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Librem 5
The Librem 5 is a smartphone manufactured by Purism that is part of their Librem line of products. The phone is designed with the goal of using free software whenever possible and includes PureOS, a Linux operating system, by default. Like other Librem products, the Librem 5 focuses on privacy and freedom and includes features like hardware kill switches and easily-replaceable components. Its name, with a numerical "5", refers to its screen size, not a release version. After an announcement on 24 August 2017, the distribution of developer kits and limited pre-release models occurred throughout 2019 and most of 2020. The first mass-production version of the Librem 5 was shipped on 18 November 2020.
On August 24, 2017, Purism started a crowdfunding campaign for the Librem 5, a smartphone aimed not only to run purely on free software provided in PureOS but to "[focus] on security by design and privacy protection by default". Purism claimed that the phone would become "the world's first ever IP-native mobile handset, using end-to-end encrypted decentralized communication". Purism has cooperated with GNOME in its development of the Librem 5 software. It is planned that KDE and Ubuntu Touch will also be offered as optional interfaces.
The release of the Librem 5 was delayed several times. It was originally planned to launch in January 2019. Purism announced on September 4, 2018 that the launch date would be postponed until April 2019, due to two power management bugs in the silicon and the Europe/North America holiday season. Development kits for software developers, which were shipped out in December 2018 were unaffected by the bugs, since developers normally connect the device to a power outlet rather than rely on the phone battery. In February, the launch date was postponed again to the third quarter of 2019, because of the necessity of further CPU tests.
Specifications and pre-orders, for $649, to increase to $699, were announced in July 2019. On September 5, 2019, Purism announced that shipping was scheduled to occur later that month, but that it would be done as an "iterative" process. The iterative release plan included the announcement of six different "batches" of Librem 5 releases, of which the first four would be limited pre-production models. Each consecutive batch, which consisted of different arboreal-themed code names and release dates, would feature hardware, mechanical, and software improvements. Purism contacted each customer that had pre-ordered to allow them to choose which batch they'd prefer to receive. Pre-mass production batches, in order of release, included code names "Aspen", "Birch", "Chestnut", and "Dogwood". The fifth batch, "Evergreen", would be the official mass-production model, while the sixth batch, "Fir", would be the second mass-production model.
On September 24, 2019, Purism announced that the first batch of limited-production Librem 5 phones (Aspen) had started shipping. A video of an early phone was produced and a shipping and status update was released soon after. However, it was later reported that the Aspen batch had been shipped only to employees and developers. On November 22, 2019, it was reported that the second batch (Birch) would consist of around 100 phones and would be in the hands of backers by the first week of December. In December 2019, Jim Salter of Ars Technica reported "prototype" devices were being received; however, they were not really a "phone" yet. There was no audio when attempting to place a phone call (which was fixed with a software update a few weeks later), and cameras didn't work yet. Reports of the third batch of limited pre-mass-production models (Chestnut) being received by customers and reviewers occurred in January 2020. By May 2020, TechRadar reported that the call quality was fine, though the speaker mode was "a bit quiet", and volume adjustment did not work. According to TechRadar, the 3 to 5-hour battery time and the inability of the phone to charge while turned on was "A stark reminder of the Librem 5's beta status".
On November 18, 2020, Purism announced via press release that they had begun shipping the finished version of the Librem 5, known as "Evergreen". Following its release, in December 2019, Purism announced that it will offer a "Librem 5 USA" version of the phone for the price of $1999, which is assembled in the United States for extra supply chain security. According to Purism CEO Todd Weaver, "having a secure auditable US based supply chain including parts procurement, fabrication, testing, assembly, and fulfillment all from within the same facility is the best possible security story."
The Librem 5 features an i.MX 8M Quad Core processor with an integrated GPU which supports OpenGL 3.0, OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 1.2 with default drivers; however, since the driver used is the open source Etnaviv driver, it currently only supports OpenGL 2.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0. It has 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of eMMC storage, a 13 MP rear camera, and an 8 MP front camera. The left side of the phone features three hardware kill switches, which cut power to the camera and microphone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modem, and the baseband modem.) The device uses a USB-C connector for charging. The 144 mm (5.7-inch) IPS display has a resolution of 1440×720 pixels. It also has a 3.5 mm TRRS headphone/mic jack, a single SIM slot, and a microSD card slot.
The Librem 5 is powered by a lithium-ion battery. The capacity of the battery was 2000 mAh in earliest development batches, which was increased to 4500 mAh in the mass-production batch. The battery is designed to be user-replaceable. The battery is unique to Librem 5 and cannot be replaced by any other battery type. In addition, Purism ships replacement batteries only within the US unless combined with another device.
