Framework is not messing around. In addition to powering up the Framework Laptop 13 and expanding its lineup of consumer electronics devices to the gaming and AI desktop PC space, Framework is on the verge of launching a product that founder and CEO Nirav Patel started the company to create. A 2-in-1 convertible 1200p touchscreen laptop that’s durable, easily repairable, and absolutely not boring.
“We build products to fix what we see as a broken industry, and few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops,” says Patel. He’s not shy about sharing how he really feels, calling budget laptops “janky, locked-down, disposable, underpowered, and frankly, boring machines.”
Patel is frustrated that these subpar devices are the ones marketed so heavily to students and young adults, when that demographic needs something durable, upgradeable, repairable, and more powerful.
Framework is now taking everything it learned from developing seven iterations of the Framework Laptop 13 – especially when it comes to purposefully designing products with repairability in mind – and introducing the Framework Laptop 12. It’s something the company has been working on for nearly two years.
Patel says the Framework Laptop 12 will be more affordable, more flexible, and certainly more colorful than its other products. To that end, the convertible laptop has a rather striking two-tone color approach, and will ship in 5 unique colorways. You’ll even be able to pick up an optional color-matched stylus to compliment it.
The two-tone color approach isn’t just for aesthetics, though. It basically serves as shock-absorbing bumpers.
“We overmolded shock-absorbing TPU [thermoplastic polyurethane] over rigid PC/ABS plastic with an inner metal structure for robustness,” says Patel. “In the event you ever do manage to break it, it’s also our easiest product ever to repair.”
It’s also being designed with children and school deployments in mind. The 4 USB-C expansion cards can optionally be locked from the inside of the chassis to prevent removal.
There’s a wonderful new quality of life feature as well: no more ribbon cable connecting the keyboard kit to the mainboard! Instead, the Framework 12 will have POGO pins that should be exponentially easier to connect, and produce far less anxiety.
What CPU Powers The Framework 12 Convertible Laptop?
What will power the Framework 12? Thankfully, not the worthless Intel Celeron processors found in so many budget notebooks. Instead, Framework will use 13th Generation Intel Core i3 and i5 CPUs. I would describe these as competent and affordable; a perfectly acceptable target for a 2-in-1 laptop that’s striving to be both performant and affordable.
The Framework 12 will be limited to single-channel memory, but supports up to 48GB of DDR5-5200. It also allows up to 2TB of NVMe storage and comes with WiFi 6E. The display has a 1920×1200 resolution and is targeted for 400 nits brightness.
And as you’d expect, it will fully support both Windows 11 and popular Linux distributions.
Framework 12 Pricing And Availability
Framework hasn’t shared a final price range for its upcoming 2-in-1 laptops, but it’s a safe bet they’ll be cheaper than the baseline Framework 13. What we do know is that pre-orders will go live in April, and the first shipments will start rolling out in the middle of 2025.
It’s going to be a very stacked 2025 for Framework. In addition to debuting this new product category, the company is also selling a tiny but monstrously powerful desktop PC, and refreshing its veteran Framework 13 lineup with all new AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors.
