Framework ‘pauses’ some laptop sales in response to tariffs

Framework has decided to “temporarily pause” sales of certain low-end Framework 13 Laptops due to the new tariffs implemented by the Trump administration, the company said.

“Due to the new tariffs that came into effect on April 5th, we’re temporarily pausing U.S. sales on a few base Framework Laptop 13 systems (Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U),” Framework said on Twitter/X. “For now, these models will be removed from our U.S. site. We will continue to provide updates as we have them.”

404 Media reported that the models had in fact been removed from Framework’s web page, with models starting at $799.

In a followup post, Framework explained: “We priced our laptops when tariffs on imports from Taiwan were 0%. At a 10% tariff, we would have to sell the lowest-end SKUs at a loss. Other consumer goods makers have performed the same calculations and taken the same actions, though most have not been open about it.”

What wasn’t clear, however, was why Framework didn’t simply raise its prices to compensate. Economists and trade organizations have predicted since last year that manufacturers would simply raise prices by the tariffed percentage, simply passing along costs to the consumer. Potential customers responding to the Twitter post wondered the same thing, but the company didn’t respond. However, the full effects of the various Trump tariffs (up to 54 percent on imports from China, aluminum imports, and semiconductors) are slowly being understood and may vary depending upon company and product.

Framework doesn’t seem to have raised its pre-order prices as a result of the tariff, however. When the Framework Desktop was first announced, the base price was $1,099. Though Framework sold out of its first few batches, at press time the company had moved on to “Batch 9” — which will ship in the third quarter, well after any tariffs have taken effect. However, Framework is still charging $1,099 for the base model, as before, as of press time.

Mark Hachman / Foundry

Instead, Framework is apparently in the process of re-adjusting its prices for its existing PCs. For example, Framework’s DIY edition of the Laptop 13 indicates that the cheapest version available is priced at $749. In reality, a Framework 13 with a AMD Ryzen 7640U (at $899) is the cheapest option available. The company’s prebuilt page also indicates that Framework is selling a prebuilt Framework Laptop 13 for $899, when in fact only the “Professional” version for $1,499 appears to be in stock.

Framework representatives declined to comment further.