The Framework Laptop 13 (2021) is a 13.5 inch ultraportable laptop that focuses on repairability, upgradeability, and modularity. It's a thin and light device that's easy to carry around, and it feels very well-built, sporting an all-metal chassis. It has a sharp 3:2 display, a comfortable keyboard, a large touchpad, and an excellent webcam. Its modular I/O system lets you swap out the ports on the fly, and you can also use it to increase storage space. You can purchase a pre-configured model or go the DIY route, allowing you to choose each component individually to suit your needs. The internals are easy to access if you want to upgrade later on, and there are even guides online to walk you through the process. It's available with Intel 11th Gen processors that perform well in light to moderately intensive workloads but aren't ideal for demanding tasks like gaming or video editing. Unfortunately, there aren't any dedicated GPU options to boost graphical performance. Neither the CPU nor the integrated GPU throttle under load; however, the fans are loud and can be annoying in a quiet room. Battery life is excellent as it lasts over 11 hours of light productivity and 8 hours of video playback.
You can see our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Note: You can only purchase the Framework Laptop through Framework's website.
Our Verdict
The Framework Laptop 13 2021 is great for school use. It's well-built and very portable, and its battery lasts over 11 hours of light productivity, enough to comfortably get you through a typical school day. The display is sharp, the keyboard doesn't cause fatigue, and the touchpad is large and responsive. Its Intel 11th Gen processor and integrated graphics can handle tasks like web browsing and text formatting. However, it isn't ideal for demanding workloads like graphic design or 3D animation.
- Easy to carry around thanks to thin and light design.
- Battery lasts easily through a typical day of light productivity.
- Large touchpad tracks well and keyboard feels good to type on.
- Excellent webcam video quality.
- Feels well-built.
- Loud fans.
The Framework Laptop 13 2021 is okay for gaming. Its Intel 11th Gen CPU performs well; however, its integrated graphics can't handle demanding games. You can run some older or lighter titles, but you'll have to play at low graphical settings to achieve playable frame rates in most instances. Also, it has a 60Hz display with a slow response time and no VRR support to reduce screen tearing.
- Easy to access internals for repairs and upgrades.
- Modular port system lets you change the port configuration on the fly.
- CPU and GPU don't throttle under load.
- CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding tasks like gaming and video editing.
- 60Hz display with slow response time and no VRR support.
- Loud fans.
The Framework Laptop 13 2021 is decent for media consumption. It's a very portable laptop, thanks to its thin and light design, and its battery life is excellent, lasting over 8 hours of video playback. The display is very sharp, but because it has a 3:2 aspect ratio, you'll almost always have black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. It's also an IPS panel with a relatively low contrast ratio, so it isn't the best option for dark room viewing. The speakers sound good as far as laptops go, but they don't get very loud.
- Easy to carry around thanks to thin and light design.
- Sharp display with full sRGB coverage.
- Decent-sounding speakers are well suited for spoken content.
- Battery lasts over 8 hours of video playback.
- Speakers don't get very loud.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
- No touch input.
The Framework Laptop 13 2021 is good as a workstation. Its Intel 11th Gen processor has exceptional single-thread performance, but it can't match the multi-thread performance of H-series mobile workstation CPUs with more cores and threads. Also, its integrated graphics' performance is limited, so it isn't ideal for graphically demanding tasks like video editing or 3D animation. On the upside, it's easy to access the internals for repairs and upgrades, and its port selection is excellent as you can swap out the expansion cards as needed.
- Easy to access internals for repairs and upgrades.
- Modular port system lets you change the port configuration on the fly.
- Large touchpad tracks well and keyboard feels good to type on.
- CPU and GPU don't throttle under load.
- Fast storage drive.
- CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding tasks like gaming and video editing.
- Loud fans.
The Framework Laptop 13 2021 is great for business use. It's a thin and light laptop that's easy to carry around, with a battery that lasts easily through a typical 8-hour workday of light productivity. The screen displays sharp images and text, the keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the touchpad tracks well. The webcam's video quality is excellent, but the microphone is too loud and picks up some background noise. Its port selection is excellent, as you can swap out the expansion cards on the fly to suit your needs. Its Intel 11th Gen processor can handle most productivity tasks like web browsing, text formatting, spreadsheets, and presentations. Unfortunately, the fans are pretty loud under load, which might bother some people in a quiet office.
