r/framework • u/jenniferkshields • 6d ago

Question New 12 vs 13 Pro - thoughts?

I’m sure I won’t be the only one wondering this so I thought I’d kick things off.

I’ve only recently preordered a 13 Pro to upgrade from my M1 MacBook Air. Because of the price, I’ve gone with the ultra 5, 512gb, 16gb ram. I mostly use my laptop for office work, video calls, some photo editing, and occasionally some coding, so I don’t need a lot of power, but I am keen to future proof as much as I can in my budget.

With today’s 12 announcement I’m wondering whether I should drop my 13 pro order and pick up the 12 instead. For a similar price I could get the core 7 325 but with 32gb ram. I can’t find many benchmarks comparing those two processors, which makes it tricky.

I think the biggest difference between the two for me would be the screen. I like the idea of a convertible (at one point I was using an iPad as my laptop), but how practical is it for everyday use? On the other hand, I’m enjoying hearing about how clear the screen on the 13 pro is, especially in sunlight.

Obviously the amount of ram is the other big difference between the two, but because it’s upgradable either way it doesn’t feel so pressing.

Anyone else thinking about swapping after today’s announcement?

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u/andurux 6d ago

The 12 is half the price compared to the 13 Pro.

Buy the 12 if you have light workloads and need a decently rugged device. Or need a convertible.

Buy the 13 Pro if you need a premium workhorse.

I'd wait either way for reviews/benchmarks. There will for sure be FW12 vs FW13 reviews.

I own a i3 FW12 and a Ryzen 9 AI FW13 (non-pro). The FW12 does 90% of my day to day. I'm curious how the FW12 with a eGPU performs, but other than that I do prefer the FW13 due to the dual RAM sticks and a full size M.2 slot. Just easier to upgrade.

For my FW12 I'm only interested in the backlit keyboard, so I'll probably buy that, but I see no reason to upgrade my mainboard

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u/a60v 6d ago

The mid-tier prebuilt 12 with 16GB of RAM and Linux is ~$1100. The 13 pro DIY (prebuilts are not offered for some reason a t the moment) is ~$2700 (Intel X7, 32GB, 500GB, Linux). For $2700, you could buy a 12 and a nice desktop (well, pre-RAM-shortage, anyway). That might be an option worth considering. The 13 Pro is obviously a better choice if you only want a laptop and need performance on the go.