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Librem 5 AI simulator
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Librem 5
The Librem 5 is a smartphone manufactured by Purism that is part of their Librem line of products. The phone is designed with the goal of using free software whenever possible and includes PureOS, a Linux operating system, by default. Like other Librem products, the Librem 5 focuses on privacy and freedom and includes features like hardware kill switches and easily-replaceable components. Its name, with a numerical "5", refers to its screen size, not a release version. After an announcement on 24 August 2017, the distribution of developer kits and limited pre-release models occurred throughout 2019 and most of 2020. The first mass-production version of the Librem 5 was shipped on 18 November 2020.
On August 24, 2017, Purism started a crowdfunding campaign for the Librem 5, a smartphone aimed not only to run purely on free software provided in PureOS but to "[focus] on security by design and privacy protection by default". Purism claimed that the phone would become "the world's first ever IP-native mobile handset, using end-to-end encrypted decentralized communication". Purism has cooperated with GNOME in its development of the Librem 5 software. It is planned that KDE and Ubuntu Touch will also be offered as optional interfaces.
The release of the Librem 5 was delayed several times. It was originally planned to launch in January 2019. Purism announced on September 4, 2018 that the launch date would be postponed until April 2019, due to two power management bugs in the silicon and the Europe/North America holiday season. Development kits for software developers, which were shipped out in December 2018 were unaffected by the bugs, since developers normally connect the device to a power outlet rather than rely on the phone battery. In February, the launch date was postponed again to the third quarter of 2019, because of the necessity of further CPU tests.
Specifications and pre-orders, for $649, to increase to $699, were announced in July 2019. On September 5, 2019, Purism announced that shipping was scheduled to occur later that month, but that it would be done as an "iterative" process. The iterative release plan included the announcement of six different "batches" of Librem 5 releases, of which the first four would be limited pre-production models. Each consecutive batch, which consisted of different arboreal-themed code names and release dates, would feature hardware, mechanical, and software improvements. Purism contacted each customer that had pre-ordered to allow them to choose which batch they'd prefer to receive. Pre-mass production batches, in order of release, included code names "Aspen", "Birch", "Chestnut", and "Dogwood". The fifth batch, "Evergreen", would be the official mass-production model, while the sixth batch, "Fir", would be the second mass-production model.
On September 24, 2019, Purism announced that the first batch of limited-production Librem 5 phones (Aspen) had started shipping. A video of an early phone was produced and a shipping and status update was released soon after. However, it was later reported that the Aspen batch had been shipped only to employees and developers. On November 22, 2019, it was reported that the second batch (Birch) would consist of around 100 phones and would be in the hands of backers by the first week of December. In December 2019, Jim Salter of Ars Technica reported "prototype" devices were being received; however, they were not really a "phone" yet. There was no audio when attempting to place a phone call (which was fixed with a software update a few weeks later), and cameras didn't work yet. Reports of the third batch of limited pre-mass-production models (Chestnut) being received by customers and reviewers occurred in January 2020. By May 2020, TechRadar reported that the call quality was fine, though the speaker mode was "a bit quiet", and volume adjustment did not work. According to TechRadar, the 3 to 5-hour battery time and the inability of the phone to charge while turned on was "A stark reminder of the Librem 5's beta status".
On November 18, 2020, Purism announced via press release that they had begun shipping the finished version of the Librem 5, known as "Evergreen". Following its release, in December 2019, Purism announced that it will offer a "Librem 5 USA" version of the phone for the price of $1999, which is assembled in the United States for extra supply chain security. According to Purism CEO Todd Weaver, "having a secure auditable US based supply chain including parts procurement, fabrication, testing, assembly, and fulfillment all from within the same facility is the best possible security story."
The Librem 5 features an i.MX 8M Quad Core processor with an integrated GPU which supports OpenGL 3.0, OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 1.2 with default drivers; however, since the driver used is the open source Etnaviv driver, it currently only supports OpenGL 2.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0. It has 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of eMMC storage, a 13 MP rear camera, and an 8 MP front camera. The left side of the phone features three hardware kill switches, which cut power to the camera and microphone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modem, and the baseband modem.) The device uses a USB-C connector for charging. The 144 mm (5.7-inch) IPS display has a resolution of 1440×720 pixels. It also has a 3.5 mm TRRS headphone/mic jack, a single SIM slot, and a microSD card slot.
The Librem 5 is powered by a lithium-ion battery. The capacity of the battery was 2000 mAh in earliest development batches, which was increased to 4500 mAh in the mass-production batch. The battery is designed to be user-replaceable. The battery is unique to Librem 5 and cannot be replaced by any other battery type. In addition, Purism ships replacement batteries only within the US unless combined with another device.