For most of the last 20 years, laptops have been designed to die.
Once your battery bloated, your SSD failed, or your charging port wore out, the only thing left to do was to either try to replace it by yourself by soldering, or go to a technician, or just say goodbye and spend another $1,000 on a replacement. Even if the screen, keyboard, and processor were in perfect shape, they would need some technical skills and specialized equipment.
But something changed. And now, quietly and somewhat unexpectedly, we are entering a new era, one where modular laptops are going mainstream. Your next computer might not just be faster; it might be fixable. It might be yours.
Here is how we got here, who’s leading the charge, and what it means for your wallet, your rights, and the planet.
How we got here: The disposable tech era
The early 2010s ushered in a design era obsessed with thinness, minimalism, and aesthetics above all else. Apple’s MacBook line set the tone: soldered RAM, glued batteries, and proprietary everything. Others followed. Consumers, often unwittingly, traded long-term value for sleekness.
Manufacturers had a lot to gain. If a $20 battery could only be replaced by buying a $1,200 laptop, well, that is great for quarterly earnings. Not so great for your bank account. And absolutely catastrophic for the planet.
Globally, e-waste has grown to over 50 million metric tons per year, much of it from consumer electronics that failed in small, fixable ways but couldn’t be repaired due to design restrictions.
But even as the laptop became more locked down, a resistance began to form.
The disruptor: Framework proves modularity works
The real turning point in this story wasn’t a giant corporation, it was a small startup with a bold idea.
Framework, founded in 2020, launched with a mission to challenge the entire premise of disposable hardware. Their thesis was simple: what if a laptop could be modular, repairable, and still thin, powerful, and modern?
Their first device, the Framework Laptop 13, was a breath of fresh air. RAM and SSDs were swappable with standard tools. Batteries, screens, and even keyboards could be replaced without soldering or glue. Expansion cards let users choose their own ports, HDMI, USB-C, microSD, plug-and-play style.
Then came the Framework Laptop 16, which pushed things even further: user-upgradeable graphics modules (like the NVIDIA RTX 5070) and mainboard swaps that let users upgrade from Intel to AMD or vice versa with just a screwdriver.
Framework did not just talk about repairability, they built an ecosystem around it.
Their devices proved a radical idea: that modularity and performance could coexist. That disruption laid the groundwork for a much bigger shift.
The hammer falls: Right-to-repair laws go global
While Framework was showing the way, governments, especially in Europe, were quietly redrawing the rules of tech design.
The European Union’s Right-to-Repair and Eco-Design Directives require manufacturers to make products easier to disassemble, repair, and reuse. Devices sold in the EU must now support:
- Standardized screws and non-destructive opening methods
- Access to spare parts and repair guides for up to 10 years
- Design for recyclability and longer lifespans
These aren’t suggestions. They are mandates. And if you want to sell laptops in the world’s second-largest market, you comply, or you exit.
The impact has been immediate. Laptop design cycles are being rebuilt from the ground up to accommodate modularity. Even companies that once fought tooth and nail against repair, like Apple, are being forced to adapt.
Big tech responds: Dell, HP, and Lenovo join the movement
The Framework effect combined with legal pressure created a tipping point. Now the giants are moving.
- Dell has unveiled Concept Luna, a laptop with no screws and easily accessible internals, designed for rapid disassembly and recycling.
- HP has announced modular business laptops with snap-in ports, replaceable batteries, and open repair documentation.
- Lenovo, long a favorite among techies for its serviceability, is doubling down on modular design in several of its ThinkPad lines.
The shift isn’t just philosophical, it is economic. As modularity becomes a regulatory necessity and a consumer differentiator, repairability is transforming from a fringe benefit into a core feature.
Why it matters: The real-world benefits of modularity
This is not just a feel-good story for tech enthusiasts. The move toward modular laptops has concrete, measurable benefits for users and the planet.
| Benefit | Impact |
|---|---|
| Lower costs | Upgrade RAM, storage, or GPU for $100 instead of replacing the whole laptop. |
| User ownership | Replace a degraded battery in 5 minutes, without voiding a warranty or visiting a repair center. |
| Environmental impact | Modular design supports the circular economy, reducing e-waste and mining of raw materials. |
| Empowerment | Users gain control over their devices, no more being locked out of your own hardware. |
| Safety | Replace swollen batteries before they become a fire hazard, something not possible in sealed systems. |
This is what modern tech should look like. Not disposable. Not opaque. But open, fixable, and fair.
What comes next: The modular ecosystem
The laptop is just the beginning. Framework has already released a modular desktop system powered by AMD AI Max processors, proving the same principles can apply to high-performance towers. Swappable mainboards, universal port cards, and standardized formats are creating a repairable computing ecosystem, something unthinkable five years ago.
In parallel, global attention is turning toward “dark patterns”, deceptive software tricks, and demanding hardware transparency too. Repairability may soon be required not just in the EU, but in the U.S., Canada, and beyond.
Future innovations could include:
- Interchangeable CPU modules across brands and generations.
- Open-source BIOS and firmware ecosystems
- Cross-device part compatibility, allowing modules to be reused across laptops, desktops, and accessories
This is no longer science fiction. It is product roadmap.
The bottom line: We win
The war against glued-shut, locked-down, disposable tech has been a long one. But the tide has turned. Framework wrote the playbook. Legislation gave it teeth. And now, even the biggest players in the game are falling in line.
In the next few years, modular gaming laptops will not just be an option, they will be the norm. And maybe, just maybe, we will start to believe that hardware, like software, can be open, upgradeable, and built to last.
The key takeaways
- For years, laptops were designed to be disposable, leading to massive e-waste and unnecessary costs.
- The rise of modular laptops, especially from companies like Framework, now allows users to easily repair and upgrade their devices.
- Regulatory changes, such as the EU’s Right-to-Repair laws, are pushing manufacturers to adopt modularity in their designs.
- Big tech companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo are responding by creating modular laptops that prioritize repairability and sustainability.
- The shift towards modular laptops promotes lower costs, user ownership, and less environmental impact, paving the way for a more sustainable tech ecosystem.
