Framework Laptop 12: An Upgrade-Friendly, Convertible 2-in-1 Linux Laptop
The first-generation Framework Laptop 12 is built around Intel Raptor Lake U SoCs with the choice of going for either the Core i3 1315U or Core i5 1334U models. The Core i5 1315U features two P cores plus 4 E cores and a top clock speed of 4.5GHz. The Core i5 1334U, which is the model we have been reviewing at Phoronix, features two P cores plus eight E cores and a top clock speed of 4.6GHz. THe Core i5 1334U has a base power rating of 15 Watts with a maximum turbo power rating of 55 Watts. The Raptor Lake U SoCs feature Intel Iris Xe Graphics with the i5-1334U featuring 80 execution units and a max graphics frequency of 1.25GHz.
The Raptor Lake U SoCs aren't the most performant mobile processors out there but satisfactory given the thermal/power/size limitations of this 12-inch laptop. In also needing to create a 12-inch upgradeable laptop, the Framework Laptop 12 only has room for a single memory SO-DIMM. The Core i5 1334U supports dual channel memory but for space reasons there was only room for a single DDR5 SO-DIMM with this laptop, which will further restrict the performance capabilities of this system. But for this 2-in-1 convertible chances are you are mostly using it for light web browsing / office work and less so for demanding workloads. The Framework Laptop 12 motherboard supports up to a 48GB DDR5 SO-DIMM.
👁 Framework Laptop 12 for Linux testing
The Framework Laptop 12 features a single M.2 2230 NVMe SSD slot for storage, Intel AX211 WiFi, and a 12.2-inch LCD 1920 x 1200 touch-screen panel with >400 nit brightness.
👁 Framework Laptop 12 keyboard
The pricing on the Framework Laptop 12 starts out at $549 for the DIY Edition build and Core i5 1315U. The Core i5 1334U version as tested starts out at $699 USD. From there the price goes up depending upon the DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM capacity, storage options, and other expansion cards and other customizations.
Currently new Framework Laptop 12 orders are expected to ship in Q3 as they continue ramping up production of this new laptop model.
Installing Ubuntu 25.04, Fedora Workstation 42, and other modern 2025 Linux distributions on the Framework Laptop 12 is an uneventful process with a nice out-of-the-box experience. With the Intel Raptor Lake platform support being mature, there isn't much to worry about as long as you are on a relatively recent Linux distribution. Ubuntu 25.04 was running great on this 12-inch laptop and where I conducted most of my tests from given the limited time prior to today's embargo lift.
With the Intel Core i5 1334U having just two P cores and eight E cores plus with single channel memory, the performance isn't all that impressive but more than sufficient for light web browser and office-like tasks. For this article are a number of benchmarks compared to other recently re-tested laptops on Ubuntu 25.04 with Linux 6.14 + Mesa 25.0 and other Ubuntu 25.04 default packages. The laptops for this comparison of both performance and CPU power / power efficiency included:
- Core i7 8550U - Dell XPS 9370
- Core i7 8565U - Dell XPS 9380
- Core i7 1065G7 - Dell XPS 7390
- Core i7 1165G7 - Dell XPS 9310
- Core i7 1185G7 - Dell XPS 9310
- Core i7 1280P - MSI Prestige 14Evo
- Core i5 1334U - Framework 12
- Core Ultra 7 155H - Acer Swift Go 14
- Core Ultra 7 256V - ASUS Zenbook S14
- Core Ultra 7 258V - X1 Carbon G13
- Ryzen 7 4700U - Lenovo IdeaPad 5
- Ryzen 7 7840HS - Framework 16
- Ryzen 7 7840U - Acer Swift Edge 16
- Ryzen 7 7840U - Framework 13
- Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U - ThinkPad T14s G2a
- Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U - ThinkPad X13 G3
- Ryzen 7 PRO 7840U - ThinkPad P14s G4
- Ryzen 9 5900HX - ASUS ROG Strix G513QY
- Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 - ThinkPad T14s G6
- Ryzen AI 9 365 - ASUS Zenbook S16
- Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 - ASUS Zenbook S16
- Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 - Framework 13
- Ryzen AI Max 390 - HP ZBook Ultra G1a
- Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 - HP ZBook Ultra G1a
That was based on the laptops I had available for testing recently under Ubuntu 25.04 from recent Intel/AMD generations.