Laptop companies: which one?
Hello fellows,
I'm currently looking in 13-14" laptops with no immediate needs for one but just because it's exciting. I love my Dell XPS but I feel I should support companies with which I share more common views. I could make the effort to go a with a less attractive look (especially for bezels) but I don't want to go wrong with hardware so what are your thoughts on Framework, Starlab, Purism, and System76? I'll be running Arch and I tend to have a preference for Framework for now.
Do you have feedback (positive and negative) to share on any of these companies?
Thanks for the knowledge you'll bring me. That'll be extremely useful when time comes to go with a new machine.
Update 1: Still wonderful to be part of such a great community. Thanks for all the great feedback (looking for more :) ).
So far everyone is standing behind Framework. Anyone with a less positive experience or who would like to speak for the other companies?
Update 2: Thank you fellows for the time you've spent to share your honest feedback! I didn't want to influence your inputs but you all confirmed the Framework picture I had in mind. It's a piece of mind to read real world experience so thanks again. I was surprised to not see the system76 community speaks louder. Anyway, when time comes I will (virtually) push Framework shop's door.
I have a framework, pretty happy with it - Arch installed without any hitches and runs well. Only downside is how long it took to go from deposit to actually paying/shipping.
I've been wanting a Framework so bad. When I start working again (which should be soon), I'm going to save up for one.
The modularity, repairability, and price for specs are what attracts me compared to the other companies mentioned in this post.
I love my Framework. It may not feel as polished physically as the XPS. If you can find one in the wild to touch and try, I would recommend doing so.
They're unfortunately harder to find in the wild than pokemons 😂 Have you experienced long delivery time as mentioned above?
I lucked out. When I was ready to pull the trigger it was just a couple of weeks before the next batch shipped. Got mine in just a few weeks.
How long have you been waiting? Was it during the pandemic (when everyone was using this as an excuse)? Do you know if it seems to be a current issue?
Ordered on August 2nd, Shipped November 17th of 2023
If that's something usual I'll definitely avoid Framework. When I order a laptop it's because I need a replacement very quickly for work.
If you're in the US, the 13 is fully in stock and should ship on a week. OP may have preordered his
I didn't think about that. If the usual shipping delay is reasonable then I feel better.
Most of the delays are effectively from pre-ordering. I ordered mine just after last Christmas, got it the first week in January. Would have probably been faster without the holidays. Also, get the AMD model if you can, it's much better than the Intel offerings.
Great to hear! Going with AMD is something I've tried to do for a long time but I was not lucky with availability, I'll definitely take the opportunity to do so with the next laptop!
It's been a bit, so I forgot some details, but my order was a pre-order
Framework Laptop 13 DIY Edition (AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 7040 Series)
System: AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 5 7640U
Quantity: 1
Price: $711.00
DDR5-5600 - 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Quantity: 1
Price: $80.00
WD_BLACKâ„¢ SN770 NVMeâ„¢- M.2 2280 - 250GB
Quantity: 1
Price: $39.00
Bezel - Black
Quantity: 1
Price: $39.00
Input Cover Kit - US English
Quantity: 1
Price: $99.00
Power Adapter - 60W - US/Canada
Quantity: 1
Price: $49.00
Limited-edition pre-order bonus
Quantity: 1
Price: $0.00
USB-C Expansion Card
Quantity: 2
Price: $18.00
USB-A Expansion Card
Quantity: 2
Price: $18.00
Ethernet Expansion Card
Quantity: 1
Price: $39.00
MicroSD Expansion Card
Quantity: 1
Price: $19.00
Shipping $0.00
Subtotal $1,111.00
Thanks for the great details!
Will not touch if they don't support Coreboot/Libreboot (they have the profit margin to do it)