Purism Unveils Official Specs for the Librem 5 Linux-Based Smartphone, Sets Release Date

Up until now, Purism kept a tight lid on the exact specifications for the company’s Linux-based Librem 5 smartphone, which they tout as offering significant control over security and privacy. According to Purism, the smartphone packs hardware kill switches for the camera, microphone, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, and baseband. Trackers are disabled by default, there is layered protection, and decentralized communication is on by default, among a host of other security offerings that make your digital data secure.

As far as the finalized specs go, the Librem 5 is outfitted with an NXP i.MX8M SoC with quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 and Cortex-M4 real-time core, along with 3Gb RAM, 32Gb of eMMC Flash, and up to 2Tb of storage via micro SD card slot. The phone offers a 5.7-inch IPS TFT screen (@ 1440 X 720), 802.11abgn Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz / 5GHz + Bluetooth 4, and Teseo LIV3F GNSS (GPS). Cellular connectivity comes in two options — either through a Gemalto PLS8 3G/4G modem with single SIM on replaceable M.2 card, or via Broadmobi BM818.

Rounding out the phone’s features are a 13-megapixel rear camera (with flash), 8-megapixel front camera, earpiece speaker, digital microphone, 3.5mm audio jack, Wolfson Media WM8962 DAC, and onboard loudspeaker. It also sports a USB Type-C port, STMicro LSM9DS1 9-axis sensor (gyroscope/accelerometer/magnetometer), VCNL4040 ambient light/proximity sensor, and haptic motor. There are even several kill switches (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, cameras, and microphone), smartcard reader with 2FF card slot, and a 3,500mAh replaceable battery.

On the applications side, Purism has highlighted over 28 programs that run natively on the phone, including the company’s PureOS App Store, GNOME programs, and more. Universal apps can be used as well, however, Purism states they will sandbox those and isolate them from the OS, separating them from tapping into other applications or areas not explicitly allowed. The Librem 5 is now available for pre-order at $649 and is expected to ship by Q3 of this year.