Framework Laptop 13 (2025) review: getting better with age Canada reviews

On the outside, Framework’s new Laptop 13 looks about the same as it has for the past four years. But the modular, upgradable, easily-repairable laptop has changed plenty where it counts: on the inside. It’s getting a chip bump for 2025, which would normally be pretty boring for any other laptop. But for the Framework, an improvement for new users is also an upgrade for anyone who’s bought one since 2021.

That’s the beauty of a Framework: A new model means a whole new processor and main board you can drop into the computer you already own.

Now equipped with AMD Ryzen AI 300-series chips, the Laptop 13 continues to deliver on a longshot promise Framework made years ago, offering a laptop that allows you to pick your ports and replace nearly every component — from RAM and the SSD to a different keyboard, small cosmetic touches, and even a new screen. Its design may be nearly unchanged, but where other laptops make us feel lucky to get a user-accessible M.2 SSD slot, the Framework 13 allows you to build to your own spec.

The biggest change for the 2025 Framework Laptop 13 is its AMD chip offerings, which now start prebuilt with the Ryzen AI 5 340 for $1,099, the Ryzen AI 7 350 starting at $1,529, and the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 from $2,099. The mainboards are also available separately, for people who already have a Framework 13; at $449 for the Ryzen 340, $699 for the 350, and $999 for the HX 370.

Our review unit is a DIY Edition with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 chip, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, an optional 120Hz 2880 x 1920 matte display, and a couple translucent bezels (I opted to install the green one for a touch of Halo vibes). The Laptop 13 has four expansion card slots, and my review unit came with five swappable cards: two USB-C, one USB-A, DisplayPort, and an ethernet jack that juts out from the thin chassis.

Aside from some new color options for the bezel and the expansion cards, the laptop looks identical to previous generations. It has some tiny updates: Wi-Fi 7, a new thermal cooling system with a larger heatpipe, and a tiny refinement to the keyboard preventing longer keys from buzzing when blasting the speakers. The Framework’s speakers are mid at best, but somebody must be jamming out enough to get the friggin’ keys rattling. My review unit also includes updates Framework introduced with its Intel Core Ultra model last year, like the 120Hz screen and an improved webcam, both available as upgrades for existing laptops.

Like the last-gen AMD model, the new Framework 13’s four USB-C-based expansion slots aren’t all the same speed. The rear two slots support USB4 while the front two are USB 3.2. All four support DisplayPort, though the left front one is DP 1.4 while the rest are 2.0. So, yes, you can potentially push video out to four displays. The Intel model doesn’t have these limitations; all four of its expansion slots support USB4.

I recommend the DIY Edition, even if you’re not the tinkering type. It’s less expensive and gives you more configuration options. It’s also the cheapest way to get the 120Hz screen — the prebuilts only come with the 60Hz display.

Setting up our DIY review unit was simple and fun. It took me around 30 minutes to open it up, clip in the RAM, screw in the M.2 SSD, and attach the keyboard deck and magnetic bezel. Even if you’re completely new to this, Framework’s step-by-step guides, with clear pictures and video clips, make it a breeze. It took longer to set up Windows 11 the way I like it.

The new Framework remains a handsome little laptop. Its 3:2 screen aspect ratio is great for productivity, giving you more vertical space than the more common 16:9 and 16:10 screens, and its battery lasts through a full eight-hour work day. It feels just as snappy as the last-gen Intel and AMD models, with a touch of added smoothness at 120Hz when plugged in (by default, Windows bumps you down to 60Hz on battery, though you can override this).

Its trackpad remains squarely in the passable-to-fine range, but it still feels ripped from a cheaper laptop. I never had any issues with rattling keys on the previous-gen models (I guess I was never cool enough to pump the speakers loud enough), but I continue to enjoy the Framework’s keyboard. It has 1.5mm of key travel that feels good overall, though a touch spongier than I’d prefer.

I rarely hear the fan using Slack and Google Docs with dozens of Chrome tabs open, and it just gets a little warm to the touch on its underside. (The fan also doesn’t seem to spin up randomly as often as the Intel model does.)

The eight-core AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 chip is up to 22 percent faster than the last Framework models in multicore CPU performance, though it falls a little short for graphics work due to its less powerful integrated GPU. The 350 chip’s Geekbench 6.4 GPU score is 34 percent lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H model, and 23 percent lower than the last-gen AMD model with Ryzen 7 7840U. But the Framework 13 is also available with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 for $430 more; that’s the same Strix Point chip we’ve seen in the Asus Zenbook S 16, among others, with a much more powerful integrated GPU than either of the old Frameworks.

The Ryzen AI 350 is powerful enough for light-duty Photoshop and Lightroom Classic work, but the Framework 13’s screen — while passable — is just a little too washed out for color-dependent tasks. I love that this 2880 x 1920 matte panel is 120Hz, but the color and contrast are lackluster, like Framework’s original 60Hz, 2256 x 1504 display that’s still the only option for prebuilts. The 2880 x 1920 panel gets pretty bright at 500 nits, but color quality is squarely in the mediocre range.

Framework’s configurator prices our review unit at $ 1,781 (not counting a Windows 11 license). That’s well into entry-level M4 MacBook Pro territory and about the same as a bigger Asus Zenbook S 16 with the HX 370 CPU; Framework charges $2,099 for a prebuilt with that chip.

The $999 M4 MacBook Air blows the Framework 13’s chips out of the water in single-core performance, has a nicer screen, and lasts much longer on battery. But there’s no upgrading anything in a MacBook after you order it — ever.

If you value repairability and upgradability in a laptop, there’s no competition for the Framework 13. I’m a big fan of what this company stands for, and with the Framework 13, it continues to deliver on its promise of a modular, repairable, upgradeable laptop.

Sure, some of the components in the Framework 13 are middling for the money. But no other laptop maker launches new models alongside standalone parts that existing owners can buy to upgrade their laptops. Imagine if Apple let M1 MacBook Air owners buy just the M4 mainboard when it launched, instead of a whole new laptop?

What began as an unproven startup in 2021 has matured into an intriguing and viable alternative to the big laptop brands and a standard-bearer for the right to repair. The Framework Marketplace was once a ghost town, but now it’s brimming with replacement parts and at-the-ready upgrades.

The Framework Laptop 13 is a proven platform now. The fates of the company’s upcoming Desktop and budget 12-inch laptop are less clear. Will they be enduring hits like the Laptop 13 despite ongoing tariff chaos? Or will they be ongoing, unproven experiments, like the Laptop 16? I can’t say yet, but the more modular, the merrier.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge