Framework Laptop 16 Gets a Dual M.2 Expansion Module

The Framework Laptop 16 just got its first Expansion Bay module, a Dual M.2 Adapter that supports SSDs, AI accelerators, eGPUs, and more.

“The Dual M.2 Adapter enables you to add additional storage drives or other high-speed devices to the Expansion Bay system in Framework Laptop 16,” Framework’s Nirav Patel writes in the announcement post. “The new Dual M.2 Adapter is the first module that installs into the Expansion Bay Shell. It supports two M.2 M-key devices in 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 sizes with full 4-lane PCIe 4.0 throughput to each.”

I assume most are familiar with Framework and its modular laptop products. But the Laptop 16 is unique to some degree because it supports a unique Expansion Bay system–which supports modular, upgradeable graphics–in addition to expansion cards and hot-swappable input modules, giving it desktop PC-like expansion modularity. The Expansion Bay system supports PCIe x8, so it can also be used for non-graphics modules. And the Dual M.2 Adapter–which costs just $39–is Framework’s first.

Thanks to the availability of 8 TB SSDs, one could now add an additional 16 TB of storage to the Framework Laptop 16. But there are also two internal M.2 slots, so this adapter expands the total storage possibility on this device to an incredible 32 TB. Framework has also tested two AI accelerator cards, and it expects customers to try various external GPUs (eGPUs) and even desktop GPU cards, which will be a bit awkward but should work fine with a PCIe slot adapter. And speaking of overkill, the Framework Laptop 16 now supports up to 96 GB of DDR-5600 RAM too.

Framework Laptop 16 can be configured with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS or Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, and prices start at about $1400. You can learn more on the Framework website.