The most customizable laptop around just gave users even more options.
Last year’s Framework Laptop was a godsend for “Right to Repair” enthusiasts because of its modular design, and now it can come with ChromeOS. Framework announced the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition this week, bringing its high degree of customization to fans of Google’s proprietary laptop OS. You can pre-order it now for a pretty big (by Chromebook standards) starting price of $1,000, and shipments start in December.
For those who don’t know, the Framework Laptop (which defaulted to Windows when it launched last year) is rare in the laptop world in that it’s basically built to be torn apart. It comes with a screwdriver and simple instructions for disassembling the device and replacing each and every major component, like onboard memory and storage. The real kicker was the swappable port system, which let you put any combination of four USB, USB-C, HDMI, or Ethernet (among others) ports onto the device.
Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable
This new version comes with a 2256×1504 resolution display, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, but you can upgrade those latter two specs to 64GB and 1TB, respectively. Just like anything else with ChromeOS, you can install any app on Google’s Play Store, making it a decidedly Android-like laptop experience. Framework will also let you attach different-colored bezels around the display for some added personalization.
I’d still personally go with the Windows option, but the Framework Laptop is pretty nifty regardless of OS. Now, people who love ChromeOS can get in on the fun, too.
The Framework Laptop can turn anyone into a ‘Right to Repair’ believer