I’m one of those people who actually use a laptop on my lap, especially during long commutes. The grip at the front of the laptop is rubber, angled, and doesn’t bother me at all.
However, the stand on the back of the expansion module is made of a hard plastic with sharp edges that dig into my legs. This makes the laptop very uncomfortable to use on my lap, even for short periods of time. My legs don’t have much padding. Depending on the pants I’m wearing it can even leave red indentations in my skin for a little while.
My workaround for this is to push the laptop far enough off my lap so that the stand rests in front of my knees instead of on my legs. This still gives the laptop enough airflow. I haven’t heard the fans spin up once. This workaround might not work for those with longer legs and a deeper lap.
I’d like to see Framework revise the expansion module stand to be rubberized and rounded so it is kinder to legs. I’m still debating returning the laptop.
Update: Even my attempt at a workaround didn’t work. It scrapes the front of my knees. I will sadly be returning the laptop.
Actually, you know, that’s a good thought.
He tried it, and found a couple reasons that it’s not for him at this time. It’s clear he did not buy with the intent to resell, so he’s fully entitled to put it up for sale and probably get a premium for it. Since there are many people in later batches waiting.
Step 1: Buy a keyboard wrist rest
Step 2: Buy a strip of Velcro
Step 3: Attach one side of Velcro next to that bar/raiser thing
Step 4: Attach other side of Velcro to underside of wrist rest
Step 5: Attach wrist rest to laptop
Step 6: Enjoy comfortable computing.
Maybe, but I feel this laptop is going to be the poster-child for hackish fixes.
Also, If I’m being honest, that’s kind of a selling point for me, and possibly large swaths of the linux community.
Sorry to be that guy, but this device is made to be put on your desk, not your knees. And now you’re complaining that it’s uncomfortable, when you put it on your knees?
I have never heard about the issues with “sterility”, as I can’t imagine how you would use the laptop that high up on the legs. Whenever I have had to use someone else’s laptop myself, I have put it closer to the knees.
The only two laptops I have access to in home don’t have anything sharp like the OP picture, which just seems like an oversight by Framework. We are all fans of the brand with varying degrees of passion and bias, but it doesn’t mean we can’t acknowledge small issues like these so they can be improved in later designs. We only benefit from this in the long run, as FW needs to appeal to a subset of average consumers as well to be successful and thrive in the long term, and not only target people who can do “hackish fixes” for issues other laptops don’t have.
Sorry to be that guy, but I use my laptop however I see fit. And there is no benefit for these edges to be sharp, so they might as well not be and facilitate this use case.
I put the device on my lap, not my knees. I tried to push the device far enough off my lap so that the stand would rest in front of my keens instead of on top of my legs or knees, but the angle is so sharp that even the back of the stand scrapes the front of my knees.
I have never had an issue with comfort, airfow, or heat with any other laptop I have owned (and I have owned may over year) because the rubber grips on the laptop raise it up slightly and I’m not running heavy workloads on the go. The fans never needed to spin up when I used the Framework Laptop 16, even on my lap. I’m just doing productivity tasks, browsing, scripting Python, running a couple VMs, etc. If I was doing gaming, rendering, or some other heavy task you might have an argument. Keep in mind, the Framework Laptop 16 is marketed as a laptop that can fit many different use cases, not just gaming.
This. 100% all of this. I’m a tech enthusiast. I loved being able to pick the exact ports I need, upgrade any parts over time, and support a company that is bucking the trend of throwaway electronics. My laptop is batch three, meaning I placed one of the first pre-orders. I waited months for this laptop, eagerly reading and watching every review. I considered switching to the Framework Laptop 13 after returning the 16, but that’s just not enough screen for my work. The Framework Laptop 16 is absolutely perfect for my needs except for the sharp edges of the poorly designed stand. I’m beyond disappointed. I’m hopeful that bringing attention to this issue Framework will fix it in future versions, but in the meantime, I need a laptop that I can work from without it being literally painful.
There is no right or wrong way, but I think the structural demands of the case demand a certain level of rigidity. The GPU expansion port also necessitates this. While the Framework 16 is absolutely a laptop, it is clearly design for the desk. Unfortunate that it is not working in your use case. I think your reasoning makes sense.
For the record, I would hate lugging around the 16. I already think the 13 is too large, and I love the 13.
I doubt that part of the expansion bay provides much structural integrity, and even if it does, it could just be the same shape as in the front of the laptop.
That’s what made this so frustrating. To me, the sharp stand is an oversight that can and should be corrected in the future. I need a laptop for daily use, so I couldn’t afford to wait for that to happen. I’m typing this from a new base model Dell XPS 15 9530 that I got for just over $1000 on a clearance sale because it is the model from 2023. I took the RAM and SSD that I was using in the DIY Framework and installed it in the XPS. It fits perfectly in my lap and is extremely grippy. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it is so thin that all of the ports are USB-C.
I plan on keeping this XPS for many years. I do hope Framework succeeds and develops other models – particularly one in a 15-inch size that would fit use cases like mine. 13 inches is too small to do much multitasking for my work. Dell’s 2024 XPS models all have soldered memory, and 64 GB of RAM is only available in the top-end configurations.
