Hi Sean, we kept the 55Wh in the Base configurations for 1[3]th Gen and for Ryzen 7040 Series in order to keep the price low. Despite massive inflation over the last year and increases in costs for just about all materials and components aside from memory and storage over the last year, we were able to hold the pre-built base price to the same as 12th Gen, $1049.

This is both because the 61Wh battery is more expensive, and because our cell supplier has a substantial amount of material prepared for 55Wh. We could either pay to purchase and scrap that material, which would be totally against our mission, or find a productive outlet for it, which we did through the Base SKU.

For offering it as a configuration option, each new variable in the configuration that is part of the core laptop assembly multiplies the amount of inventory and supply chain complexity we need to manage (CPU options * keyboard languages [on pre-built] * DIY vs pre-built * any new configurable option = number of SKUs). Since we are a small team, we focus on keeping the assembled SKUs as few as possible, while enabling configuration on items that are not pre-assembled like OS, memory, storage, Bezel, and Input Cover on DIY Edition and Expansion Cards on all configs. We also keep the Marketplace as an “escape valve” for items that aren’t available pre-configured, like alternate speakers, hinges, displays (e.g. glossy now that we default to matte), and battery.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/24/23655616/framework-laptop-battery-i5-ryzen-5-higher-price