Framework’s entry-level modular Laptop 12 starts at $549

Earlier this year, modular computer company Framework began a quest to fix “entry-level laptops” with the Framework Laptop 12, its first 12-inch laptop and its first 2-in-1 touchscreen PC. And as you might expect, Trump’s new US tariffs are making entry-level pricing difficult for Framework, which has at least briefly delayed US preorders of the new Laptop 12 and paused sales on its other cheapest machines.

But it appears that, tariffs or no, the new Framework Laptop 12 won’t exactly be cheap.

Framework has just opened Laptop 12 pre-orders in the UK, Europe, and Canada starting at €569/£499/$719 CAD. Hours after we published this story, Framework announced it will open US preorders starting at $549 tomorrow, April 10th.

That’s hundreds less than Framework’s other DIY laptops, but a good bit higher than today’s entry-level Windows laptops and Chromebooks even before you consider that price doesn’t include storage, memory, ports, or an operating system. If you want those preinstalled, the machines start at €849, £749, and $1,079 CAD respectively, which is getting closer to what Framework charges for its Laptop 13.

As usual, you pay more for Framework because you believe in repairability and upgrades, ones that might even save you money down the road. To date, Framework is the only company that’s delivered on the promise of a fully upgradable laptop, to the point you can even take its earliest Intel-based model and put a brand-new AMD motherboard and chip inside. We were also impressed with the Laptop 12’s colorful and friendly design!

But with the Framework Laptop 12, you’re also paying for a 2-in-1 backflipping touchscreen rather than the latest chips. At £499, it starts with a six-core 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1315U from 2023, with a 10-core i5-1334U available for £150 more. The £749 prebuilt model starts with the same i3 chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and you’ll pay £200 more to upgrade to the i5 and 16GB of memory.

While I’m mostly versed in US pricing, my UK colleague Jess Weatherbed assures me that similarly spec’d laptops can be had for anywhere between £400 and £600, and I can see more powerful thin-and-light machines available at the prices that Framework’s asking today. Again, repairability and modularity aren’t free.

(We’ll add US comparisons tomorrow once Framework reveals full US pricing; as of evening April 9th, it’s only revealed the US starting price.)

Framework isn’t yet selling the color-matched stylus with removable battery it showed off as a companion to this Laptop 12; that will go on sale “soon” and you’ll have to buy it separately. But you can also use any USI 2.0 or MPP 2.0-compatible stylus, the company says, with support for both Windows and Linux.

Speaking of colors, it appears that the prebuilt Laptop 12 will only be available in black for now. You’ll have to choose the mostly preassembled “DIY” version to get cute colors like the mint and pink model.

The first batches of DIY and prebuilt models should ship in June and July, respectively.

Update, April 9th: Added that Framework will put the US version on preorder tomorrow starting at $549.