Recommended for non-tech-savvy family members?

Framework Laptop 13
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Is the Framework 13 a good choice for a family member who is not tech savvy at all?

I have a family member whose laptop now has swollen batteries, and the OEM does not sell replacement batteries anymore, so now we’re thinking it might be better just to get a new laptop. The laptop is 7 years old at this point.

Framework seems like a good choice so that this issue can be avoided in the future. Theoretically, I should be able to replace the battery with another official framework one several years down the line, thus avoiding the need to purchase a new laptop. The other hardware can also be upgraded if necessary.

I’ve been reading some reviews for the Framework 13, and it seems like some folks experience hardware related issues with the machine even just 1 year into owning it. But I’m also not sure how common that is, or if it’s just a few isolated cases. After all, who’s going to be asking for support for a laptop that works perfectly well?

So my question is: How reliable/durable is this laptop? Can the laptop reasonably be given to a non-tech-savvy family member, with the expectation that it will “just work” for several years before it needs any service/repairs? I’d appreciate any kind of advice here, especially from folks who’ve been using the Framework 13 for a long time already.

For reference, I’m considering either the AMD 7040 model, or the Intel Core Ultra model.

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Hi.
You can often buy OEM replacement batteries for old laptops from ebay. They are not the original manufacturer, but you can normally get them. If that fails, the a FW laptop is an OK choice.
I think the FW laptops are pretty reliable. You only hear of the problems here, which are quite few compared to the amount of laptops FW have sold.
Going for one that is not cutting edge new, like you are, it probably a good choice because the drivers will be more mature for them.
You do have to keep in mind that FW are a small company, of about 70 employees, so don’t expect telephone support. They only do email support, but the support that is there, although a bit slow, gets there in the end.

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I will say that it is about as good as any other device for a non tech-savvy family member as any other.

It will fail in similar fashions as any other device, they will use it incorrectly just as frequently as any other device, they will damage it in the same way they have damaged every other device before it. They will be plagued with all of the same issues that every other OS that they have ever used, and the lovely new ones introduced in the last few years as enshittification touches everything.

What I ‘will’ emphasize though is that framework is a pretty niche device, with “low” inventory numbers, and a long iteration process for hardware refinement and items like the UEFI. When the family member goes searching to solve an issue, because they didn’t want to bother you, they will be cycled into reddit, or this forum for “help”, instead of polished knowledgebases or articles by say Dell that will point to the recommended patch, or update, or driver. There is a warranty, but the support process can take some time, will require re-iterating the issues, and taking multiple passes of photos to then be shipped out a replacement part, This warranty is only for a year, compared to the offerings elsewhere. There isn’t a nice and neat model name/number like “Dell DC16251” on a sticker on the body, it is Framework 13 AMD 7040..

Off the cuff, if this is someone in your household that you interact with all the time, or someone you interact with at most a few times a year, I’d say yes. If this is a great aunt that you see once every other year, I would not.

Anecdotally, I have not had any hardware issues with the original 11th gen intel framework 13 mainboard I bought a few years ago, or the battery. I ‘did’ have my keyboard fail after about a year when I swapped the mainboard to one of the AMD 7040s.

I had my non tech-savvy mother buy an 11th gen when they were new, and so far the only issues have been a cracked screen (Which she was able to repair herself with the guide), a failed fan (we’re waiting on stock to return), and your standard windows issues.

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How not tech-savvy? Like take a look at some of the Framework part replacement guides, they are very step-by-step and easy to follow I think. But some people are just not interested or willing to touch taking something apart, no mater how easy a guide is. Would your family member be willing and able to follow the guides?

Why do I ask? Well, how Framework’s warranty works may be different from what some people assume. The way other companies operate have taught some people to expect to just be asked to mail a whole device in, should it have a warranty issue. In fact, many companies explicitly do not want you to open it and take a look, using “warranty void if broken” seals. This is not Framework. If you contact them about a potential issue, they will walk you through troubleshooting, which may involve asking you to open the laptop and take pictures of the part(s) suspected to be an issue. If a part needs to be replaced under warranty, they will send the part to you, to install. Due to this, I would not recommend FW computers to technophobes or those who are unwilling to replace parts. Apple might be the better option for them.

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I think the UEFI in Framework is better (at least less worse) than Dell. Although Framework did many wonky BIOS updates that often buggy in power management, they are transparent about the BIOS details. Dell on the other hand, bundled BIOS/UEFI updates into automatic Windows updates, stripping users’ rights, causing more, often severe, issues.

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My family member will not be doing any repairs of the laptop. But that’s okay, because myself and other family members are available to help when needed. Personally, I’m pretty comfortable with taking apart laptops and such, replacing components, etc.

So, if something does go wrong with the laptop and a part needs to be replaced, I don’t think that will be an issue. But, I know my family member will get sick of the laptop if it needs to be repaired too frequently. So I guess I just want to make sure it’s a reasonably reliable machine, which just happens to also be easy to fix.

I’d thought about Apple as well, but one of the issues there is that nobody in my family uses MacOS, so software troubleshooting could potentially be more difficult for us due to lack of familiarity. So since we’re going with a Windows/Linux machine anyway, I figure it might as well be a Framework since they’re the easiest to repair/upgrade and keep running.

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It’s hard to know how Framework’s reliability stacks up against the average. Haven’t heard of any 3rd party attempting a large scale survey or anything to try to place them among others. I would guess Framework might be in the middle. I don’t think they are superior, and probably not terrible either.

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In that case, there is no reason not to go with a FW13. It’s a mature product and as a device platform is now, what, five generations of mainboards and so many other small hardware iterations in? You can get a lemon with every brand, but a Framework lemon at least you can screw open without losing sleep about it…

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