Almost 80% of Framework Laptop 12 owners run Linux, according to the company’s customer surveys. So when Framework refreshed its smallest laptop this week, it added something it hadn’t offered on the model before: a pre-built version with Fedora preloaded.
The update, announced Tuesday in a blog post by CEO Nirav Patel, swaps the original’s 13th Gen Intel chips for Intel’s Core Series 3 processors, codenamed Wildcat Lake, in Core 3 304, Core 5 320 and, for the first time on this model, Core 7 350 configurations. Patel described Core Series 3 as “essentially a shrunk down version” of the Core Ultra Series 3 platform in the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, with the same P-cores and Xe3 graphics in smaller numbers, built on Intel’s 18A process. In early testing, he wrote, a Core 5 320 system got 70% more battery life streaming 4K Netflix than the Core i5-1334U in the original, using the same 50Wh battery.
The two rear expansion card slots now support Thunderbolt 4, enough for an eGPU or two 4K 60Hz displays, while the front two drop to USB 3.2 Gen 2. All four still accept charging. Memory stays on a single upgradeable SO-DIMM, now up to DDR5-6400 and 64GB, and Wi-Fi 7 comes from Intel’s BE213 module.
The two most-requested features
Framework said a fingerprint reader and a backlit keyboard topped customer and reviewer requests. The reader sits in the power button on Core 5 and Core 7 models. The backlit US English keyboard is standard on Fedora pre-built Core 5 and Core 7 systems and optional on any DIY Edition, and it uses a reprogrammable controller running open-source ZMK firmware.
The Fedora build ships with Fedora 44’s KDE Plasma Desktop. Fedora Project Lead Jef Spaleta said in the post that “it’s great to see Framework customers have the choice to have it pre-installed.” Anyone installing another distro will need kernel 7.1 or newer for the new processor and Wi-Fi chip. Patel also said the Ubuntu version of the Laptop 13 Pro outsold the Windows version “by a large margin,” Gizmodo reported.
Prices and upgrades
Per Phoronix, DIY Editions without memory or storage cost $549, $779 and $999 for the Core 3, Core 5 and Core 7 models, and pre-built systems cost $699, $1,099 and $1,399. Pre-orders are open, and the first batch ships in October.
Owners of the original don’t need a new laptop. The Core Series 3 mainboard, fingerprint reader and backlit Input Cover are all backward compatible, and Framework cut the original Laptop 12’s DIY Edition to $499.
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