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The new and upgraded Framework Laptop

(community.frame.work)
1680 points etbusch | 1 comments | 19 May 22 12:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.209s | source
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thrownaway561 ◴[19 May 22 14:01 UTC] No.31434762[source]▶
why am going to pay $1100 for an i5/8gb/265ssd when I can pay $700 for a i5/12gb/1tbHDD. This whole thing reminds me of the PANDA project from early 2000s and you all know how well that project worked out.

Laptop are throw aways. At the end of their life you recycle them and get a new one. The single problem I see with all these type of total upgradable devices is that you are still locked into a single vendor. Unless other vendors get onboard and you have competition, you are at the mercy of the single vendor's pricing and existence. How good is an upgradeable laptop when the vendor goes out of business and you can't buy parts?

https://frame.work/products/laptop-12-gen-intel/configuratio...

https://www.costco.com/hp-17.3%22-laptop---11th-intel-core-i...

replies(4): >>31434994 #>>31435004 #>>31435274 #>>31435408 #
1. kitsunesoba ◴[19 May 22 14:40 UTC] No.31435274[source]▶
Having used a laptop similar to that linked HP in past and now comparing spec sheets, I don’t really think it’s in the same class as the framework laptop at all.

Compared to the framework, the HP’s:

- CPU is a generation behind

- Screen has low PPI (less sharp), very low brightness, and is probably a TN panel, meaning colors will be more dull

- HDD which is a lot slower than an SSD anyway is 5400RPM, which is slow even for an HDD

- Battery is 14Wh smaller

- Webcam is 720p instead of 1080p

- Bluetooth and wifi is a whole major version behind

- Charging port is one of those old terrible barrel jacks that gets loose quickly

And the build quality is most assuredly not in the same universe. Laptops as cheap as this HP are built on razor thin margins, which means that manufacturers are cutting costs wherever possible. This gets you things like creaky flexy cases, loose wobbly hinges, chintzy keyboards, bad trackpads, and oddball bargain basement components with less than amazing performance.

In short it will be a lot less pleasant to use, even ignoring that huge gaps in the spec sheet. Models from other manufacturers that would be more comparable to the framework in specs and fit and finish are the M1 MacBook Air/Pro, Dell XPS 13, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.