The Framework Laptop 16 is getting OCuLink support later this year, enabling compatibility with eGPUs and PCIe cards

Framework has announced several new upgrades for the Framework laptop 16, including a new CPU option and a more advanced touchpad module. But the biggest upgrade is the introduction of an OCuLink Dev Kit coming later this year that introduces compatibility with PCIe devices, including eGPU docks and PCIe cards.

The kit comes in three parts. The first is an OCuLink Adapter Board that sits inside the Laptop 16's expansion bay shell and routes an OCuLink connector to the back of the laptop, rated at up to 128Gbps through an x8 interface. The Graphics Module OCuLink Dock is the second module, aimed at providing OCuLink connectivity to the Framework Laptop 16's graphics module externally. Basically, this component allows users to use the graphics module as an external GPU. The third component is the PCIe OCuLink Dock that enables users to plug PCIe cards into the laptop, including network cards and video capture cards. Framework claims the PCIe OCuLink Dock provides desktop-like PCIe performance with very little overhead.

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Framework designed its OCuLink Dev Kit as a full package, featuring the three aforementioned components and reference 3D-printable designs, so users can build whatever they need around the PCIe devices they will be using with the laptop. As an example, Framework showed an image of a Framework Laptop 16 hooked up to its graphics module externally, mounted to a 3D printed chassis with an SFX power supply mounted at the bottom.

Framework also announced upgrades to the Framework Laptop 16 that are available now; the One Piece Haptic Touchpad is a new touchpad option that provides adjustable haptic feedback and response force. It's the same component that comes with the newly announced Framework Laptop 13 Pro. The One Piece Keyboard gives Laptop 16 owners and buyers a keyboard option that makes the "top row of the Input Module system seamless...with an aluminum lattice part." Framework has also introduced a new Translucent Smokey Grey color for the laptop's bezel.

Finally, the Ryzen AI 5 340 with three Zen 6 cores and three Zen 6c cores is now an option for the Framework Laptop 16, giving it a new, lower entry price. With this CPU option, the pre-built configured version of the device now starts at $1,599, and the DIY edition starts at $1,249. Framework says the Ryzen AI 5 option was specifically requested by its business customers for broader deployments.