Framework, the modular laptop company, has unveiled the Laptop 13 Pro, a ground-up redesign of its 13.5-inch notebook that pairs a fully machined aluminium chassis with Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 processors and a claimed 20 hours of battery life.
The company is positioning the machine as a direct alternative to Apple's MacBook Pro, describing it as "the MacBook Pro for Linux users", while noting it also runs Windows.
At the centre of the redesign is a custom 13.5-inch, 3:2, 2,880 x 1,920 IPS display with touch support, a first for the Laptop 13 line.
The panel offers a variable refresh rate between 30Hz and 120Hz, 700-nit brightness and a 1,800:1 contrast ratio, and ships colour-calibrated with a matte finish.
Framework has paired the new display with a haptic trackpad, another first for the line, and improved speakers with Dolby Atmos audio.
The chassis is CNC-machined from a single block of 6000-series aluminium with a graphite anodised finish, housing a larger 74Wh battery that Framework says delivers more than double the endurance of the previous generation.
The company claims the Laptop 13 Pro slightly outlasts Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 on streaming workloads.
Processor options include Intel Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra X7 and Core Ultra X9 configurations, with the move to Series 3 bringing PCIe 5.0 support and Wi-Fi 7 to the Framework line for the first time.
Memory uses the LPCAMM2 standard, a modular format that delivers the efficiency of soldered LPDDR5X at up to 7,467 MT/s while remaining user-replaceable, with support for up to 64GB.
Storage supports up to 8TB via a standard M.2 PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe slot.
Framework has preserved its signature modularity throughout.
Users can replace the RAM, SSD and processor board, and the company is also offering last year's AMD Ryzen AI 300 mainboards as an alternative configuration.
Existing Laptop 13 owners can upgrade to Pro-level components individually, swapping the display, keyboard and trackpad, chassis, bottom cover or battery rather than buying a new machine.
The Laptop 13 Pro is Framework's first system to ship with Ubuntu Linux pre-loaded and certified, with community support for Fedora, NixOS, Linux Mint and other distributions.
The machine shares the same 15.85mm thickness as its predecessor but weighs slightly more at 1.4kg versus 1.3kg.
Pre-orders are open now, starting at $1,199 for the Intel Core Ultra 5 DIY Edition, where buyers supply their own RAM and storage, rising to $1,499 for a pre-built configuration with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
AMD-based models start at $1,399 for the DIY Edition.
The recap
- Framework unveils the Laptop 13 Pro with modular upgrade paths.
- 13.5-inch 3:2 2.8K IPS screen with 30-120Hz variable refresh.
- Thickness 15.85mm; weight 1.4kg (3.08lb) versus 1.3kg (2.86lb).