- Easy to carry around thanks to thin and light design.
- Battery lasts easily through a typical day of light productivity.
- Easy to access internals for repairs and upgrades.
- Modular port system lets you change the port configuration on the fly.
- Large touchpad tracks well and keyboard feels good to type on.
- Excellent webcam video quality.
- Feels well-built.
- Loud fans.
Changelog
- Updated May 10, 2024: We've updated the review to provide information regarding a battery issue some users have experienced in the Battery section.
- Updated Sep 27, 2023: We've changed the name of the laptop to include the size, as Framework now makes models in various sizes.
- Updated Oct 11, 2022: We've uploaded a new thermal photo in the Thermals and Noise section as the previous image didn't show the correct temperature bounds. It should be 22°C to 52°C instead of 21.5°C to 43.8°C. This change doesn't affect the score.
- Updated Feb 23, 2022: The material type has been changed, as it was mistakenly indicated that the touchpad is plastic instead of glass.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Framework Laptop 13 2021 (pre-configured Performance model) with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. You can get the Framework Laptop as a pre-configured model or go the DIY route, allowing you to choose each component individually. Regardless of the configuration you choose, you have the option to add expansion cards (modular ports and storage drives) before checking out. You can see the configuration options in the tables below.
| Pre-configured Models | Specifications |
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Professional |
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| DIY Edition | Options |
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| Wireless Adapter |
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| Expansion cards |
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You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
Compared to other laptops, the Framework Laptop 13 2021 stands out for its unique modular design and excellent repairability. As it's available in a DIY Edition, it's also easier to customize the laptop the way you want instead of being limited to pre-configured models. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best business laptops, the best laptops for programming, and the best laptops for graphic design.
The Framework Laptop 13 (2021) is better than the HP ENVY x360 13 (2020) for most uses. The Framework Laptop has a sharper display, better-sounding speakers, a larger and more responsive touchpad, and a much better webcam. The Framework Laptop's build feels sturdier, it's easier to repair and upgrade, and its modular port system lets you change the port configuration on the fly to suit your needs. On the other hand, the Envy x360 is a 2-in-1 convertible you can use as a tablet; its keyboard feels more comfortable to type on, and it's available with a 1000 cd/m² display and AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs.
The Framework Laptop 13 (2021) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 (2019) are both ultraportable laptops. The Surface Laptop 3's display is larger and brighter, its keyboard is more comfortable to type on for long periods, and its touchpad is more responsive. However, the Framework Laptop has a modular port system that lets you swap out the ports for whatever you need, and it's much easier to repair or upgrade the components. The Framework Laptop's Intel 11th Gen processors perform much better than the AMD Ryzen 3000-series CPUs on the Surface Laptop 3, and the Framework also has a much longer battery.
The Framework Laptop 13 (2021) and the Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) are very different. The Framework Laptop is an ultraportable productivity laptop designed for light to moderately demanding tasks, while the Alienware m15 R3 is a thick and bulky gaming laptop. The Alienware m15 R3 can handle much heavier workloads as it's available with significantly more powerful GPUs; however, its battery lasts only a little over three hours of light productivity, whereas the Framework Laptop lasts well over 11 hours. The Alienware has a wider port selection and a more comfortable keyboard, but the Framework Laptop has a higher-quality webcam and a brighter display.
The Framework Laptop 13 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019) are very different. The Framework Laptop is a thin and light Windows laptop, while the MacBook Pro 16 is a mobile workstation that runs on macOS and has a much more powerful dedicated GPU. The MacBook Pro has a larger, sharper, and more colorful display and a larger and more responsive touchpad. However, the Framework Laptop's keyboard feels more comfortable to type on, and its battery lasts much longer. The Framework Laptop is easier to carry around due to its smaller size and thinner profile, and it's more serviceable as it provides easy access to the internals, and most parts are user-replaceable.
Test Results
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