night light mode (or even dark mode) doesn’t tone it down enough, but I’m still testing options. It’s not a deal breaker no matter what. I hope it works under full sun as I haven’t had that since my 2009 PowerBook from Apple and that would be worth being too bright at night!
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Trackpad spacers seem uneven, or the trackpad upper right corner is slightly higher. The right spacer or the tray under neath it has some give. This can be pushed this down to make it flush with the edge. I would be interested in a single piece trackpad. A sturdier tray maybe needed as it has some give and could be the root cause maybe?
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I am disappointed in the size of the RJ45 port as it’s protruding more that I imagined so I keep this out unless needed. I get it as I can see the circuit board using all of the space available and I’m glad I have the option at least!
Future interests:
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I wished I had the option for a 17" Screen. The 16" is a bit small for my liking and I use 1280x800 resolution. (Native w/ DPI increased still doesn’t work with all apps and it makes it the same res anyhow.)
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I also found I prefer the Volume & Brightness keys on the arrow keys vs the function keys. I wonder if that can be remapped?
Thank you Framework Team!
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Tested the screen in broad daylight on full brightness, was perfect!
Didn’t have direct sunlight on it but the sun was in the direction of the screen behind a building. So the sky was pretty bright.
Yeah the spacers are a bit uneven, I have the impression that a lot of people have this “issue”, it doesn’t really bother me though.
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Last night I reversed the spacers - Left to Right and Right to Left - that made a much better fit. Now it’s just the Trackpad (front left corner) that is a bit raised. I was tempted to bend it, but figured I’d do more harm than good.
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Batch 13 here, received yesterday (technically it was here Friday morning but I wasn’t home).
Specs : DIY, 7840HS, no dGPU, French keyboard, 2x16Gb Crucial DDR5, 1Tb Samsung Evo 980 SSD. Fedora 40, Gnome 46, Wayland.
No issues building it except the stripped SSD screw, I’ve put a bit of Kapton tape to hold it in place waiting for a more permanent solution. Transplanting the SSD from my old laptop was the most complex part of the build, that’s how easy it is 
What I love:
Everything works out of the box with Fedora, despite the SSD being transferred from an Intel system.
Keyboard feels soft and comfortable, I had no trouble adjusting to it. The fact it’s QMK-compatible is awesome, I’m looking forward to configure it like my mechanical keyboard.
The trackpad feels great and is very precise.
SO MUCH POWER, seriously I tried watching videos in a Virtualbox and it barely broke a sweat.
The 165Hz display feels so smooth!
Minor gripes:
As a lot of people said here, trackpad spacers and trackpad module don’t align perfectly. I would love to see a massive trackpad in a full-width enclosure.
The WiFi card sometimes crashes after waking up from sleep. I think I’ve seen this issue mentioned somewhere, I might replace it with an Intel card someday.
Big issues:
The screen is way oversaturated, and it’s very taxing for the eyes. I’ve tried different ICC profiles found around here, but none tame the colors enough to feel comfortable. It’s weird as I’ve never had such color issues on any laptop before, and it’s not like I can physically adjust settings like on an external monitor.
All in all, I love my new laptop despite its shortcomings. I will need to take a look at power saving profiles as it idles at around 10-12W which feels quite a lot.
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I don’t have that under KDE Plasma 6.0.4/Wayland. I bet you just need to lower the brightness and adapt the day/night colors.
I didn’t think about loading an ICC profile Are there any available?
PS: Hanging out in France too
Brightness is already quite down (around 20-25%), and I see no difference either in Hyprland or Gnome+Xorg. Is it possible that my unit is defective?