Order history

pre-orders opened on April 10 (at least, that's when the email was sent!)
pre-ordered on April 9th (!), with the following spec:
- base setup: 827.00
  - CPU: Intel i3-1315U, a step down from the current 13", but still comparable, but is more recent (2023-Q2 vs 2022-Q1, 6/8 cores instead of 12/16, 1.2GHz vs 1.7GHz base speed, but similar turbo at 4.5GHz and better TDP at 15W vs 28W)
  - color: sage
  - memory: DDR5-5600 - 16GB (my original setup on the 13", was mostly fine)
- keyboard: US English - Gray
- 65W power adapter: $64.00 (i thought i had a spare one of those, but seems not, and those are so useful!)
- expansion cards:
  - DisplayPort (2nd Gen) $25.00 (wanted to test the 2nd gen)
  - HDMI (3rd Gen) $25.00 (same)
  - 1TB (2nd Gen) $169.00 (same)
  - USB-C (Translucent Green) $12.00 (wanted to test the green, i have two more space USB-C, so this is actually too much)
  - 2 x USB-A $24.00 (like my current setup, i often run out of USB-A when i have a single one)
- total: 1146$CAD + tax, est. 1317.60$CAD, before 100$ deposit
- did not pick their NVMe drive, as the 1TB drive is 220$CAD, for about that price I got a 2TB drive at B&H for 269.29$CAD (shipping and taxes included!) instead
as of 2025-07-08, still not received confirmation of shipping, changed a few minor things with the order (added a 1TB drive, removed one USB-C module, added USB-A module), even though others have received theirs, seems like the colored ones are in a different batch which is rumored to have started shipping today, although that might be confused with the colored batch 0
2025-07-10 00:52 +0000: "step 2" (preparing your batch) email

In theory, the laptop should ship "in July".

Open questions

which sleeve/case
will the screen suck?
how will battery life be?
will the pen work well? where to put it?
will the sensors work for auto-rotate? (apparently)

Downsides

no keyboard backlight
poor screen color accuracy (66% sRGB), but it turns out that's similar to the Steam Deck LCD
no thunderbolt, which means no "one wire for everything" kind of setups, which means i can't use it to replace my current setup on a whim (but i can use it with a DP adapter, and treat the monitor as a dock, presumably, to be tested)

Reviews

The Framework 12" received mixed reviews, in general. Most complained about the old CPU shipped with the device, and pricing.

Phoronix: An Upgrade-Friendly, Convertible 2-in-1 Linux Laptop:

The only downside is the performance if you are wanting to run any moderately demanding workloads but for those looking at a well-built, upgradeable, and all-around dependable mini Linux laptop or convertible tablet that can run your favorite modern Linux distribution, the Framework Laptop 12 is another great addition to the Framework Computer family.
The Verge: plastic fantastic

The quirky 2-in-1 has an endearing design that could be a great fit for students. But Framework once again has to prove itself.
Ars: A sturdy, thoughtful, cute design that just can't compete in its price range

I hope that Framework does what it's done for the Laptop 13 over the last four or so years: introduce updated components, iterate on different elements of the design, and gradually bring the price down into a more reasonable range through refurbished and factory-second parts. As a $1,000-ish computer, this leaves a lot to be desired. But as the foundation for a new Framework platform, it has enough promise to be interesting.

Overall, the pros and cons seem to be:

plastic seems sturdy (MIL-STD-810)
modular ports with "child locks" are better than the Framework 13" "latch" design (and i don't really like the 13" design either)
too expensive
mediocre colors and large bezel

Created 2025-07-08 23:22. Edited 2025-07-11 14:33.