Framework 16 Batch 12 Review

I'm going to keep this short.

So far, the laptop has been working really well for me. I upgraded from a Dell XPS 9560 which has really been showing its age. I do a lot of engineering work and software development from my laptop, and it was getting to the point where it just couldn't keep up anymore. On top of that, I couldn't buy an official battery from Dell anymore. Batteries are one thing that I don't mess around with, at least for laptops.

I chose the AMD 7840 HS with 32GB of Crucial 5600 MHz installed. I don't remember the exact SKU for my ram. Bios is set to limit charge to 60% and is mostly run off of AC. Fractional scaling works well with Plasma 6, but I've just opted to keep scaling at 100% and zoom in when I need it.

Screen and Screen Flex:

I don't notice it at all in day to day. Technically, it does flex more than my Dell, but it seems fine. The screen is a very nice upgrade over the 1080p panel I had in my XPS. The colors are decent and the size is ideal for me and my preferences. I haven't watched any movies on this as I'm running Fedora 40 and have to look up the Widevine hacks and just do it.

The one weird thing, is that it seems like my screen doesn't sit completely flat. With the lid closed, I'm able to still press down on the top of the screen and see a smallish gap close from mating towards the middle of the chassis.

Keyboard:

I really like the feel of this keyboard. Mine has none of the flex issues that were previously advertised. I have two mechanical, QMK keyboards that I use at work and home. I'm excited to be able to customize this one with QMK, but I haven't had the time yet. Luckily, it has the defaults of `Fn + LEFT == Home` and all of the other anlogous ones with END, PAGE UP, and PAGE DOWN.

Touchpad:

Touchpad is about the same size as my Dell. it could be larger for sure, but it feels sufficient. I don't tend to physically click. I've always tapped to click, so the top hinge doesn't bother me. Like any hinge system, the force required to press close to the hinges is significant compared to the the opposing edge. But, my fingers glide smoothly on the touchpad and it hasn't interferred with anything. I also haven't had any issues with Fedora 40 + KDE with regards to palm rejection.

My touchpad does have the slight warp at the top corners like others have. It is annoying knowing it exists, but it hasn't provided any practical issues.

Spacers

The spacers are not as egregious as they looked online. There is some slight wiggle room caused by the slight warp that it seems everyone is having. I do wish Framework would at least acknowledge this particular issue, but it's not affecting the use of the laptop at all. The keyboard spacers fit perfectly. I chose the black spacers.

Operating System / Fedora 40 + KDE Plasma 6

I've always been a heavy Linux user. I used to always dual boot. I then switched to WSL and WSL2 when they came out and have been using them often for the last several years. Most of my Windows use is FireFox, WSL2, and video games occasionally when on my desktop. But for my laptop, I decided to drop Windows and go full Linux since this is what my work system is like anyways with the exception of using Rocky and Gnome.

With Fedora 40, it's been working great straight out of the box. I enjoy Plasma 6 better than Windows 11. I'm a huge (ab)user of virtual desktops, and I appreciate how KDE handles this. The system is smooth and responsive. The drivers needed for the Dell Dock at my job was detected. There was a weird issue where my Framework required the Dock to have a more powerful PSU even when just idling, but that was a simple fix.

One weird thing, and I'm unsure if it's AMD/USB 4, Fedora + KDE, or the dock itself, is that I often have to 'disable' and then 'enable' my secondary monitor that's plugged into my dock via display port after my machine goes to sleep. But, power delivery, network connectivity, and USB peripherals all work. This could very well be any of the three I mentioned, and my GoogleFu hasn't revealed anything yet.

Size:

This is smaller and weighs less than my work Dell Precision laptop. So, I'm happy with it. The thermals on this are much better than my old XPS or my work Precision. It fits well in my work-provided backpack. It is indeed larger than I anticipated, but it's still been comfortable to use in my lap. It's normally plugged in when I use it.

Fingerprint Sensor:

Works well. No issues. Any weirdness I'd have issues with is how Linux itself uses it. I need to research disabling it when working in the terminal. But, it works very smoothly and has worked with Fedora straight out of the box.