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How to pick
Most laptops sold today are designed to be thrown away. Memory soldered to the board, batteries glued in, screens that cost more to replace than the machine is worth. A handful of makers have gone the other way and design for repair, publishing manuals and selling the parts. That matters for two reasons: the machine lasts far longer, and you are not held hostage when one component fails. One honest note on the links below. Framework sell direct rather than through Amazon, so the link goes to their own site and I earn nothing from it. It is on this page because it is the right recommendation, not because it pays. The refurbished option underneath is the same argument reached from the other direction: business machines were designed to be serviced, and buying one secondhand is the cheapest way to own something repairable.
What I recommend
Designed to be repaired
Framework is the clearest example there is. Every part is replaceable, they publish the manuals, and they sell the components individually. You can upgrade the mainboard rather than the whole laptop. Sold direct rather than through Amazon.
Framework Laptop 13
Every single part is replaceable and Framework sell them all, with manuals for each. The ports are swappable modules, so you choose which sockets you want and change them later. When the processor is out of date you replace the mainboard rather than the machine. Nothing else on the market takes repairability this seriously.
- Every component is replaceable and sold individually
- Repair manuals published for everything
- Swappable port modules, you pick your sockets
- Mainboard upgrades extend the life indefinitely
- Runs Windows or Linux equally well
- Costs more than an equivalent mainstream laptop
- Sold direct only, so no Amazon and no commission for me
- Battery life trails the best thin laptops
- Support is a smaller operation than Dell or Lenovo
- The DIY edition means assembling it yourself
Framework Laptop 16
Same idea in a larger machine, with a swappable graphics module as well, which no other laptop offers. If you want something that can be upgraded rather than replaced over many years, this genuinely delivers it.
- Swappable graphics module, unique among laptops
- Same full repairability as the 13
- Larger screen and keyboard
- Expensive
- Heavy for a laptop
- Sold direct only, no commission for me
- Graphics module choice is still limited
Repairable and cheap
The same argument from the other direction. Business machines were designed to be opened and serviced, and buying one secondhand is by far the cheapest route to something repairable. These are on Amazon.
Refurbished business laptop
An off lease ThinkPad, Latitude or EliteBook. Built to be opened, service manuals freely available, parts still sold, and a fraction of the price of new. If repairability matters but Framework money does not, this is the answer.
- Designed to be serviced, unlike consumer laptops
- Service manuals published and freely available
- Parts widely available new and secondhand
- Very cheap for what you get
- Battery will likely need replacing
- Cosmetic wear is normal
- Older processor generation
- Seller warranty quality varies enormously
- Look for
- ThinkPad, Latitude, EliteBook
- Why
- Built to be repaired, drivers long sorted
- Buy
- Last year's models, not the newest
- Value
- A fraction of new
Refurbished business desktop
The same argument in a desktop. Standard parts, tool free access on most models, and enormous supply from corporate refresh cycles.
- Standard parts, nothing proprietary on most models
- Opens without tools
- Cheap and plentiful
- Micro models limit upgrades to memory and storage
- Older processor generation
- Check it has an SSD not a spinning drive
Related reading
Want a machine that lasts?
Happy to talk through whether repairable is worth it for how you actually use a computer, and what to look for secondhand.