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Maybe more feedback than questions, although if there are roadmap items that would address these it'd be good to know! I'm really excited about this — besides r

Maybe more feedback than questions, although if there are roadmap items that would address these it'd be good to know! I'm really excited about this — besides repairability, I think the USB-C expansion cards are great, and a really neat solution to a tricky problem. I love the idea of never having to carry a USB-C dongle ever again, particularly when travelling. The blocker that is stopping me ordering this today (besides being in Canada) is: 1. The display. I've spent the last several years using laptops with higher resolution displays (either Macbook Pros or, more recently, a 4k Dell XPS 13), and honestly, I'm not going back. It's a shame that the one thing that doesn't seem to be upgradeable right now is the screen configuration. (I realise that the Framework's display isn't exactly low-res, but it feels like it's going to be in an uncanny valley of not quite HiDPI/Retina.) Beyond that, other things I wish were different (or at least clearer), but which aren't blockers: 1. Like other commenters, I don't use Windows, and I don't particularly want to pay for a Windows licence. 2. There's no mention I can see on the product page of how many external displays are supported, and in what configurations, and that's important to me. 3. I'd probably be more comfortable if some late pre-production units had made it to independent reviewers for judging things like battery life and the display. (I'd love to see an Anandtech breakdown of a Framework!)

nrp 5y ago
We're pretty happy with the display. At a little over 200 PPI, it is basically just over the edge of "retina" where pixels aren't visible at normal viewing distance, while being less power-hungry than a 4k panel. We offer the DIY Edition without Windows pre-installed, and will be publishing compatibility reports for popular Linux distros. With Intel 11th Gen CPUs, the Framework Laptop handles up to four simultaneous displays (which can be 4x external displays if you turn off the internal one). We'll be making review units available before we start shipping products out.
- LawnGnome 5y ago
  I really appreciate the response. Thanks!
skratlo 5y ago
The display is fine, 4k / retina is not practical in any way, it's just marketing.
- skrtskrt 5y ago
  Do we have to do this on every thread about laptops? Just because you don't care about 4K or retina doesn't mean it's marketing juju. People obviously find value in it. I use 2k and 4k screens with scaling on, and it makes text and edges very clear and smooth. It reduces my eye strain significantly. Lower res than 2k is very visibly fuzzy. It's fine if you don't value that, but to act like it's "not practical in any way" is plainly wrong. There are people in every laptop thread pushing the narrative that anyone who prefers a higher resolution screen is delusional or lying. It's really strange.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
    As long as we can also stop claiming that a machine is automatically unusable because it has a slightly lower resolution, sure. People seem oddly convinced that only their preferred resolution / pixel density is valid in both directions.
  - leetcrew 5y ago
    you realize "2K" is just 1080p, right? it's hard to find a lower resolution than 1080p in 2021 unless you go digging deep in the bargain bin. to my eyes, 1080p is more than enough for a 13" display, but possibly insufficient for 15"+. ymmv, of course. > There are people in every laptop thread pushing the narrative that anyone who prefers a higher resolution screen is delusional or lying. It's really strange. people get frustrated when they can't find a SKU with their preferred feature set. 4K is not without its drawbacks (dramatically increased power consumption and lackluster hidpi support in some software). imo, 1440p is a much more reasonable upgrade for most laptop sizes, but it seems that most models only offer 1080p and 4K SKUs. sometimes you can't get the high end parts without also getting a 4K panel.
- pkulak 5y ago
  It matters because you want to scale in integer amounts. So 110 dpi is fine. 220 too. Even 330. So it's not just higher number better, but the right number better.

nrp 5y ago

We're pretty happy with the display. At a little over 200 PPI, it is basically just over the edge of "retina" where pixels aren't visible at normal viewing distance, while being less power-hungry than a 4k panel. We offer the DIY Edition without Windows pre-installed, and will be publishing compatibility reports for popular Linux distros. With Intel 11th Gen CPUs, the Framework Laptop handles up to four simultaneous displays (which can be 4x external displays if you turn off the internal one). We'll be making review units available before we start shipping products out.

LawnGnome 5y ago
I really appreciate the response. Thanks!

skratlo 5y ago

The display is fine, 4k / retina is not practical in any way, it's just marketing.

skrtskrt 5y ago
Do we have to do this on every thread about laptops? Just because you don't care about 4K or retina doesn't mean it's marketing juju. People obviously find value in it. I use 2k and 4k screens with scaling on, and it makes text and edges very clear and smooth. It reduces my eye strain significantly. Lower res than 2k is very visibly fuzzy. It's fine if you don't value that, but to act like it's "not practical in any way" is plainly wrong. There are people in every laptop thread pushing the narrative that anyone who prefers a higher resolution screen is delusional or lying. It's really strange.
- yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
  As long as we can also stop claiming that a machine is automatically unusable because it has a slightly lower resolution, sure. People seem oddly convinced that only their preferred resolution / pixel density is valid in both directions.
- leetcrew 5y ago
  you realize "2K" is just 1080p, right? it's hard to find a lower resolution than 1080p in 2021 unless you go digging deep in the bargain bin. to my eyes, 1080p is more than enough for a 13" display, but possibly insufficient for 15"+. ymmv, of course. > There are people in every laptop thread pushing the narrative that anyone who prefers a higher resolution screen is delusional or lying. It's really strange. people get frustrated when they can't find a SKU with their preferred feature set. 4K is not without its drawbacks (dramatically increased power consumption and lackluster hidpi support in some software). imo, 1440p is a much more reasonable upgrade for most laptop sizes, but it seems that most models only offer 1080p and 4K SKUs. sometimes you can't get the high end parts without also getting a 4K panel.
pkulak 5y ago
It matters because you want to scale in integer amounts. So 110 dpi is fine. 220 too. Even 330. So it's not just higher number better, but the right number better.