In a bid to address the growing concerns around e-waste, Framework designs and produces repairable laptops rather than sealed and disposable ones. It also makes them highly customizable.
Its new Framework Laptop 16 comes in two forms – pre-built and DIY. The latter is exactly as it sounds – you build it yourself. You can change and upgrade elements independently of the rest of the laptop, which includes swapping the GPU, the keyboard, and even picking your own choice of ports.
The port expansion system is probably the most interesting feature and users can customize six slots, choosing from USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, MicroSD, Ethernet, Audio, ultra fast storage, and more. The latest addition to this system is support for 180W and 240W USB-C, a feature made possible by the integration of Infineon’s EZ-PD CCG8 dual/single port USB-C PD controller.
Faster charging
The EZ-PD CCG8 controller offers the latest USB Type-C and Power Delivery specifications with Extended Power Range (EPR) support. It includes discrete N-channel field effect transistor (NFET) gate driver with fault protection and slew rate and is equipped with a 32-bit, 48 MHz Arm Cortex-M0 Plus processor.
This addition means users the Laptop 16 can enjoy faster charging times, and who doesn’t want that?
Nirav Patel, Founder and CEO of Framework, explains, “The EZ-PD CCG8 has enabled immense flexibility, not only supporting the latest USB-PD 3.1 standard, but also making our unique Expansion Card system possible, allowing end user customization of ports.”
The Framework Laptop 16 is available for preorder now. Pricing for the DIY Edition starts at $1399, while the pre-built version, with your choice of OS, starts at $1699. For now you’re limited to AMD Ryzen processors and graphics, but that may change in the future.
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