It’s hard not to admire Framework’s updated commitment to the original 13-inch modular laptop. . When a new Intel (or AMD) chip rolls around, it builds new motherboards that can be swapped out to keep your machine on the cutting edge. And it’s over to give a second (or third) life to the still working motherboards you no longer use.
(Series 1) processors on their motherboards with the Ultra 5 125H, Ultra 7 155H and Ultra 7 165H. These offer more efficient power usage, better thermals and the option to add up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM. To accompany the new silicon, the company introduced a second-generation webcam and display.
Considering the need to adapt to the existing template, the motherboards are almost identical to their predecessors. The heating system is tuned to keep things cooler without making too much noise. Intel’s new Core Ultra Chips are designed to be a bit gentler with power consumption and how much heat they generate. Current Frame machines are notorious for turning their fans into full throttle with just a little exercise.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the update long enough to get any solid benchmarks, but it seems a lot faster than its predecessor. The company says you should expect to see improvements in power efficiency, battery life, and video and gaming performance. As for the fan noise, it’s a bit quieter than the previous model, especially when playing games – which it can do quite easily now. you will still hear the fan while playing the game Grand Theft Auto Vbut it won’t sound like a jet engine taking off.
I have less meaningful things to say about the 2,880 x 1,920, 120Hz display. The only really notable difference is that the original display has a brightness of 400 nits, but this brightness will be increased to 500. additional resolution.
Framework’s first-generation webcams weren’t sloppy, but even that is subject to the vagaries of the unceasing passage of time. The space limitations of laptop cases mean we’re only now seeing better sensors like we’ve seen on phones, and that space is shrinking to the point of fitting. The it is a 9.2-megapixel sensor with backlight and pixel stacking: the first allows better performance in low light; The latter compresses the 9.2-megapixel image to produce a higher-resolution 1080p image than we’ve seen before. In front of the sensor is a five-element f/2.0 lens with an 87-degree field of view, again with the promise of better image quality.
Setting up the webcam — and everything else — is, as always, a breeze. But while the placement of the new module is good enough, the image you get out of the other end isn’t a huge improvement. Colors are still fairly dull, and I’m not sure I can see enough difference between the two models to consider upgrading, other than better detail. While stacking pixels makes the image sharper, it’s not a night-and-day change. While new buyers will get the new module as a matter of course, those with existing Framework Laptop 13s shouldn’t feel like they’re missing out.
