TL;DR
- Framework is working on a 16-inch modular gaming laptop.
- The machine will be highly customizable and designed to last for years.
- Preorders are expected to begin later this Spring with shipments starting near the end of the year.
Nirav Patel, the founder of Framework — a company best known for its 13-inch modular laptop called the Framework Laptop — has set his eyes on the gaming space. His company’s next project will be a 16-inch modular gaming laptop.
In an interview with Engadget, Patel revealed a few details about the latest product his company is working on. Called the Framework Laptop 16, this computer will be a gaming laptop that’s highly customizable just like the original Framework Laptop.
Although Patel avoided talking about the laptop’s specs, he did go in-depth about how his company plans on avoiding the same fate as other companies that attempted to go down this same route. To that extent, the strategy that Framework seems to be employing is centered around flexibility and support.
In terms of flexibility, the Framework Laptop 16 has reportedly been designed to grow and shrink as required. For example, there’s enough room in the chassis for a current generation GPU module as well as future ones. With the ability to change size, the company doesn’t have to constrain its modular components to a single size.
“It’s been tried in the past, it’s failed horribly, so much so that there’s a class action lawsuit,” Patel admitted to Engadget. “What they did wrong, we learned all of [their] lessons so what we’re building is an expansion bay system.”
The laptop also has an unprecedented level of both internal and external customization. It offers a swappable keyboard, mousepad, and any other module designed for the top deck. Additionally, the GPU, storage, and more are swappable as well. According to Patel, this should help with future generations of technology:
“Instead of getting stuck where we can’t support new generations, we have that flexibility within that expansion bay to reconfigure any internal – or external – aspect of it to make sure it works.”
As for support, the company already builds its own mainboards and reportedly has made the ties it needs to build its own graphics cards. The company has also apparently developed a secondary display, haptic slider, LED matrix display, and two types of keyboards (regular and RGB backlighting).
“We think, with the Framework Laptop 13 having shown this third generation of products all launching within the same form factor, all continuing support all the way back to the first laptop we ever shipped, it shows we are in this for the long haul,” said Patel. “When we say we’re building things for longevity, we’re gonna keep delivering upgrades, that is something we’re going to deliver on.”
The Framework Laptop 16 will be the company’s first foray into gaming notebooks. Before this new project, Framework delivered its first modular Chromebook.
