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Is the Framework Laptop 16 Worth It in 2026?
The specific configuration in this review, Ryzen 9 7940HS with the RX 7700S GPU module, is no longer Framework's current laptop. If you want a Framework 16 today, buy the current Ryzen AI 300-series model instead, starting at roughly $1,499 for the DIY edition. This older build is only worth seeking out at a steep discount, through Framework's marketplace or a reseller.
The Bottom Line
The Framework Laptop 16 is a genuine statement: laptops do not have to be glued shut and disposable. In a market of soldered RAM and non-removable batteries, Framework builds laptops you can open, repair, and upgrade with a screwdriver, and the Laptop 16 was its most ambitious attempt yet, adding an optional, swappable GPU module on top of the modular ports, keyboard, and internals from the Laptop 13.
One honest update before anything else: this review covers the original AMD Ryzen 7040-series configuration that launched in 2024 (Ryzen 9 7940HS, RX 7700S GPU module). Framework replaced it in 2025 with a Ryzen AI 300-series refresh that also added an NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPU module option. We’re keeping this review live because the design, repairability story, and most of the trade-offs below still apply to the current model, but if you’re buying a Framework Laptop 16 new today, get the current generation, not this one. Details on both, and how to tell them apart, are below.
What You Need to Know
Best for: Right-to-repair advocates, tinkerers, and anyone who wants a laptop they can keep upgrading for years instead of replacing.
Skip if: You want plug-and-play polish, the longest possible battery life, or the lightest 16-inch laptop you can buy.
The obvious alternative: Apple’s MacBook Pro 16-inch is the more polished, longer-lasting, better-built machine for most people, with zero repairability. See our Framework Laptop 16 vs MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro) comparison for the full breakdown. If pure gaming performance per dollar is the priority, a traditional gaming laptop will out-benchmark the Framework 16’s GPU module for less money; you just lose the repairability.
Which Generation Are We Talking About?
Framework has sold two distinct versions of the Laptop 16:
- Original (2024): AMD Ryzen 7040 series. Ryzen 7 7840HS or Ryzen 9 7940HS, optional AMD Radeon RX 7700S GPU module. This is the configuration reviewed below. Framework has pulled it from sale as a complete new laptop; the mainboard is still available as a discounted upgrade part for existing owners.
- Current (2025 refresh): AMD Ryzen AI 300 series. Ryzen AI 7 350 or Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, with a choice of the AMD RX 7700S module or a new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 module. This is what Framework sells as a new, complete Laptop 16 in 2026.
The genuinely good news for anyone who bought the original: Framework and its community have confirmed the new RTX 5070 module works with the original Ryzen 7040 mainboard. That’s the modularity pitch actually paying off, an owner from 2024 can add 2025’s GPU upgrade without buying a new laptop.
The Modularity Pitch
Everything on the Laptop 16 is designed to be swapped:
- RAM: Two SO-DIMM slots, not soldered
- Storage: Two M.2 NVMe slots
- Battery: User-replaceable with four screws, no glue
- Ports: Swappable expansion cards (USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, microSD, storage, Ethernet)
- Keyboard: Removable, with multiple layouts and colors sold directly by Framework
- GPU: Optional external module, upgradeable across generations as shown above
Want more USB-A ports for a conference? Swap a card in. Need HDMI for a projector? Pop one in before the meeting. Want to upgrade the CPU or GPU down the line? Framework has now demonstrated that promise across two generations. No other mainstream laptop maker offers anything close to this.
Design & Build Quality
The Laptop 16 is noticeably heavier than most 16-inch ultrabooks. According to Framework’s published specs, it weighs 4.63 lbs without the GPU module and 5.29 lbs (2.4 kg) with it attached, and the module also adds roughly a tenth of an inch of thickness.
Build quality is good, not premium. The aluminum chassis feels sturdy, but reviewers have noted some flex in the keyboard deck, and tolerances aren’t as tight as a MacBook’s unibody construction. The RGB lighting built into the keyboard spacers is a fun, entirely unnecessary touch.
Ports are whatever you configure: a common setup is three USB-C, two USB-A, and one HDMI expansion card, swappable in seconds without tools.
Performance
The reviewed configuration:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS (8-core, 16-thread)
- 32GB DDR5-5600 RAM
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- AMD Radeon RX 7700S (optional GPU module)
CPU performance: The Ryzen 9 7940HS handles demanding workloads well, video editing, compiling code, and heavy multitasking are not a problem. It’s a capable chip even next to newer designs, though the current Ryzen AI 300-series refresh is faster and more power-efficient.
GPU performance (with module): Solid for 1080p gaming, generally hitting 60+ fps on high settings in most titles. It’s well short of an RTX 4070-class laptop GPU, and Framework’s own newer RTX 5070 module reportedly delivers a meaningful jump over this original RX 7700S module in gaming frame rates.
Thermals: Fan curves are aggressive. Under sustained load the laptop gets loud; Framework has clearly prioritized sustained performance over quiet operation.
If storage feels tight at 1TB, the M.2 slots make an upgrade straightforward; see our Samsung 990 Pro 2TB review for a solid drop-in option.
