Hi,
Now it’s my turn to be affected by the problem… 2 hairline cracks around the USB ports near the hinge. I’m going to open a support ticket.
:-((
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So do newly bought framework 12 have the new plastic case yet ?
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Yep. Got a framework 12 a little over a month ago (like 35 days). Hairline cracks everywhere. Never dropped or mishandled.
Support ticket time on my end
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This poll needs an update now that they are being shipped normally. I bought mine this past month via a normal order and it cracked too.
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It’s been more than two months since they announced the revised bottom cover. it’d de nice if we got an update soon.
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No one knows :3
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Wow the rubber edges look terrible. As if the device is already 10 years old.
Do you know how it took this color?
It’s probably from whatever case it was put in. For instance I’ve had a 13 in the 2nd slot of the LTT backpack with a 16 in the largest pocket and parts of the feet of the 13 are tinted orange.
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My Batch 9 sage is starting to show 2 thin discoloration lines around the front screws (opposite to the hinge). Shining a light at a shallow angle reveals that there is a wedge/deformation along the lines. I operated the laptop since ~1.5 months very carefully. If the lines turn into cracks, I’ll open a support ticket. Taking into account the experiemce of others, it will happen soon. Anyway, I’m quite happy with the FW12. Works really well, is portable and… repairable (I was hoping to benefit from upgradeability first, but ok). It helped a lot already and I got quite attached to it.
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This is correct. The plastic literally picks up any surface it’s kept on. It got the grey-ish hue from my backpack’s laptop compartment, and is red in some places because we have whiteboard desks at some spots in my uni (table’s made of the whiteboard material and you can write on it, but it picks up the slightest hue even if the writings have been wiped off).
@Rightaway The device shipped Oct 9 and I received it Oct 11. The device is either in my backpack or used on a table at uni (I only use it on laptop mode, and have a desktop at home). It looks like this after less than a month :’)
Hi,
Support’s response to my report: "We are currently updating our production process at our supplier to resolve the cracking issue you experienced. We expect to have this implemented and the new version available in our warehouses within the next four weeks.
That being said, we recommend you process your replacement cover from the new stock to prevent this issue from recurring.
We will keep your support ticket open and continue to monitor the situation. You can expect to hear from us again in four weeks with an update."
They replied very quickly and just asked for a few photos. Good contact overall
E.
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I received the same response with the same 4 week ETA on the first of October.
Last week they notified me that there is a “slight” delay. If it’s indeed another 4 week wait, that will be very unpleasant.
My FW12 is already developing cracks in two new spots (the other expansion port and around a screw). I hope it can stay in one piece for long enough.
I’m kindly hoping for a public update on the current status and ETA from FW.
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I was told two weeks ago on October 25th.
On Sat, Oct 25, 2025 at 12:58 AM <support@frame.work> wrote:
Hi Jesse,
We are currently in the process of updating our production process at our vendor to resolve the cracking issue you’ve encountered. We hope to have this implemented and the new version on hand at our warehouses within the next 2 weeks.
With that said, we recommend that we process your replacement cover from the new stock to prevent you from potentially experiencing this issue again.
We will keep your support ticket open and continue to monitor the situation. You can expect to hear from us in 2 weeks with an update.
Thanks for your understanding and patience. Please let us know if you have any questions.
My last update was the were going to send me a new core as I have a non-working/defective CPU fan. My FW12 was in batch 11.
They really do need to be more public about the issue, make a statement with what to do if you have the issue. In my opinion they are not handling this well. People are not going to be happy regardless. You might as well be transparent about it. If you don’t have an ETA don’t give one. Replacing the bottom cover is not a quick task. Its a complete disassembly and assembly with exception to the screen and its components. It has potential to lead to further issues and further questions to be answered by support.
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I have received my replacement bottom cover, presumably the new batch, so everyone else’s should also ship soon-ish. It looked identical to the old one. Managed to replace it without breaking anything lol.
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Just curious. Are they having you send the old one back, or just pitch it?
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I have to send it back. As soon as I got the email from support saying I’d get a replacement, I also got an order confirmation email with the new cover and a return request email with a label I’ll have to put on the box. Here’s the quote from the email I got from support:
When you receive the new Bottom Cover, please open the packaging carefully as it can be easily damaged during the unboxing process. Please use the packaging that your new bottom cover came in to ship your original one back to us in.
I sent them another email, because the new cover came with a baggie of extra screws, so I asked whether I can keep those or I have to send them back too. I can only get to return it early next week, so hopefully I’ll have an answer by then (the return label is for UPS, and the closest drop-off point for them is a bit far).
Edit: I can keep them :D
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I am waiting to see how it goes on my end. I mentioned that I’ll be open to a return or replacement (today is day 29 since the laptop shipped so we’re working with thin margins here). I’ll be happy either way: this has been the best Linux machine I have use but I am open to paying the cost difference for a Framework 13 (or have this be returned + refunded and then get a FW13)
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In case anyone is interested, my undertorqued lavender batch 7 is now at the two-month mark without any signs of cracking. The factory-applied threadlocker is doing its job, and the input and bottom cover are still snug despite the screws not being fully tightened.
Framework has stated that not all cases are cracking, so the only way to know whether I’m in that group is to fully tighten the screws. At this point I don’t feel the need to do so because the laptop is holding together just fine and there’s almost no movement between the input and bottom covers. (Only if I forcefully pinch the two together do I see sub-millimeter movement of the input cover.)
For what it’s worth, my lid also has no signs of cracking near the hinges, but this seems to be a less common failure, so I don’t think it’s informative either way.
I’m curious to know the status of others who have similarly assembled their 12.
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Did you…
…?
Then we can be sure that is a new one or not.