Framework Laptop 16 User Reviews

[Asad1]

@Josip_Medved

And that is kinda what I expected. What I didn’t expect was for them to be on noticeable different height. I feel the darn things every time my hand moves over them. It’s terrible, Muriel.

Visually, it’s not better. it looks as a badly connected lego bricks. No matter which angle you select, it looks bad - especially if you put both on one side - it continues to amase me that this is how $2000 laptop looks.

I had been afraid of the spacers issues you mentioned as well, and fully agree with your last paragraph. Even though the overall percentage of people who were bothered by the spacers design before batch shipments was a bit low in the poll (Issue of touchpad spacers and the number of customers bothered by it), maybe FW will release some alternative options if more customers complain about it after using the laptop for a while.

[ATi]

@Josip_Medved

Even worse, it’s not completely clear how to control brightness at all. The only reason why I know it can get brigher is because I accidentally tuned brightness on once. How? Who knows. While I freely admit, I didn’t read the manual, I didn’t read one for the main keyboard and I could find way to change brightness there.

Brightness and other hotkeys are mentioned in the knowledgebase article of the Numpad.

@Josip_Medved

What brings it high is the darn NumLock button not having an indicator light. And I know that Framework team knows how to implent such indicator as they do have one on the CapsLock. Based on Murphy’s law, your numpad is going to be in the wrong state 79.1% of time and you will not know if NumLock is on or off until you try to write something.

There is a custom solution available for that issue.

@Josip_Medved

And yes, I am aware the fact that Numpad is implemented as a completely separaate QMK keyboard and that syncing backlight might be hard, so that only brings me to low annoyance level.

I’m sure, that if it’s technically not impossible, there is going to be a similar custom solution for that, too. If it hasn’t been published by the time I finished setting up my FL16 (Batch 7), I’m going to look into it.

[Josip_Medved]

What brings it high is the darn NumLock button not having an indicator light.

There is a custom solution available for that issue.

I would call it a workaround more than a solution since it leaves numpad in darkness when NumLock is not on. I actually use numpad often for its Ins/Del keys too and this solution leaves numpad in dark. But, it’s a nice workaround regardless.

[Christoph_Straten]

Does it leave the entire numpad dark or just the numlock key?
I think if it’s just the numlock key it’s a decent workaround (and if not, it should be easy to change that, too).

[igimenezblb]

I have a Keychron that is also a QMK/VIA keyboard, and also has the problem of no indicator on the numlock key (nor the caps lock unfortunately). Not sure if the FW 16 keyboard is the same, but I was able to program it so that the individual LED of the key is turned on when they are enabled and turned off when they are disabled. Lighting of the rest of the keyboard is independent.

[Nickolas_Grigoriadis]

Reading that knowledgebase article, if the numlock is off “Enter” and “+” does non-standard things…
That’s very concerning as I use the numpad for navigating documents, and not for entering numeric keys, which would basically render the numpad useless if the Enter button stops working.
I may have to go all in on QMK if it’s really like that as well…

[Keith_Andreano]

As we know, the Framework 16 includes both an M.2 2280 slot on top and an M.2 2230 slot on the bottom. With pre-built versions, which do they come with? Has anyone who has gotten one noticed?

[MJ1]

@Christoph_Straten

Does it leave the entire numpad dark or just the numlock key?
I think if it’s just the numlock key it’s a decent workaround (and if not, it should be easy to change that, too).

@igimenezblb

I have a Keychron that is also a QMK/VIA keyboard, and also has the problem of no indicator on the numlock key (nor the caps lock unfortunately). Not sure if the FW 16 keyboard is the same, but I was able to program it so that the individual LED of the key is turned on when they are enabled and turned off when they are disabled.

The numpad does not have per-key led control. But the macropad does.

@Nickolas_Grigoriadis

Reading that knowledgebase article, if the numlock is off “Enter” and “+” does non-standard things…
That’s very concerning as I use the numpad for navigating documents, and not for entering numeric keys, which would basically render the numpad useless if the Enter button stops working.

It’s dead easy to change the keys. Just go to https://keyboard.frame.work and you’ll have a GUI for basic configuration.

[Aaron_Baff]

@Keith_Andreano

As we know, the Framework 16 includes both an M.2 2280 slot on top and an M.2 2230 slot on the bottom. With pre-built versions, which do they come with? Has anyone who has gotten one noticed?

Oh interesting, I had assumed the pre-built would you let you buy your choice of NVMe drives/combinations, but doesn’t. I’d guess it’s a 2280 drive they include, but doesn’t say.

[Destroya]

Thank you for your question! The answer is M.2 2280 slot!

[egsavage]

I thought they fixed the pitch issue with the fan. This has me worried.

