Hi all, my first post here after introducing myself. Consider to replace my aging Lenovo T450s by a Framework 13, but failed to find more detailed specifications. Did I overlook something?
Questions:
What are the resolution, max. frame rate, max. brightness and supported color spaces of the built-in display? Does it support HDR?
Do the USB-C modules support Thunderbolt 4?
Can the Framework 13 drive an external 4K/UHD TV with 120fps and HDR?
I guess when I review my (virtual ) wishlist there will be a few more detail questions, but let’s start with these.
USB-C modules are purely passthrough, since they connect to the mainboard via USB-C, so they support whatever the mainboard does. That’s USB4 on 11th gen, 12th gen with the stable BIOS, and AMD 7040 series, and TB4 on 12th gen with the beta BIOS and 13th gen.
Not certain on the last one (I believe it can do the refresh rate and resolution, depending on what it’s displaying, but I’m not super familiar with HDR).
The 13th gen intel version supports DisplayPort Alt mode which can drive a 4K@120hz@10bitdepth TV (see link above, section “Interfaces”). I think also the AMD 7040 version should supports DP alt mode on the two USB4 ports but on the link above it’s not specified…
Depends on the variant. (The modules pass it through but it depends on the laptop for support)
On the Intel variant all slots support Thunderbolt 4.
On the AMD variant the two slots closest to the screen supports USB4. Thunderbolt 4 is USB4 except with more features mandated (some USB4 features are optional in the spec) and a rigorous certification process. In most cases USB4 works with Thunderbolt 4.
Yes, however if the TV requires HDMI 2.1 only some adapters will be able to achieve that (Framework’s HDMI card cannot). Here is a recent thread about this, mainly talking about the 16" variant but most of the things in that thread (including the adapter that someone got it working with) should apply to other variants.
No. Framework rarely announces things until they’re nearly ready for release (a notable exception being the full size SD card expansion card which they have announced).
a notable exception being the full size SD card expansion card which they have announced
That’s good news for me as all my cameras use full size SD cards. I hope it will support all SD variants, like UHS-II and, particularly, SD Express.
But this alone won’t be enough for me to buy the 13". I want a notebook that supports 120fps on both its internal display and external HDMI 2.1 TVs, and an internal display that’s WAAAAYYYY brighter than 400nits. I can’t understand why not a single manufacturer of Windows notebooks offers a display (at least as an option) that is similarly bright as the one in the MacBook Pro 14". This offers 1000nits across the whole screen and 1600 in HDR mode.
One more question came to my mind: are the modules hot swappable?
Unfortunately the Framework Laptop 13 uses an unusual 3:2 display aspect ratio and no display manufacturer makes a brighter matte finish panel of the correct size (and the brightest glossy finish panel of the correct size is only 105 nits brighter than what Framework offers). Getting a custom display made is very expensive so until a major brand orders a brighter panel Framework can’t offer a brighter panel on the 13.
For the Framework 16 on the other hand BOE (the company that makes the panels Framework uses) already produces a 1250 nit panel (240 Hz Mini LED) with the correct dimensions (and I think the correct connector) so, barring any software issues, it should be possible for Framework to sell a variant with that panel (or even for community members to add it aftermarket).
The HDMI 2.1 spec is very locked down and cannot be sent directly over the USB-C connector (what is used for Framework’s modular ports). This means that any HDMI port needs to use DisplayPort for the upstream connection to the laptop, which means a chip to translate between DisplayPort and HDMI is needed.
Versions of those chips that can handle high bandwidth are not yet common. Framework’s HDMI port is limited to HDMI 2.0b.
There are some versions of those chips that support HDMI 2.1 but not at the full bandwidth of HDMI 2.1. Although notably those chips support DSC, which is a compression algorithm that works pretty well (effectively triples the bandwidth available with a very small reduction in quality). But that is not yet available in a Framework Expansion Card so it requires a separate dongle.
Thanks all for your answers! I was rather busy since the last answer, and in this time I again ran into the problem that my current laptop’s screen often isn’t bright enough for image optimization work (RAW conversion) when I’m in a bright place.
Today I received the newsletter introducing the new Framework Laptop 13 with Intel Core Ultra Series 1 processors. Very interesting!
Re. 4k@120p with HDR - thanks for the link to the other thread about adapters that can drive 4K displays at 120Hz with HDR. Unfortunately, I don’t understand everything written there. It seems all the adapters there are based on conversion from DisplayPort through its USB C outputs and, depending on which DP version the computer supports, accordingly limited bandwidth.
But the more recent FW laptops support Thunderbolt 4, which has 40Gbps bandwidth, and as you wrote in the other thread this should be enough for 4k/120hz/10-bit HDR - if adapters exist that do this conversion. Do you know of any? Or maybe a TB4 docking station with a HDMI2.1 output?
And, since I don’t have the laptop yet and the other thread assumes an AMD CPU, I could choose an Intel CPU if that offers any advantage regarding 4k/120hz/10-bit HDR. Does it?
) wishlist there will be a few more detail questions, but let’s start with these.