Framework launches a customizable Chromebook — and it starts at $999

News
By Mark Anthony Ramirez
published

You can now fully customize a Chromebook

Framework launches DIY Chromebook
(Image credit: Framework)

Customizable laptop maker Framework launched its latest do-it-yourself laptop featuring modular, swappable parts, and a selection of upgrades. Surprisingly, it's a Chromebook, but an upgradeable Chromebook may be what we need to shake things up.

Frameworks' concept behind this is taking "the best parts of the Framework Laptop and merging those with the powerful simplicity of ChromeOS to create a high-performance, upgradeable, repairable, customizable Chromebook."

The Framework Chromebook will be available immediately for pre-order in the US and Canada, with delivery expected to begin in early December. The highly expandable Chromebook comes with a starting price of $999. Framework uses a "batch pre-order system, with only a fully-refundable $100 deposit required at the time of pre-order."

Framework Chromebook 

(Image credit: Future)

Framework's Chromebook Edition features a familiar design you will recognize from the company's Windows-powered Framework Laptop DIY Edition. The Framework Chromebook features a 2256 x 1504 resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio display, a comfortable 1.5mm key-travel keyboard, and milled aluminum housing — all while remaining extremely portable at 0.6-inches thick and 2.8 pounds.

(Image credit: Framework)

The Framework Chromebook is powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor, which is more than enough to run even the heaviest ChromeOS workloads. Users can enjoy the simplicity of ChromeOS, the productivity of Google Workspace, and download apps from Google's Play Store.

(Image credit: Framework)

The Chromebook Edition features Frameworks Expansion Card system, letting users choose the ports they want and which side they want them on. The available ports are USB-C, USB-A, MicroSD, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and high-speed storage.

The Framework Chromebook's memory and storage are socketed, which enables you to swap out parts and load up whenever you’d like. Frameworks' pre-built configuration comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB NVMe SSD storage, and users can upgrade it up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage.

Who would have thought we'd see the day when a Chromebook could get up to 64GB of RAM. That said, since you're able to play PC games on Steam with it, I guess all that RAM would be helpful.

(Image credit: Framework)

As noted in our Framework Laptop review, we're fans of the overall design of Framework laptops, and we look forward to getting our hands on the Chromebook and seeing what it is capable of. A stylish, super-powered Chromebook could be game-changing. However, with a starting price of $999, some consumers may be a bit skittish about dropping nearly $1,000 on a Chromebook when they could buy a MacBook Air with M1 for about the same price. 

Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.