[Josip_Medved]

@Christoph_Straten

Does it leave the entire numpad dark or just the numlock key?

As far as I can tell, backlight is for all keys.

[Keith_Andreano]

For those that got the DIY version, how hard was it to assemble (compared to a desktop system). Thanks!

[Andrew_Gallant]

I would say it’s nearly idiot-proof. The step-by-step instructions Framework provides hold your hand pretty good through the process.

(I’ve been building my own PCs for about 15 years now, and the initial assembly for both the FW13 and FW16 is way easier than building your own PC.)

[Keith_Andreano]

Thanks for the info. I need to modify my pre-order (get more stuff - and switch to DIY so I can get the storage I want). I submitted a support ticket for that last week, but I haven’t heard anything yet (maybe due to New Years). I there anything else I should do?

[Colm_Hoare]

If you are going with Windows, start looking at the Windows Setup guide and start creating your bootable USB and download the driver installer from the Framework site and have it on the USB drive too.

I’d echo what others said that the installation was fool-proof and it took me about 10-15 minutes. There’s videos on the website which takes you through each of the steps in detail.

[Destroya]

Hmm, it looks like the support team replied back to you and currently waiting for your answer for the order modification. If you do not see the support email in your primary inbox, please make sure that you check the spam folder as well.

[Keith_Andreano]

Found it. It did go to junk, I had searched for “Framework”, but the email was “Frame.Work”, so I missed it! O_o Thanks for checking!

[Filip]

I’ve gotten my unit on Monday and have been using it every day. I have a 7940HS (no dGPU) with Crucial 2x16GB 5600, Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB and Sabrent 1TB.

Initially I had some issue with the display giving colors too much “gamma” so they looked overblown to me, but it turns out a windows setting under brightness caused it. The setting is called “Change brightness based on content”. Turning it off immediately made the colors look more to my liking. I have had no other software related issue on the laptop, on the contrary, I love the builtin BIOS that allows me to set the max battery percentage.

What I find annoying are the touchpad spacers. I am using a keyboard on the left, numpad on the right and touchpad in the middle. The slight “bump” between the spacers and touchpad can be felt under the hand (although not to the point it digs into your hands, but it can be felt) and the spacers wiggle A LOT. Left to right movement is minimal, but they also move to the front and back making a “clicking” noise which I at first thought wouldn’t bug me while using it normally. But I have noticed that as I rest my hand and then move it to start typing on the keyboard I also slightly move the spacer to the back with my wrist and that causes that quiet but still noticeable slide and “click” of the spacer. I am unsure if this is just my unit, so could any of you also try to slide your touchpad spacers to the front and back while they’re locked in to see if they make a clicking sound or even if they move for you. If that’s not the case I might have to contact support.

There’s also the issue of how the spacers look, as they’re not perfectly level (and I honestly don’t expect them to ever be perfect since that would require extremely fine tolerances). But I wanted to just inform people that may find that a deal breaker. For example my left spacer is basically flush at the top, but the lower you go, the more it “warps” up and becomes higher than the touchpad module (it is probably like 0.1mm, but it is noticeable with the eye when looking at it from the side). The right spacer on the other hand is basically flush.
I also seem to have a similar, but worse issue with black spacers I got in case I did not want to use the numpad. One of them bends upwards in the middle as if it’s too long for the slot, so it’s pushed up in the middle creating a kind of arc.

Overall I’m satisfied with the device. It fits in my Räven 28 backpack so its ready to go when uni classes resume in a bit over a month again. None of the things that reviewers said are an issue to me. The display flex is there, but I never open my laptop from the sides so I do not see it as an issue. Keyboard flex also doesn’t bother me one bit, although I will definitely request the rubber pads to “fix” it just to check out how it feels with them when they’re available. The fans also do not feel loud, but that may be due to me running a unit with no dGPU module. The speakers don’t sound any special, I would say they’re okay when you do not have any headphones or external speakers, but I also have nothing but studio monitors to compare them to and I’m no audiophile.

All I’m waiting on now is for someone to make an OCuLink expansion bay PCB so that I can get rid of most of my PC with its Ryzen 3600, but still use the 4070 from it with an external GPU enclosure when I’m at home and feel like playing games. Only issue even if that PCB was available, is that there is still no way to buy the interposer connector, so I’m out of luck until the marketplace opens for orders.

I’m definitely keeping my device, but I would love to see a big centered touchpad module with no spacers.

EDIT: Forgot to add this, but ALT codes sadly do not work on the numpad as it seems to be a windows limitation that does not allow them between multiple devices. I have just used the VIA tool on framework’s website to modify the enter key on the numpad to a LAlt key which I use for ALT codes.