Framework laptops always involve compromises in exchange for their distinctive do-it-yourself philosophy. Although they cost more than sleeker competing models, their minor flaws are easier to forgive thanks to modular ports, straightforward repairs, and an impressive range of upgradeable components.

So what happens when Framework goes “Pro”? The result is a notebook unlike almost anything else on the market. The Laptop 13 Pro addresses and improves many of the standard Laptop 13’s shortcomings. It features a bright, sharp touchscreen, the best non-Apple haptic trackpad, and impeccable build quality and feel. It combines all of this with an excellent Intel chip and cutting-edge, user-replaceable components.

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro looks magnificent in black, but it costs a lot of money. Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge.

But what happens when all of this arrives in the middle of RAMageddon, as technology prices continue to rise? Naturally, it now costs a fortune. Our high-end, prebuilt Laptop 13 Pro review unit, complete with a Windows license, was supposed to cost $2,299 when it arrived at my home. Following the latest memory price increases, it now carries a staggering $3,099 price tag—an $800 increase before reaching a single customer. We have recently seen plenty of shocking prices, but this one hurts especially badly.

Product: Framework Laptop 13 Pro (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H) — https://frame.work/products/laptop13pro-intel-ultra-3/configuration/new

Component scores: Screen: B Webcam: B Keyboard: A Trackpad: A Port selection: A Speakers: C Unattractive stickers to remove: 1 on the prebuilt Windows model, located only on the underside.

The Laptop 13 Pro is an all-black machine with a refined matte finish. It is genuinely black rather than some shade of dark gray, and it feels rigid and exceptionally well made. That puts it far ahead of the construction-set appearance of its larger Laptop 16 cousin and above the solid but slightly less polished build quality of the standard Laptop 13.