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.