What is the difference between new Framework 13 vs Framework 13 Pro

Framework Laptop 13
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both configs would be same AMD AI Ryzen and 32 gb ram

What is the diff other than the touchscreen

Do both have the new hard case?

Do I get the new keyboard?

Trying to decide if I need the touchscreen

any additional thoughts appreciated

thanks

dan

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The 13 pro has a different chassis, so that it can fit:

  1. bigger battery
  2. hapatic touchpad
    Neither fit in the non-pro version.
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The main difference between Pro and non-pro is bottom chassis. The bottom chassis was redesigned to fit bigger battery an this caused a lot of small changes around, so the Pro chassis means (more details):

  • 74Wh battery instead of 61Wh (around +20% battery time)
  • different/better speakers (side-facing instead of down-facing)
  • different input cover - thinner to fit the battery and has haptic touchpad

Also the screen is different not only in having touch support but it’s also much brighter: 500 nits on non-Pro and 700 nits on Pro display. And non-Pro 2.8k has rounded corners, while Pro 2.8k has proper rectangular edges.

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I have a FW 13 Pro. I won’t use the touchscreen, and I will probably try to disable the touch interface at some point. However, I think the Pro is worth it, for the aluminium construction, for the bigger battery, for the haptic touchpad. I’ve not had a non-Pro version of this, but I think you’re going to see more keyboard flex in that design. From what I can tell, everything about the Pro has a better feel of quality.

What drives your decision: are you led by budget, or do you have specific goals in mind for the new machine? Have you used the configurator for each to see where the price lands for an AMD+32GB spec?

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On this note, I’ve seen some negative commentary about the Pro speakers. I actually think they’re quite good - perfectly decent enough for a video call. One is never going to get audiophile quality from speakers this small, and if I used them to listen to music, it would only be for “background” and not actually to listen to detail.

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Completely agree that it’s hard to expect a lot from laptop speakers in general. I also don’t have the old chassis to compare, but from what I’ve seen in other discussions, the new speakers are better than the old ones, but they’re still one of the weakest points compared with other laptops in this price range.

Even with similar overall quality, the side-facing speakers on the Pro still win in one respect: their sound doesn’t depend on the surface beneath the laptop.

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thanks to all who responded,

Yes money is the main reason I was considering the non pro version.

I guess it will be “buy once, cry once” and go with the pro

dan

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