One of the major concerns that people had with Framework’s modular laptops was the lack of more affordable products and an attractive program that would make it easier for consumers to access fully functional, cheaper Framework notebooks. Framework seems to have addressed that issue with the announcement of the company’s Outlet program in late 2023.
The program essentially lets consumers buy refurbished, older products at a discounted price. The latest updates to the program appear to be a move that could potentially make Framework’s Outlet program even more attractive to buyers. To that effect, Framework confirmed that it is bringing the pricing down for its B-stock Factory Seconds laptops made available to consumers via the Outlet program.
With the updated prices, a barebones Framework Laptop 13 — which comes sans memory and storage — could be snagged for under $500 for the first time ever. Even with some of the necessary additions to make this barebones laptop fully functional, the total price of the machine did not go beyond $710 on Framework’s online configurator. This is largely because Framework is also selling these key components at half the price of new ones.
Moving beyond B-stock, the Outlet now offers the first refurbished versions of the latest-generation Framework laptops that use 13th Gen Intel Core processors. These refurbished units come from undeliverable packages and a small number of returns, providing another avenue for acquiring capable hardware at a discount. These refurbished machines are only sold in the U.S. and Canada, though.