Purism Librem 5 Linux Phone Crowdfunding Campaign Just Passed 50% Of Its Goal

Purism Librem 5

Last month, laptop maker Purism started a Crowdfunding campaign for a Linux phone called Librem 5 that respects your privacy and keeps your data secure. The security-conscious US-based Linux laptop maker set a crowdfunding goal to raise $1.5 million to manufacture a 5-inch privacy-focused smartphone powered by open-source software. Past forward to today, the project has snagged $806,825 (at the time of writing) in pledges against a goal of $1,500,000 – which works out at roughly 53.79% of the targeted goal.

Starting at $599, the smartphone will run the GNU/Linux PureOS distribution and will include a slate of features aimed at helping you protect your ‘digital identity; – including end-to-end encryption of calls and texts made to other Librem 5 handsets.

Recently, both Gnome and KDE announced their plan to back the Librem 5 campaign, which gives the campaign a much-needed boost of publicity, and a stack of new pledges. The company behind the project says that they will use free software and the phone can also run most GNU/Linux distributions.

While the device will ship with a GNOME-based UI by default but, through various partnerships and development efforts in the community, backers will be able to replace it with, well, whatever else is available! Purism says this liberal approach will help to “create an open development utopia, rather than the walled gardens from all other phone providers”.

As it is, Purism says Librem 5 specs will not be finalized until after the campaign ends to “ensure the best available components”. At present Purism can say they plan to include:

  • 5-inch touchscreen
  • i.MX6 or i.MX8 CPU
  • Vivante GPU (Etnaviv free software accelerated driver)
  • Multi-function port
  • Separate mobile baseband
  • 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
  • 32GB eMMC storage
  • MicroSD slot
  • Front and rear cameras
  • Courage jack (aka 3.5mm headphone)
  • Hardware Kill Switches for Camera, Microphone, WiFi/Bluetooth, and Baseband
  • Works with 2G/3G/4G, GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks

If you are looking to replace your current smartphone with the Librem 5, then you will need to look elsewhere as the phone will not ship until January 2019.

This is an “all-or-nothing” campaign. In other words, if there are not enough backers, credit cards are not charged. This means there is no risk to support early and spread the word. So, if you are interested in getting a security and privacy-focused mobile running GNU/Linux, then you can help make it a reality by heading over to the crowdfunding page where pledges start from $20.

Raja Rajan Avatar

Help Us Grow

If you like this post, please share it with your friends.

You are free to copy and redistribute this article in any medium or format, as long as you keep the links in the article or provide a link back to this page.

Subscribe to Newsletter




Privacy Settings

Privacy & Cookie Overview

Our website uses cookies to provide you with the best user experience possible. These cookies are stored in your browser and perform essential functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website, as well as helping us to understand which sections of the website you find most useful and engaging.

To learn more, you can read our Privacy & Cookie Policy or reach out through our Contact form.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookies must always be enabled to ensure the proper functioning of this website and to allow us to provide you with excellent service. These cookies are also essential for saving your cookie preferences.

Google Adsense

We use Google AdSense to keep this site free by displaying relevant ads. AdSense requires essential cookies that cannot be disabled, but you can manage other cookies. We respect your privacy and provide options to control non-essential cookies.

For more details on how Google handles your data, visit Google's Data Usage Policy. Please review our Privacy Policy for more information on how we protect your data.

AddToAny

We use AddToAny for social sharing. It doesnโ€™t store cookies, ensuring a privacy-friendly experience. AddToAny complies with GDPR and CCPA by default.

For more, see their Privacy Policy.

OneSignal

We use OneSignal to send notifications to users who opt in. OneSignal complies with GDPR and is certified under the EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield frameworks.

For more, see their Privacy Policy.

3rd Party Cookies

This website utilizes third-party cookies, which can enhance your experience and support our ongoing efforts to improve our services.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous data, such as visitor numbers and popular pages, to improve user experience and site performance. Keeping this cookie enabled helps us refine the site based on visitor activity.

For more information, see Googleโ€™s Privacy Policy.

Discover more from Prime Inspiration

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading