Framework now accepts US dollars for new Laptop 12, starting 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 at least briefly delayed US preorders of the new […]

Apr 10, 2025 - 18:55

Framework now accepts US dollars for new Laptop 12, starting at $549

The Framework Laptop 12. | Image: Framework

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 at least briefly delayed US preorders of the new Laptop 12 and paused sales on its other cheapest machines.

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

Framework has now opened Laptop 12 pre-orders in the US on Thursday starting at $549, after opening them for the UK, Europe, and Canada at €569/£499/$719 CAD a day earlier.

Those prices are 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 $799 US, €849, £749, and $1,079 CAD respectively, which is getting close 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 $549 or £499, it starts with a six-core 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1315U from 2023, with a 10-core i5-1334U available for $150 or £150 more. The $799/£749 prebuilt model starts with the same i3 chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and you’ll pay $250/£200 more ($1049/£949) to upgrade to the i5 and 16GB of memory.

$799 and $1,049 machines aren’t exactly entry-level for the United States, and my colleague Jess Weatherbed assures me that similarly spec’d laptops can be had for anywhere between £400 and £600 in the UK. In either locale, you can find more powerful thin-and-light machines available at the prices that Framework’s asking today. Again, repairability and modularity aren’t free.

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 DIY and prebuilt models should ship in June and July, respectively, Framework wrote Wednesday, but I’m seeing that new buyers will get their machines in July or later. The June batch sold out less than an hour after preorders went live, though buyers who wish to donate $250 to Hack Club can get their preorder bumped to June for the black color of the laptop.

Update, April 10th: Updated now that Framework has also put the US version on preorder.