Framework—a company that makes upgradeable and repairable laptops—has said it will pause sales on several versions of one of its models in America thanks to Trump’s tariffs.
“Due to the new tariffs that came into effect on April 5th, we’re temporarily pausing US sales on a few base Framework Laptop 13 systems (Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U). For now, these models will be removed from our US site. We will continue to provide updates as we have them,” Framework said in a post on X.
Due to the new tariffs that came into effect on April 5th, we’re temporarily pausing US sales on a few base Framework Laptop 13 systems (Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U). For now, these models will be removed from our US site. We will continue to provide updates as we have them.
— Framework (@FrameworkPuter) April 7, 2025
Unlike most laptops, Framework’s machines are designed to be upgraded and repaired. Customers pick a screen size and choose from a list of parts they want in the machine. They can have Framework assemble it and ship it with Windows installed, or they can build it themselves and install a custom operating system.
The 13 line is Framework’s mid-sized option and the Ryzen 5 7640U was the cheapest variation of that model, starting at $749. The Ultra 5 125H was the Intel variant and is no longer listed on Framework’s website in the U.S. An archived version of the page shows this model starting at $799.
A spokesperson for Framework told 404 Media in an email that the company was pausing sales on their six lowest priced units in the U.S. They clarified that those models are still available to customers that are ordering the machines outside of America. I asked if they knew when, or if, those models would ever come back to America. “No comment,” they said.
I asked Framework why this was happening and it pointed to an answer it had posted on X. “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,” they said. “Other consumer goods makers have performed the same calculations and taken the same actions, though most have not been open about it.”
Framework’s cheapest line of laptops is the latest consumer product to be felled by Trump’s decision to issue a blanket import tax of 10% on all goods coming into the United States and a 32% tariff on Taiwan in particular. The stock market slumped on Monday and Wikipedia has already begun calling the events the “2025 Stock Market Crash.”
Nintendo announced the global launch of the Switch 2 just before Trump launched his tariff regime. The gaming company pulled pre-orders for the new gaming console in the U.S., citing uncertainty around the tariffs. The price was meant to be $449, but it might go up now. The board game and collectible card game industries, which rely on cheap materials from China, are signaling that prices are about to go up and its industry may collapse. A 2024 study from the Consumer Technology Association—the group that puts on CES—looked at what effect proposed tariffs may have on gamers.
What the CTA report predicted Framework, Nintendo, and the board game industry have confirmed. Trump’s tariffs will hit gamers hard.
