Framework Stops Selling Base-Model Laptops, Citing Trump’s Taiwan Tariffs

In a sign of how Trump’s tariffs will affect the PC industry, Framework Computer says it has no choice but to temporarily discontinue the base models of its upgradable laptops in the US.

The company cites Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on Taiwan, where its laptops are manufactured. “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,” the San Francisco-based company tweeted. 

Framework’s US website has hit pause on offering the base-model Framework 13 laptop with an Intel Ultra 5 125H or AMD Ryzen 5 7640U, which previously started at $899 and $999, respectively, for the prebuilt edition.

In a Reddit post, Framework said six models are temporarily discontinued. Its website now shows the base model for the prebuilt editions start at $1,099 for AMD and $1,399 for Intel. 

Framework faces more cost pressures. Taiwan’s tariff rate is set to rise to 32% on Wednesday, when the reciprocal tariffs go into effect.

Framework didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, so it’s unclear if the company is considering price increases. In the meantime, the vendor claims that rival PC makers are also delisting lower-priced products in response to Trump’s tariffs. “Other consumer goods makers have performed the same calculations and taken the same actions, though most have not been open about it,” Framework said, without naming vendors. 

So far, the larger PC vendors, including Dell and HP, have been quiet on the potential tariff impact. But smaller boutique shops and analysts say price hikes are inevitable since PC parts are largely made and imported from Asia.

Meanwhile, Nintendo has delayed preorders for the Switch 2 in the US to assess the tariff impact. Much of the company’s hardware is made in Vietnam and Cambodia, which are facing a tariff rate at 46% and 49%, respectively.

About Michael Kan

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