Framework Laptop 13 Pro Runs Into Delay Over Two Key Defects

In an email to those who pre-ordered the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, Framework has confirmed that the first shipments originally planned for late June have slipped to "late July, with risk of some units in early August." This delay is being done to address two key defects on the laptop's screen and haptic touchpad, rather than anything relating to the current memory and NAND shortages, and Framework is also offering a full refund on pre-orders for those unhappy with the delay.


This delay does not effect shipments of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro mainboard, but does push back shipments of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro Touchscreen Display Kit from June to July as well.

Framework's display supplier, CSOT, revealed that the display problem was due to a firmware issue that's since been fixed and new firmware is being worked into production.


As for the haptic touchpad, a key feature of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, the defect found relates to touchpads that would reset after repeated clicks. This issue was reportedly caused by an electrical grounding issue in the PCB design, and while a firmware fix was attempted with the old PCBs, Framework has determined that a new PCB will be required for all Laptop 13 Pro shipments.

While this delay is unfortunate, most are happy with Framework's quick and detailed communication on the matter.

Framework has also noted that mainboard buyers can contact them to buy LPCAMM2 RAM for use with their mainboards, and that in the future Framework will sell bundles of the mainboard with memory options. Since LPCAMM2 can be difficult to buy through retail channels, this is a great move on their part.

When I covered the Framework Laptop 16 and 13 Pro announcements back in April, I thought that Framework's new lineup looked promising. With Intel Panther Lake-powered Core Ultra 3 Series CPUs onboard the Laptop 13 Pro, the flexible AMD CPU options for Laptop 16 and the reasonable pricing for both, they remain compelling options. It is unfortunate that only the Laptop 16 will be getting the OCuLink Dev Kit for eGPUs, though.