Here are my thoughts about the Framework laptop after having used it, an M1 Macbook Air, and several other Windows laptops including a Dell Lattitude E5400, Samgsung somethingsomething (would be better not to name a laptop model random numbers and letters imo). I’ll just tag this as a feature request since I think some of the issues I’m going to point out can be fixed.
- Screen
The screen on the framework is far too glossy. It’s really not an issue unless I’m working at home where I have a single overhead light and the glare is really bad. In office lighting it’s much less annoying. The MacBook Air has a fantastic screen and the framework is nearly as good, except for the problem with reflections. A touch screen with a (possibly) lower resolution and less glare would be nice. - Keyboard
I greatly prefer the shorter and clickier keystrokes of the MacBook Air. Also, the plastic is a fingerprint magnet and I wish they had used a coating with a refractive index more similar to skin oil to reduce the appearance of fingerprints - Trackpad
Both the Dell and the MacBook have Framework beat here. Having buttons is nice but at least the trackpad in the MacBook gives a consistent feel when you click near the top or bottom. The Framework has a lot of resistance to clicking towards the top and this makes it a little uncomfortable to use sometimes. The glass surface can result in a lot of friction, the approach some other laptops have of using a rough/dimpled plastic surface to reduce contact area greatly reduces trackpad glide friction, which I strongly prefer to the glass surface. - Battery
Battery life is terrible, with some adjustments to frequency and registry settings I can extend it a little bit by cutting down the CPU frequency when on battery power, but it doesn’t work that well. Max 2 hours gaming, 4-5 hours light use. All my other laptops except an old Lenovo one seem to beat the framework in battery life, including a Pinebook Pro (lol). The MacBook Air especially. While the CPU+IGPU in the framework is better and more efficient than some of the others, I think the huge screen resolution is making the GPU in it work much harder than it needs to, negating the efficiency improvements. I would like to see an AMD mainboard given their reputation of being more energy efficient. - Lid
Just a note, it’s a little too hard to get the finger in the lid correctly to open it. Just annoying because I have to be careful not to pop off the bezel when opening the laptop. - Size
In my opinion, this laptop is too small for watching movies, because of the screen size. I’d rather see a 17" or 18" version if the aspect ratio is kept. - Expansions
I would have liked to see more USB ports and also a full size SD card reader as that’s what my 4K camera uses. I think the bays should be more numerous and/or larger to support more USB ports.
Overall I think the hardware could use some improvement but it was pretty decent overall. Despite my complaints, I’m using it as a primary Windows and Linux laptop due to its repairability and decent performance. For the older games I like to play, the Framework laptop gives usable performance. However, for movies, writing, and web browsing, I find the MacBook to offer better value given I don’t have to be attached to a wall constantly, and the better trackpad on the MacBook is very nice for casual browsing on sofa or something like that.