Wuuttup. I’m here complaining again about Framework’s Linux unfriendly display. The new one this time.

https://frame.work/products/display-kit?v=FRANJF0001

Old display, 2256 x 1504 (3:2)

GNOME

100% scale

• Nothing looks blurry
• Everything is tiny
• Unusable

100% scale + large text accessibility

• Nothing looks blurry
• Most apps scale appropriately
• Some apps don’t respect GNOME’s large text setting (Alacritty)

125% scale

• Most apps look blurry (Picard, Firefox, Spotify, Alacritty)

200% scale

• Everything is way too big
• Unusable

Plasma

100% scale

• Nothing looks blurry
• Everything is tiny
• Unusable

125% scale + Apply scaling themselves

• Nothing looks blurry
• Most apps scale appropriate
• Some apps can’t scale themselves and look tiny (Picard)

125% scale + Scaled by system

• Most apps look blurry (Picard, Firefox, Spotify, Alacritty)

200% scale

• Everything is way too big
• Unusable

New display, 2880 x 1920 (3:2)

GNOME

100% scale

• Nothing looks blurry
• Everything is tiny
• Unusable

100% scale + large text accessibility

• Nothing looks blurry
• Most apps scale appropriately
• Some apps don’t respect GNOME’s large text setting (Alacritty)
• Everything is tiny

150% scale

• Most apps look blurry (Picard, Firefox, Spotify, Alacritty)

200% scale

• Everything is way too big
• Unusable

Plasma

100% scale

• Nothing looks blurry
• Everything is tiny
• Unusable

150% scale + Apply scaling themselves

• Nothing looks blurry
• Some apps can’t scale themselves, but look a little better here? (Picard)

150% scale + Scaled by system

• Most apps look blurry (Picard, Firefox, Spotify, Alacritty)

200% scale

• Everything is way too big
• Unusable

tl;dr

In the old display, GNOME at 100% + large text was the best compromise. In the new display, Plasma at 150% + Apply scaling themselves is the best compromise.

Interestingly, Picard scaling itself looks super tiny in the old display, but in the new display it looks… better. It’s still not correctly scaled like native Wayland apps, but it’s better.

Warning

If you can’t stomach moving from GNOME to Plasma, then 🚨 DO NOT BUY THE NEW DISPLAY 🚨. The new display is worse for GNOME.

Once again

I am once again begging Framework to just give us a damn regular DPI display that works! Without workarounds. Without forcing users on specific DEs. Without forcing users to stop using their favorite apps. This new display has basically all of the flaws as the previous one.