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Framework Laptop 16

(frame.work)
465 points susanthenerd | 5 comments | 26 Aug 25 15:12 UTC | HN request time: 0.005s | source
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vzaliva ◴[26 Aug 25 15:51 UTC] No.45028241[source]▶
The idea of Framework laptops sounds great! But I’m wondering: has anyone done an economic analysis comparing buying a Framework laptop a few years ago and gradually upgrading it, versus buying a similar popular brand laptop and just upgrading by getting a new model? I’m not trolling, I’m genuinely considering Framework as my next laptop.
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simpaticoder ◴[26 Aug 25 16:00 UTC] No.45028370[source]▶
I have a 1st gen Framework 13, Intel 11th gen CPU, running Ubuntu 24. It had a faulty design around the BIOS battery on the motherboard that I had to fix, and do some soldering on[1]. It's remarkable because they didn't say "Send the laptop in and we'll fix the design defect" they said, "First take a photo of the inside of the laptop to verify the serial number, then place an order, then do the repair yourself." This left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Additionally, and non-trivially, the laptop's battery life is not good, and it drains very quickly on suspend. I have taken to leaving it plugged in when not in use. This may be a Linux issue, but still.

I agree with you: the idea is a good one, but my experience with the company has been not good.

1 - https://guides.frame.work/Guide/RTC+Battery+Substitution+on+...

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kibwen ◴[26 Aug 25 16:16 UTC] No.45028603[source]▶
> then do the repair yourself

This is awesome though, and exactly the sort of thing one buys a Framework for.

> the laptop's battery life is not good

Mine is great, I share a single USB-C cord among all my laptops (of which I have despairingly too many) and I often use my Framework all day while forgetting it's not plugged in. (Fedora, if the OS matters.)

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1. simpaticoder ◴[26 Aug 25 16:55 UTC] No.45029196[source]▶
>This is awesome though

No, it's not awesome. Upgrading ram and disk or replacing a motherboard, screen or battery is great. Repairing a badly designed motherboard with a soldering iron is not great. In fact, it's bad. I think there's a good argument that it violates (warranty) law. If a car company sells to you based on "right to repair" and then it turns out there was a design defect in the engine, is it "awesome" if they tell you you need to pull the engine and rebuild it?

Glad your battery life is good. I notice you didn't mention it losing power when suspended. Curious.

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2. akho ◴[27 Aug 25 14:30 UTC] No.45040238[source]▶
> I notice you didn't mention it losing power when suspended. Curious.

Are you using a kernel > 6.8? It got (much) better.

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3. simpaticoder ◴[28 Aug 25 01:48 UTC] No.45047405[source]▶
Interesting. I'm not normally in the habit of upgrading the kernel independently of the distribution, but it's worth trying. Thanks for the tip.
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4. akho ◴[28 Aug 25 06:25 UTC] No.45049061{3}[source]▶
On earlier kernels, `acpi_osi="!Windows 2020"` was often recommended. Though I'm note sure what it does.

`nvme.noacpi=1` should be on, too, for all kernels.

(all derived from the nixos-hardware repo; I use that)

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5. simpaticoder ◴[28 Aug 25 21:41 UTC] No.45057376{4}[source]▶
Thanks. I upgraded the kernel (had to turn off secure boot to do it), and set the nvme kernel option, too. So far no unwanted side-effects, but it's too soon to say if it fixed the problem.