One and a half years ago, I ordered one of the first Framework laptops and never regretted the move from my old bulky HP Pavilion, despite initially thinking the display would be too small for me. The aesthetics, the portability, the flexibility are on a whole new level. To this day I have not added a single sticker to my framework because I felt it would ruin it despite having had prepared a dedicated bag of stickers for my new laptop. I also want it to be recognizable - just like the Fairphone, it affirms my identity as somebody valueing sustainability and multiple times made people ask me whether I would recommend it - My answer is a resounding YES, and that is why I also finally wrote this post now.
The ability to have an HDMI jack as part of the laptop on the go or as many USB-Ports as I want, exchanging memory and disks as I was always used to and in the future upgrade from an Intel to AMD CPU (only Intel was available at the time of purchase) without abandoning all the other components has proven handy already.
The small size became a big plus for me. Unlike my previous laptop with double the weight, I hardly ever think twice about whether to carry my Framework. It slides into every little backpack and swiftly back out even when I only have a few minutes on commute weighing little more than a water bottle. When the screen estate does not suffice (such as when gaming, or doing advanced programming) external monitors are quickly attached via USB-C, and by now there are even plenty of affordable portable displays. This way I can now decide whether to pack the whole workstation or the minimalistic variant - either because the usecase does not need more (such as writing a blog entry) or because I know I can easily hook up at my destination.
I do have a few complaints, but they do little to hamper my enthusiasm:
- the hinge between display and keyboard is too flexible, this is a known issue with the first models and can easily be solved with a spare part
- speaker and microphone quality are not the best, but that is why I have a decent headset
- the battery drains faster than it should, but this could also be related to my Manjaro Linux setup
- speakers and ventilation face downwards, so both are easily impeded when using the laptop on the lap or - god forbid - on a pillow.
But with Framework 16 released, with flexible keyboard/speaker modules and the potential to have an inbuilt spare battery, all those can easily fade.