Framework Laptop

Do-It-Yourself Upgradeable Laptop 

- GUY COCKER

THE MOVE AWAY from easy-to-upgrade gadgets to devices that are impenetrable has to be one of the worst tech trends over the last 15 years. It’s one of the reasons we’ve paused our repair guides in partnership with iFixIt—your laptop and phone have become unfixable to the average user. Sure, you can upgrade the RAM and SSD on most consumer laptops, and the Wi-Fi card if you’re feeling adventurous, but if you want to upgrade anything else, you’re basically looking at buying a whole new machine.

California-based Framework, founded just under three years ago, is attempting to do something about this problem and the e-waste it creates. Its Laptop is highly upgradeable, from an entirely replaceable mainboard inside, to the I/O ports on the outside, meaning you can in theory buy the laptop chassis once and then replace the bits that become outdated over time. It’s a smart idea, both from the ease that it offers consumers the chance to upgrade, to the fact that it reduces the amount of waste each time.