Framework opened pre-orders August 18 for an updated Laptop 12, moving its budget convertible to Intel’s new “Wildcat Lake” Core Series 3 chips, with Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 7 added as options for the first time.
What’s actually new
The refreshed Laptop 12 ships with a choice of three Core Series 3 chips, Core 3 304, Core 5 320, or Core 7 350, Intel’s newest six-core mobile lineup. DIY pricing starts at $549 for the Core 3 304 configuration, rising to $779 for Core 5 320 and $999 for Core 7 350, according to Framework’s own announcement. An optional backlit keyboard is available for the first time on this model, and the company says batch one of the new configuration ships in early October.
Why the chip matters
PC Gamer’s early coverage singled out battery life as the real story behind the update, crediting Wildcat Lake’s efficiency gains over the outgoing chip generation, though independent battery-life testing hasn’t been published yet.
Why it matters
Framework has built its identity on repairability and long-term upgradability rather than raw specs, and this refresh is consistent with that: it’s a mid-cycle chip swap into an existing chassis, not a new laptop. That’s a meaningfully different pitch from most PC makers’ annual refreshes, which usually bundle a new chip with a new enclosure customers have to buy outright. Whether Wildcat Lake’s efficiency claims hold up under real testing is the detail worth watching once review units ship in October.
What to watch: independent battery and performance benchmarks once the October shipment reaches reviewers.
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