Framework Laptop 16

The Framework Laptop 16 is the laptop for people who print their own replacement parts and think soldered RAM is a moral failing. It’s a 16-inch modular laptop with a hot-swappable GPU, swappable keyboard (mechanical or membrane), and an expansion-card system that replaces fixed ports. It is the most repairable laptop on the market. It is also a series of compromises you have to want.

The modularity

The Expansion Bay (GPU) accepts a Radeon RX 7700S module that slides in from the side — no disassembly required. It’s a clever mechanical system with a PCIe connector rated for hot-swap. The Expansion Card system on the sides lets you reconfigure ports: USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, microSD, SSD storage, even a hotkey pad. Six slots total. The Input Deck is magnetic and swappable — pick low-profile membrane, or a per-key-illuminated mechanical keyboard with hot-swap switches. You can also place a numpad or macro pad in different layouts.

This is the only laptop where you can change the GPU, the keyboard, the ports, and the storage architecture without tools.

Performance

CPU is the AMD Ryzen 7 8040HS (8-core Zen 4, 5.1GHz). With the RX 7700S Expansion Bay module, you get real discrete graphics — 8GB GDDR6, ~12 TFLOPs. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1600p medium, ~75fps native, ~110 with FSR. It’s not a gaming laptop, but it games credibly. Without the GPU module (or in “light” mode with it removed for battery), it’s a competent ultraportable.

Geekbench 6: 2,600 single, 12,000 multi. Cinebench R24 multi: ~1,400.

RAM and storage are user-replaceable — DDR5 SO-DIMM (up to 96GB) and two M.2 2280 NVMe slots. This alone makes it unlike every other laptop in 2026.

Build and display

16-inch 2560×1600 IPS at 165Hz, 100% sRGB, 500 nits, matte. It’s a good panel, not great — no OLED option, color accuracy is fine for work, not for color grading. Build is a magnesium-aluminum alloy, 1.9 kg (heavier without GPU). It flexes more than a MacBook under torsion, but feels durable.

Battery is 90Wh. With the GPU module out, expect 8-10 hours of light work. With it in and under load, 2 hours. The GPU module is a power cost.

What’s wrong

• The expansion modules add gaps and seams — it’s not a unibody. Creaks slightly.
• The fan noise under load is louder than competitors.
• The Expansion Bay GPU is a generation behind and you’re locked to AMD modules.
• No OLED display option.
• $1,399 base + $400 for the GPU module puts it in MacBook territory for less polish.
• Linux support is excellent (Framework ships a custom Fedora image); Windows support is fine but the AMD GPU driver switching occasionally hiccups.
• The keyboard deck can shift when carrying the open laptop.

The verdict

The Framework Laptop 16 is not the best laptop at any single thing. It is the best laptop at being yours — repairable, upgradeable, reconfigurable, and free of planned obsolescence. If you value that ethos above benchmark peaks and unibody polish, it’s the only laptop that matters. If you just want the best 16-inch laptop, buy a MacBook Pro.