Framework announces Laptop 13 Pro, ‘the MacBook Pro for Linux users’
Framework announces Laptop 13 Pro, ‘the MacBook Pro for Linux users’
Publish Date: 2026-04-21 14:08:00
Source Domain: www.theverge.com
Every time we review a Framework laptop, we find familiar pros and cons. They’re truly upgradable, incredibly repairable, but we always wish the battery lasted longer. We always wish the build quality were top notch.
Today, Framework is announcing what could be the answer: the Framework Laptop 13 Pro.
I just tried it at Framework’s event in San Francisco, and the build quality feels like night and day compared to the somewhat piecemeal designs the company’s released before.
Sleek. Image: Framework
It’s the company’s first laptop to be fully machined out of blocks of 6000-series aluminum, its first with a haptic trackpad, and its first with a fully custom 13.5-inch, 3:2, 2.8K, variable refresh rate (30-120Hz) IPS screen that comes color-calibrated right out of the box.
With the option to order it preloaded with Ubuntu instead of only Windows, Framework CEO Nirav Patel says its goal for this computer is to be “the MacBook Pro for Linux users.” And — especially in anodized black, though it also comes in silver — it looks like it could play the part!
With a 22 percent higher capacity battery (74Wh), an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” chip, and LPCAMM2 compression-mounted memory, Framework even claims it can (barely) beat the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro in battery life — at least when it comes to streaming 20 hours of 4K Netflix at a go.
And while we can’t test that quite yet, Framework let us tear down the entire machine today, play with the keyboard, touchpad, touchscreen, and chassis. It largely feels premium in a way Framework laptops haven’t felt before. The machined aluminum chassis and keyboard have so little flex, the touchpad feels incredibly smooth with nice haptic taps. And, like Apple’s MacBooks, the hinge is properly tensioned so you can open the lid with a single finger. I show that off in our video above!
Here are some photos from my colleague Victoria Barrios, too including us pulling out a LPCAMM2 memory module:
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