Keyboard & Trackpad
The keyboard is a genuine highlight: good key travel, satisfying feedback, and customizable RGB lighting, better than most Windows laptops and closing in on ThinkPad territory. Framework also sells alternate keyboard layouts, including international and non-QWERTY options, that snap in without a rebuild.
The trackpad is larger, more responsive, and more accurate than you’d expect from a modular design, with subtle but precise haptic feedback.
Display
Spec: 16-inch, 2560x1600, 165Hz, 500 nits, 100% sRGB.
It’s a genuinely good LCD panel, sharp, bright, and accurate, and the 165Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and everyday use feel smooth. What it isn’t: OLED, mini-LED, or HDR-capable, all of which flagship laptops in this price range increasingly offer.
Battery Life
This is the laptop’s clearest weakness, and it hasn’t fully gone away in the newer generation either. Independent reviews of Framework’s 16-inch laptops have generally landed in the 6 to 9 hour range under light use, with real-world numbers falling toward the low end under sustained work and dropping further whenever the discrete GPU module is installed and active. That’s a meaningful gap next to sealed ultrabooks and Apple’s M-series MacBooks, which routinely clear that range by several hours. The modular design and power-hungry chips trade battery life for upgradability; if all-day battery is your top priority, this isn’t the laptop for it.
The GPU Module
The optional GPU module is both the boldest and the most limiting part of the pitch.
What it gets you:
- Real, discrete gaming performance over integrated graphics
- A custom connector that avoids a Thunderbolt bottleneck
- Genuine cross-generation upgradeability, confirmed with the RTX 5070 module on the original mainboard
What it costs you:
- A few hundred dollars on top of the base laptop price
- Meaningfully worse battery life whenever it’s installed
- Real bulk and weight
- Gaming performance below a comparable dedicated gaming laptop
It’s a legitimately interesting proof of concept, but most buyers who don’t specifically want the upgrade path are better served skipping the module and, if needed, using an external GPU enclosure instead.
Who Should Buy This?
Buy if:
- You believe in right-to-repair and want to put your money behind it
- You want a laptop you can keep upgrading rather than replacing every few years
- You enjoy tinkering and configuring your own hardware
- You’re buying the current Ryzen AI 300-series model, not hunting for this older one at full price
Skip if:
- You want the best possible battery life
- You need maximum polish and fit-and-finish
- You want the most gaming performance per dollar
- You prefer an “it just works” laptop with no configuration involved
For readers still deciding between laptop styles generally, our best laptops guide covers picks across budgets and use cases, including more conventional options. And if the appeal here is really about the swappable-port idea, a good USB-C hub or dock gets you some of that flexibility on a sealed laptop, without the repairability.
The Bigger Picture
Framework isn’t trying to out-spec Apple or Dell. It’s proving that modular, repairable laptops can be good, not perfect, but good enough, and getting better with each generation. The fact that a 2024 buyer can drop in 2025’s flagship GPU module is the clearest evidence yet that the company is keeping its word. If Framework keeps this up, it has a real shot at pushing the rest of the industry toward repairability.
Final Verdict
The Framework Laptop 16 proves modular, repairable laptops can be genuinely good, not a compromise you tolerate for the principle of it. The specific build in this review, the original Ryzen 7040-series model with the RX 7700S GPU module, has done its job and been succeeded by a faster, more efficient Ryzen AI 300-series refresh.
Rating: 3.5/5 for the configuration reviewed here, reflecting real strengths (repairability, keyboard, CPU performance) weighed against real weaknesses (battery life, bulk, and the fact that this exact build is no longer Framework’s current offering).
Recommended? Buy the current Framework Laptop 16 (Ryzen AI 300 series) if the modular, repairable pitch appeals to you and you’re buying new. Consider this older Ryzen 7040-series version only if you find one significantly discounted through Framework’s marketplace or a reseller, in which case the core repairability story still holds up.
The Verdict
The original Ryzen 7040-series Framework Laptop 16 covered in this review proved a modular, repairable laptop could be genuinely good. It has since been replaced by a Ryzen AI 300-series refresh. If you want a Framework 16 today, buy the current model; this one is worth considering only if you find it discounted secondhand or through Framework's marketplace.
Check Price on AmazonThe Good
- Fully modular: RAM, storage, battery, ports, keyboard, and the GPU module are all user-replaceable with a screwdriver
- Framework has kept its modularity promise: original 7040-series units can upgrade to the newer RTX 5070 GPU module
- Strong CPU performance from the Ryzen 9 7940HS for coding, video editing, and multitasking
- Keyboard and trackpad are genuinely excellent for a Windows laptop
The Bad
- This exact configuration has been superseded by the 2025 Ryzen AI 300-series refresh and is no longer Framework's current new laptop
- Battery life is a real weak point next to sealed ultrabooks and Apple's M-series MacBooks
- The optional GPU module adds real bulk and cost, and still trails dedicated gaming laptops
- Not cheap once you add RAM, storage, and a GPU module on top of the base price
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