Framework’s cheaper, colorful Laptop 12 up for preorder, starts at $549 bare-bones

Tariffs mean US pricing/availability for some Framework parts is still in flux.

Framework's cheaper, colorful, convertible Laptop 12 goes up for preorder today and ships in June. Credit: Framework

Framework is opening US preorders for its new Laptop 12 today, a couple of months after announcing the system at an event in February. Framework's DIY edition of the laptop, which is missing RAM, an SSD, a USB-C charger, and an OS and requires some assembly, will start at $549. A fully assembled pre-built version with 8GB of RAM, a 500GB SSD, a 60 W charger, and Windows 11 Home starts at $799.

All preorders placed on Framework's site require a $100 deposit, and almost all configurations begin shipping in July. A first batch of systems is slated to ship in June, but this requires a $250 donation to Hack Club; Framework says the donation will be used to buy Framework 12 laptops for high school students.

The Laptop 12 was built to be a more budget-friendly system, which is reflected in its specs, screen size, and its mostly plastic construction. But like the Laptop 13, the Laptop 12 prioritizes upgradeability and repairability and retains the USB-C-based Expansion Card system that was the Laptop 13's biggest innovation when it was introduced. Each Laptop 12 has four Expansion Card bays plus a headphone jack, allowing the installation of USB-C, USB-A, DisplayPort, and HDMI ports, as well as the other Expansion Cards Framework offers.

The Laptop 12's specs fall far short of what is available for the Framework Laptop 13. You have a choice of 2-year-old 13th-generation Intel Core processors, either a Core i3-1315U (2 P-cores, 4 E-cores) or a Core i5-1334U (2 P-cores, 8 E-cores). This is a totally different motherboard than the Laptop 13 uses, so they won't be interchangeable, and you'll need to wait for a Laptop 12-specific upgrade if you're looking to freshen up your laptop a couple of years from now.

There's only one RAM slot instead of two, though it supports up to 48GB of DDR5-5200 and one M.2 SSD slot. A 12.2-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen rounds out the specs. Framework ships a color-matched stylus for this touchscreen, which charges via USB-C and has a removable lithium-ion battery that you can replace when it wears out. Any stylus that supports the Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) or version 2.0 of the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) standard should also work with the laptop's screen.

At about 2.87 pounds, the Laptop 12 is a bit heavier than other laptops in its size class—the 12.4-inch Surface Laptop Go is 2.49 pounds—but as with the Laptop 13, you make small sacrifices on size and weight in the interest of repairability.

The Laptop 12 comes in 12 different two-tone color schemes: black, gray, lavender, bubblegum, and sage. The pre-built system is only available in black. For all other colors, you'll need to buy the DIY edition.

Tariff turmoil

Framework's bubblegum Laptop 12 and its color-coded screwdriver. Credit: Framework

Earlier this week, Framework had paused US sales for some entry-level Laptop 13 models because of the Trump administration's across-the-board import tariffs for countries like Taiwan, where Framework does much of its manufacturing. A 90-day "pause" for the largest of these tariffs has allowed Framework to resume sales "on items we manufacture in Taiwan" at their original pricing. Sales remain paused for some of Framework's "lowest-priced base systems."

Elevated tariffs on Chinese imports are still in place; they're currently "at least" 145 percent according to the administration, a number that has increased multiple times in the last week. That will affect some of Framework's components, according to the company, including "bezels, Expansion Cards, and input modules for the Framework 16." For those components, "US pricing reflects the elevated module costs due to tariffs."