I was able to figure out that I needed a 3.5mm expansion card, but I think there should be a notice/clarification on the 16’s specs page that a 3.5mm port is not built into the laptop. I’ve seen other manufacturers not mention if they do or don’t, so a notice would be helpful.
Thank you for your feedback! Do you mean something like this, or directly in the specs page? (this is from the expansion cards FAQ)
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I’m thinking directly on the specs page for the Framework 16. These two areas specifically:
For ports, I would put an asterisk indicating the Audio module is required to plug in head phones. Then for audio, I would also be sure to include it.
If there’s anything I know about customers, even if you have something written down, the more places you have it, the better.
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Thank you for your feedback and thanks for the screenshots!
I’ve shared this feedback internally and the team will take a deeper look into it.
Thank you all for your input.
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It’s 50 dB of sound when fully loaded. Which is on-par or slightly lower than similar class 16" systems with a dGPU. So…you’re producing a lot of heat, CPU & GPU, what else do you expect?
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I think the text on the FW16 order page should match the text on the main shop page for the audio expansion card, which would make this crystal clear. Compare Framework | Audio Expansion Card which says:
This Expansion Card enables 3.5mm headphones on Framework Laptop 16 and provides increased dynamic range and improved signal to noise ratio in comparison to the Framework Laptop 13 built-in audio jack.
with the order page at Framework | Configure Framework Laptop 16 DIY Edition (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 which only says:
This Expansion Card provides increased dynamic range and improved signal to noise ratio in comparison to the Framework Laptop 13 built-in audio jack.
with no mention of the FW16 on the actual FW16 order page (!) – seems like a clear oversight?
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i think it will be good if FW team add audio jacks to the mainboard by default somewhere on front or on side instead of the extension for Audio 3.5 mm jack. it will be good to use the extra extension for something else rather than dedicated audio jack
I disagree, I like that all ports can be replaced, as connectors are something that will fail on a device especially as we intend to keep this one longer than a standard laptop due to the upgradability.
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That ship sailed. 
Also 20+ years experience working IT support tells me audio jacks have a habit of failing. Making it replaceable is sensible. Or you can swap it out for a USB port, as most wired headsets now are also available as USB.
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We’ll have to see that. When they reach the first buyers we will know what the sound level is in AAA 1080 p 60fps games. If it reaches 50 db or 57 db at that resolution then it will be impossible to play.
I’m OK with the 3.5mm jack being an expansion card since it makes it easier to repair if/when it wears out. Also, now you have a dongle for your USB-C only phone (with no headphone jack 
)
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Another one:
tbh I think their point about leaping over the “mid range customers” is not that big of a deal considering that I would imagine that now it is much easier/feasible to address that market. The hard part was even making this in the first place and then now FW (or really any manufacturer (open source ftw)) can just start pumping out parts that are tailored to every subset of customers.
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I wouldn’t say it’s a review, but more of an opinion piece about all the reviews that have already gone out since the writer doesn’t have a Framework of their own.
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I don’t know but will you play only with build in speakers?
Yes it is no excuse, but for gaming I’ll prefer external speakers or a headset
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Yeah, not sure what his criteria is here.
Every other performance based machine reaches these kinds of noise levels at full load. Notebookcheck has a very convient comparison on their reviews, but look up any recent 4060, even 4050 review they’ve done:
FM16 review -
Acer Nitro -
Fan pitch may be more of a problem, some reviewers noted the higher pitched fans sounded worse, but raw dB measurements put the FM as quieter on average loads, but matching most gaming machines at max load/higher game settings.
Most gaming laptops you’ll want to use with headphones, it’s just common to the class of device/cooling needs.
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I think that was a good assessment. I’ve been thinking a lot about these reviews lately, and how they seem to be making apples to oranges comparisons with other laptop models and the FW 16 comes out looking expensive and mediocre in the process. But these reviews miss the whole raison d’etre of Framework and the FW16. None of these other laptops are nearly as hackable, or personalizable. Maybe framework did make a miscalculation in going straight for the upgradable gpu ( and in doing so attract the gaming and high performance crowd that might not care about the hackability that make framework special) and invited these comparisons before they were quite ready?
Maybe an intermediate iteration was missed? A framework 16 that’s a bigger and more performant 13, rather than jumping into the gaming arena with the swappable gpu right away?
I’m not saying the 16 is a mistake at all, I’m super pumped to get mine, but it does bother me that the reviews aren’t better because the reviewers seem too focused on the raw performance while ignoring the awesome engineering that made this possible. And how that performance compares to other laptops while missing the flip side, how those other laptops fail in comparison to the 16 in terms of customizability, Linux support, hackability, modularity, and upgradability.
But I guess that puts me right square in the market that Framework is targeting lol. And if I’m here, I know there are many others.
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I think a little good old cognitive dissonance is expected for those of us (the vast majority, I’m sure) that opted to hang onto our preorders after the mixed reviews started dropping. Having said that, remaining excited to receive this machine and also being disappointed that some elements have fallen short of expectations don’t need to be mutually exclusive.
Most of the reviews seem to have given proper acknowledgement to the incredible engineering feat this computer represents, but it’s the job of a reviewer to be objective and compare products to their competition. We all agree that user serviceable/upgradeable laptops are wonderful, but it won’t matter if they’re not “good laptops” that people actually want to use. No one understands this reality better than the Framework team. So far, they’ve made really “good laptops” that people want to use, that happen to be MUCH better for the consumer and the environment.
The FW16 can get by with being significantly more expensive than its competition, but under those circumstances, and in this price bracket, it absolutely needs to be a “good laptop”. I think consumers–as a whole–are going to be largely satisfied with this new machine, assuming the lion’s share of reported issues are addressed eventually (the most important of which being the squishy keyboard). It sounds like most of them will already be sorted out by the time they reach the hands of customers, so for now, all we can do is impatiently wait for a burgeoning sample size of data and hope for the best!
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One of the nicest reviews to date, from Frandroid (in French): Test Framework Laptop 16 (2024) : notre avis complet - - Frandroid
They don’t even mention the price as a cons, but the other usual ones are here:
- A few bugs (though they applaud Framework’s reactivity and transparency)
- No NVIDIA dGPU (yet)
- Bigger/heavier than other 16’ laptops
Quick update, Expansion Cards part in the Framework Laptop 16 configuration section is updated:
'Each card can be used in any of the 6 Expansion Card bays on the Framework 16 Laptop.
We suggest ordering 6 or more Expansion Cards. At least one Expansion Card should be USB-C to charge the laptop, and if an auxiliary audio/headphone jack is needed, an Audio Expansion Card, as there is no built-in jack with the Framework Laptop 16."
I’d like to thank everyone again for their feedback! Please let me know in the future if you see anything in our website that needs to be updated or can be improved.
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Yeah, some of the reviews are frustrating, as the reviewers seem to be thrown by things like “but it has bezels around the screen” (they’re not any bigger than those on the MSI and Lenovo gaming laptops already in my house) and “I could buy 2 glued together laptops for the price of this” while not considering what happens past the “one upgrade cycle later” point. The things I find the most concerning are the battery life w/ dGPU installed and complexity of “which extension port to plug in each slot” caused by AMD’s lack of support for more than 2 USB 4 ports. I voted for AMD in the polls Framework ran, and I’m keeping my preorder (Batch 7), but I really hope AMD ups their game. The current state leaves a bit of a bad taste.
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