The Current Hardware Specifications For Purism's Librem 5 Phone

Written by Michael Larabel in Hardware on 28 January 2019 at 05:41 PM EST. 46 Comments
HARDWARE
Just before Christmas, Purism began shipping the Librem 5 developer kits and with that increasing questions about the Librem 5 Linux smartphone, the company has published some new FAQs about the security-minded smartphone as well as publishing a concise list of the currently planned specifications.

The specifications are much the same as when they were last covered, albeit now in a convenient list. The i.MX8M SoC is still at the heart of the phone though it's still yet to be determined whether the 8M Quad or 8M Quad Mini will be utilized. With either of those SoCs is the Vivante graphics, tentatively planning to ship with 3GB of RAM, and a 5.7-inch 720x1440 display, 802.11g/n WiFi, and one SIM card.

Here's their currently list albeit subject to change and other factors still yet to be determined:
CPU: NXP® i.MX 8M Quad or NXP® i.MX 8M Quad Mini
GPU: Vivante GC7000Lite
RAM: 3 GB minimum (subject to change)
Screen: 720×1440 high-DPI 5.7″ (glossy)
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth: Yes
GPS: Yes
NFC: No (subject to change)
FM Radio: No
Card slot: microSD
Loudspeaker: Yes
3.5mm jack: Yes
SIM cards: One
Camera: Front and back
Replaceable Battery: Yes (with tools)
Smart Card Reader: Yes (OpenPGP-compatible)

They have been planning to begin shipping this phone in April to early adopters after their January launch target was pushed back. But seeing as we are now embarking on February and the phone specifications haven't even been finalized yet not to mention the software stack being a work-in-progress, it's looking incredibly unlikely they will reach their April target but given the current pace would seem more well off into later in the year.

The current pre-order price on the Librem 5 smartphone is $599 USD but said to be going up to $649 after January.

The latest Librem 5 hardware details can be found via the Purism blog.
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Michael Larabel

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.

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