Pros
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Fully repairable
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Great 100% sRGB screen
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Fast processor
Cons
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Middling battery life
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High initial cost
The Framework Chromebook’s simple repairability lets you keep it running for years to come.
About the Framework Chromebook
Here are the specs of the laptop we tested:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1240P
- Operating System: ChromeOS
- Graphics: Integrated
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 3200
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display: 13.5-inch, 2256 x 1504, Touchscreen, IPS
- Ports: 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x HDMI, 1x microSD card reader, 1x Headphone jack
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
- Camera: 1080p 60fps webcam
- Battery: 55Whr battery
- Weight: 2.86 pounds
- Size: 11.67 x 9.01 x 0.62 inches
- Warranty: 1-year limited warranty
All Framework Chromebook configurations are only available with an Intel Core i5-1240P processor. Any hardware customization options are limited to port and storage expansion cards. The overall price will fluctuate depending on what expansion cards you add to your purchase. (Framework devices can have a maxim of four expansion cards.) As configured here, our review unit cost $1,037 at checkout.
What we like
Customizable ports
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
Framework and Google team up to bring you a thin, light, high-performance laptop with a 12th Gen Intel Core processor.
Do you need an HDMI port or an Ethernet port? On the Framework Chromebook, you can swap out a port and put another in its place via a total of four modular USB-C port pockets.
Our Framework Chromebook came with four USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a microSD card reader, but you can buy as many ports as you want. If you add in a DisplayPort and an Ethernet connection, you might never need another dongle or USB dock ever again (but please don’t when you could donate or give them away instead).
It’s the same laptop with a different OS
If you’ve checked out the original Framework Laptop, the Framework Chromebook will be familiar to you. The only real difference between mainstream laptops and this Chromebook is a Chromebook logo on the lid and a ChromeOS operating system under the hood. For Framework, that uniformity is a good thing—every laptop has the same chassis so they can share parts.
Framework strives to make its laptops as easy to modify and repair as possible for the average user. Each part has a QR code that pops open a webpage with instructions on how to install/uninstall the part, and Framework has a web store where you can buy anything from replacement displays to mainboards; it’s committed to the Right to Repair movement, which advocates for consumer access to important technical documentation so they can repair their own devices independent of the manufacturer.
Pushing back on sealed chassis, irreplaceable parts, and restrictive warranties is essential for everyone to have access to their electronics for repairs and extend their lives. Keep being you, Framework!
Great performance
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition comes with a power adapter, expansion cards, and framework screwdriver.
Armed with the mid-range Intel Core i5-1240P processor, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD drive, the Framework Chromebook can take some pressure. It’s one of the fastest Chromebooks we’ve tested, tying the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming Chromebook in performance.
In the Basemark 3.0 general processor benchmark, they each scored about 1285 points, which means they’re more than fast enough to run the average webpage, and they can handle dozens of tabs before beginning to slow down. These scores are on par with other productivity laptops around a thousand dollars, such as the HP Spectre 14.
While the Framework Chromebook’s midrange performance won’t compete with, say, a MacBook Pro 14 M2, it’s appropriate for most productivity tasks such as browsing the web, writing documents, or combing through spreadsheets.
Should you be brave enough to venture into graphics-heavy tasks, the Framework Chromebook can handle some light 3D tasks. Apps like Sculptura, which are designed with mobile processors in mind, run well on the Intel Core i5-1240P. In the 3DMark Wildlife benchmark, the Framework Chromebook scored 4468 points, one of the highest Chromebook scores we’ve seen and a good score overall for a laptop with an integrated graphics chip.
If you wish to stream movies and TV shows, its Wi-Fi 6E card will keep bitrates high and stable. ). Streaming a video game from a desktop PC or cloud gaming shouldn’t be an issue so long as your internet is fast enough. Of course, if you’d rather connect via Ethernet, Framework has that optional port available.
It’s good for web calls and videos
Chromebook makers have stepped up these past few years when it comes to packing quality screens into their laptops, and the Framework Chromebook is no exception. Its 2K display is the same one on the Framework Laptop, which covers the full standard RGB color gamut and gets up to 450 nits of brightness. The 3:2 display ratio also helps the 13-inch display feel more spacious for split-screen tasks.
If you mind your privacy, the webcam and microphone have a physical power switch as well as a privacy shutter. When you do want them powered on, the 1080p 60fps webcam looks crisp in a brightly lit room.
On the receiving end, the Chromebook’s speakers are loud and clear, although a bit tinny but not enough to distort the person on the other end.
What we don’t like
Disappointing battery life
At only five hours, the Framework Chromebook will leave you scanning the room for a power outlet toward the end of a school or workday. To test battery life, we set the laptop’s display to 200 nits of brightness and automatically rotate through webpages in Chrome to drain the battery from a full charge until it shuts off.
Framework laptops have not been known for their battery life, but even so, five hours is a notable downgrade from the original Framework’s six hours and 48 minutes.
Windows laptops have had their battery lives extended in recent years thanks to processors becoming more power efficient. But Chromebooks have seen the opposite trend: they’re more powerful than they used to be, but this power comes at the cost of battery life.
Should you buy the Framework Chromebook?
Maybe, if you want ChromeOS in a durable package
Credit:
Reviewed / Adrien Ramirez
The Framework Chrome comes with stereo 2W speakers with improved 80dB loudness, dual MEMS microphones with hardware privacy switch, and a 3.5mm combo headphone jack.
The Framework Chromebook is not only enjoyable to use but it’s also a machine that will last a long time. Its sturdily build and the QR code system make it dead-easy to modify and repair the machine. It does cost $1,000, but the high price can be offset by the low cost of repairing parts to keep this machine running for a decade or more.
Unfortunately, this standardized approach to laptop making does have its drawbacks. The Chromebook’s processor is fast and efficient, but it’s not best-in-class for anything in particular. If you need to do heavy work like non-linear video editing or testing coding projects, you’ll be better off with a more powerful machine like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 or the MacBook Pro 14 M2 Pro (both of which have nine or more hours of battery life). The original Framework Laptop is also a great alternative as it can come equipped with Windows or Linux and up to a faster Intel Core i7-1280P processor.
Battery life aside, the Framework Chromebook is a good laptop—it’s one of the best Chromebooks we’ve tested. However, it’s a hard price to swallow for what it offers when there are better alternatives from Framework itself as long as you use Windows.
Framework Chromebook
Get the speed and security of a Chromebook with the ability to upgrade, customize, and repair if you ever need to.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Meet the tester
Adrien is a staff writer for Reviewed, mainly focused on reviewing laptops and other consumer tech. During his free time, he’s usually wandering around Hyrule.
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