Framework Laptop 13 reviewed, again: Meteor Lake meh, Linux upgrades good

Enlarge / The ever-evolving Framework Laptop 13 is back again, this time with some Linux-friendly upgrades and Intel’s new Meteor Lake-based Core Ultra CPUs. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Would you believe that the Framework Laptop 13 is back again?

Framework’s fifth motherboard for the Laptop 13—which, in typical fashion, can be easily swapped into any existing Framework Laptop 13 of any generation—is mainly significant because it offers Intel’s Meteor Lake-based Core Ultra chips. But Framework likes to release its updates in batches, and this one also comes with a few designed to make the Laptop 13 a better system for Linux enthusiasts.

One of those changes is a redesigned keyboard, which is exactly like the older Framework Laptop 13 keyboard, except it has a Super key instead of a Windows logo on it. The second is a higher-resolution display upgrade, specifically chosen because it looks better in 200 percent scaling mode than the old screen; Linux still has problems with “fractional” scaling modes like 125 percent and 150 percent, which was what the old Framework screen usually looked best at.