Five years into its mission to make laptops that last, Framework is finally redesigning the 13-inch model from the ground up. The Framework Laptop 13 Pro is the company's most significant hardware revision yet, swapping the familiar shell for an all-metal chassis while packing in a 74 Wh battery (22% larger than its predecessor), a 13.5-inch 2280 x 1800 LCD touchscreen rated at 700 nits, and stereo side-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos. Pre-orders open today with shipments expected in June 2026.
Processor options top out at Intel's Core Ultra X9 Panther Lake, which pairs up to 12-core Arc integrated graphics with the efficiency gains of Intel's latest architecture. The shift to Panther Lake does force one notable change under the hood: LPDDR5 memory replaces the older SODIMM slots, but Framework adopted the LPCAMM2 standard to keep RAM user-replaceable. That means you can still pop open the laptop, swap in a larger memory module, and close it back up, preserving the upgrade path that has defined Framework's approach since the beginning.
Backward compatibility remains a core principle. The new chassis accepts older Framework Laptop 13 mainboards, and conversely, existing owners can buy a new mainboard and drop it into their current machine. The modular Expansion Card system carries over as well, letting users configure their port selection from USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and more. Framework still ships a screwdriver in the box.
Framework's launch messaging is pointed squarely at the Linux community: pre-announcement teasers explicitly featured logos for Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, CachyOS, and Bazzite alongside the new hardware, some of the strongest Linux-first signaling from a mainstream PC maker to date. Buyers planning to run Linux should know that the Panther Lake platform, based on early testing of Panther Lake systems, reaches full WiFi and audio functionality on kernel 6.19 or later, with earlier kernels lacking working drivers for both. The integrated Arc graphics use Intel's open-source Mesa and Xe kernel driver stack and have turned in strong benchmark results in independent reviews, though some gaps remain compared to the Windows driver stack.
The DIY Edition, where you supply your own memory, storage, and operating system, starts at $1,199 (€1,100). A pre-built configuration with Ubuntu Linux runs from $1,499 (€1,380), with Windows available as an upcharge. Those base prices get you an Intel Core Ultra 5 with 4-core graphics, while Core Ultra X7 and X9 options will be available at higher tiers.
