Framework has been going in-depth with the hyping up of its latest "Laptop 16" model - the modular hardware specialist has issued a new
blog post this week that focuses on a "brand new custom high-efficiency 180 W USB-C power adapter," co-developed with Chicony. This unit is touted as a significant upgrade over the existing 60 W model that is bundled with their Laptop 13 system - Nirav Patel, Framework's CEO and co-founder explains: "The (180 W) adapter body is just 116.6 x 58.2 x 27 mm, and the enclosure is made of 30% post-consumer-recycled plastic. That's exactly the thickness and depth and twice the length of our 60 W power adapter, while outputting 3x higher wattage. Pretty incredible! Our PFC plus asymmetrical half-bridge flyback architecture uses ON Semi NCP1622 and JoulWatt JW1556 controllers along with latest generation GaN switching parts from both GaN Systems and Navitas, peaking at an amazing 93% efficiency."
The Framework Laptop 16 has some hidden potential according to Patel - he reveals that this flagship model is now future-proofed with support for 240 W power adapters: "We needed to solve for the tricky task of creating an adapter small and portable enough to be a great fit for the Framework Laptop 16 in an integrated graphics configuration while also outputting enough power to handle the Graphics Module with a discrete GPU. 180 W covers the majority of use cases while still being extremely compact. If you have a Graphics Module installed, set your OS to maximum performance mode, and run a sustained heavy load, it is possible to draw from the battery while plugged in. If that doesn't sound like a good tradeoff to you, the Framework Laptop 16 supports 240 W USB PD 3.1 power adapters too, so you can configure your DIY Edition without a power adapter and bring your own 240 W one instead."