Repairable laptop vs premium thin-and-light for a 5-year run?
I keep laptops for 5+ years. Framework 13 (repairable, upgradeable) vs something like an XPS 13 (better screen, thinner, sealed). The repairability argument is obvious in theory, but in practice: how often do people actually upgrade a Framework vs just buying new anyway? And is the battery life gap real? Looking for people who've owned either for 2+ years.
1 answer
- Framework 13
Framework 13, and I'm saying this as someone who actually upgraded one. Swapped my RAM from 16 to 32GB in year two when I started doing video stuff — took 10 minutes with the included screwdriver. Checkable: Framework sells the RAM and the guides are public; compare that to an XPS where you're mailing it in for a battery swap. The screen isn't as pretty, true. But 'lasts 5 years' isn't about the screen, it's about the battery and ports, and both are replaceable on the Framework.