In general they tend to be shittier because many are just fucked if anything goes wrong.
I wouldn't say that's the case. With the recent generations, Lenovo brought back SODIMM slots for the RAM, so the main point of contention when it comes to hardware longevity is fixed. Other than that, what is there to go wrong in something like an AMD T14 Gen 6 that you can't replace compared to a T480 or a T420? Okay, the WLAN card is soldered, how often does that die on you? You can't upgrade it, how often will you upgrade your home WiFi to be able to add WiFi 8 to your laptop? The battery is user replaceable. The RAM is user replaceable. Modern AMD CPU's are so good you won't have an issue with them becoming too weak, unlike with something like T420 or T480. What is it exactly about those modern ThinkPads that you believe is "shittier" and that it's "just fucked if anything goes wrong" over the older models?
And here's what I don't get about people recommending Framework laptops over ThinkPads. Yes, they make absolutely fucking sure in their marketing to show you that you can replace anything, including the mainboard. But I don't fucking buy it.
First of all, you're still relying on Framework to have a supply of those, it's the same issue as Lenovo replacement parts, where Lenovo has a guarantee of replacement parts availability due to ThinkPads being targeted to businesses. Unless you manage to design something akin to ATX for a standard for modular laptops, you will always have to depend on the manufacturer to fix your shit. All that Framework did is that they made more of their own design modular, but it's still their design and their parts, with practically no third party market despite claiming to be open.
Second, how much modularity do you actually need from your laptop realistically? Do you upgrade your PC's CPU every year? Or do you use a CPU from 5 years ago because shit's just that good nowadays? Or do you only really care about being able to put in a larger SSD and larger RAM later down the road? Because guess what, you can do just that with modern ThinkPads.
Third, the modular I/O looks like a good idea on paper, but in practice it's more limited than on ThinkPads and more of a gimmick. Yes, you can replace the modules if they wear out. How many times did you wore out your Ethernet, HDMI or USB port on your laptop? Yeah, and on a Framework you only get four modules, meanwhile on a ThinkPad you get like 3-4 USB-A's, 1-2 USB-C's, an Ethernet port and a combo jack. Just about all the I/O that you'd want. Sure, you can argue that soldered USB-C charging ports are bad, but once again, I feel like it's the type of issue that arises when people disrespect their hardware, and then get mad that something got broken because they've handled it like a gorilla.
Fourth, reliability. What do you mean by that? Because if we're talking about mechanical reliability of silicone running or port wear, it's all the same. If we're talking about durability, I'm yet to see someone put a modern ThinkPad and a Framework laptop through more rigorous durability tests, to see what fares better in case of drops, spills and other mechanical damage that may arise from using a laptop in use cases where you'd actually want one. Probably because it would be more likely that the super modular laptop wouldn't deal with it as well as the one that's more closed down, but designed with business use in mind where people keep hauling them from point A to point B all the time, and all the Framework shilling never seems to focus on that aspect.
With the Framework 12 and Desktop marketing, I feel like Framework is getting enshittified into a lifestyle brand where you LARP about having a repairable device. Seriously, soldered RAM on a desktop? And people shill Framework as a company that lets you repair your shit? Lenovo stopped soldering RAM on their ThinkPads but somehow people keep saying that they're "unreliable" and that you should get a Framework without elaborating further.
I have a budget ThinkPad that got released last year. Despite not having a magnesium chassis it feels reliable and robust, I carry it in my backpack with no protection and it has no issues whatsoever. It's fairly compact, lightweight, with decent battery life, and does all that you'd realistically want to do on a machine like that without a hitch. Though this is the important part: what you'd realistically want to do on a laptop. You're basically getting a stop-gap between the usability of your PC and the portability of your smartphone. Don't expect to be running any big games on it, or doing any heavy tasks. It's meant to be something for comfortable office work on the go, and if you really need to, something that you can use to remote desktop to your home PC that has all the computing power that you'd need.
Still, fuck Framework. I'm yet to hear someone give a compelling argument for them other than "modularity bro". I'd trust nu-Chinknovo any time of the day over those grifters. I want a work machine, not a fucking Macbook for trannies.
