Librem 5 v2

Total and Goal (Updated Daily)

Introduction

What people desire in a phone is easy to describe and difficult to attain. We need technology that frees us, not controls us. To attain that: it requires rejecting everything that takes your freedom away, while allowing you the choice to do what you desire.

At Purism we create products and services that reject corporations spying on people, reject app developers knowing your every move, and we reject tracking your digital life.

We must start from a pure foundation whereby you are fully protected by default without any hostile involvement from these tech companies. Then we must allow for and contain popular applications without the creep.

The Librem 5 v2 running PureOS frees you. It includes thousands of apps that honor this same freedom pledge. Commonly requested apps can run in a secure sandbox: so you control them, not the other way around.

Vote with your dollars! Together we are creating the digital world we all desire.

Incentives Table

As Seen In / Endorsements

Benefits

• Freedom, a phone that frees us all from abusive technology (not one that forces you into contracts to simply use it).
• Privacy, a phone where you own and control all of it (not one where there is a corporation claiming they care).
• Security, a phone where you control the encryption keys (not one where the companies behind it does).
• Runs PureOS, a full GNU/Linux-kernel based OS by Purism (not tied to Google Android nor any corporate OS).
• Modular Sustainable Design, utilizing the same chassis as the Librem 5 (fully supporting right to repair and upgrade paths).
• Long Term Support, Purism still supports 10+ year old devices, PureOS releases often improve older devices, including the Librem 5 that is still fully supported

Technical Specifications

Librem 5 v2

• CPU: Eight-core RISC-V SpacemiT K1 CPU
• Screen: 5.7″ (720 x 1440)
• Memory: 8GB
• Hardware Kill Switches: Cellular, Wi-Fi/BT, Microphone/Cameras
• Cameras: Front: 8MP; Rear: 13MP
• SIM: Dual SIM
• SD: 80 MB/s (SDR104)
• Headphone Jack: 3.5mm
• Charging: Type-C
• Second Screen: Type-C
• Battery: Removable 4500mAh
• Smart card slot: Yes, with free firmware

Librem 5 v2 DevKit A deconstructed Librem 5 v2 in its earliest stage

• Mainboard, RISC-V
• Type-C board
• Screen / Chassis
• Modules: Cameras, Wi-Fi/BT, Cellular, Toggles
• Cables
• Battery

Team Leads



Newsletter

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Stretch Goals

5,000 orders

Electronics (main PCBA) made at Purism facilities (USA and potentially EU). The Librem 5 v2 Liberty

7,500 orders

Protective Case Accessory

10,000 orders

Docking Station Accessory

15,000 orders

To be announced!

20,000 orders

To be announced!

RISC-V Risks

RISC-V is not yet drop-in and boot-up ready for PureOS. This is going to take invention, innovation, and investment. These are major reasons why we need to run a crowdfunding campaign to prove interest to plan and execute all the necessary parts to deliver a fully functioning device.

Graphics

The graphics stack is able to display to a screen, but it needs complete 3D support and optimization to be a usable and responsive mobile phone.

Peripherals

Most peripherals are not supported in mainline Linux. We must adapt and port drivers from the vendor’s 6.6 kernel.

ARM64 compatibility

We must be able to execute ARM64 code efficiently to support Flathub and Android apps. ARM64 emulation for RISC-V exists, but needs optimization.

Browser performance

Firefox supports RISC-V, including in the JavaScript/WASM compiler, but support is relatively recent and may require more optimization.

Power management

RISC-V power management is relatively recent and might require work throughout the stack to reach our goals.

The Audiences and Use Cases

There are too many audiences to fully enumerate, but here are some obvious ones:

• People tired of big tech
• People tired of app creep
• People tired of tracking
• People tired of spying
• People tired of privacy invasions
• People tired of censorship
• People wanting tech freedom
• So, really: Everybody!

Example Apps Available in PureOS Store

Here are some example apps that are able to be installed from PureOS Store. They all are freely available and fully respect your freedom.

Project Milestones

Hardware

Hardware Timeline Summary

The Librem 5 v2 hardware timeline is constructed with care for a successful project:

• Rapid delivery 15 months after campaign close
• All teams fully utilized as they ramp up
• Seven hardware iterations before mass production

Hardware iterations overlap to meet all of these goals. This means that issues found will usually be fixed in revision N+2, as revision N+1 is already in production. The production hardware design begins very early, but allows enough time for a thorough design and to integrate improvements from DevKit iterations.

The Librem 5 v2 Beta will be provided to Librem 5 v2 backers that opt to receive a beta unit. Customer feedback is essential to any successful project, and we value the help of our community and customers! The beta ships in Q4 2027 to ensure there is enough time to receive and apply your feedback. The two production test iterations, PT1 and PT2, will then integrate internal and customer feedback for mass production.

By the time we reach Librem 5 v2 PT2, the design will be finalized, and PT2 is the final test run for the production design.

Software

Software Timeline Summary

The Librem 5 v2 software timeline is constructed with care to fit the hardware timeline:

• Rapid delivery 15 months after campaign close
• Essential OS bringup on eval boards before arrival of devkit alphas
• Immediate bringup of physical interfaces on first devkit alphas to iterate on hardware
• 6 months’ work dedicated to graphics acceleration
• 9 months’ work dedicated to power optimization
• App compatibility improvements funded by Librem 5 v2 enhancing Librem 5 v1 as well

Bringup occurs in the early periods to validate the electrical design and feed into further hardware iterations.

Power efficiency is a top priority, as it feeds into heat, battery life, and performance. We’re dedicating a position to optimization and efficiency to achieve this goal. 9 months are allocated to Librem 5 v2-specific power optimization, starting with DevKit Alpha 2 boards.

Graphics acceleration improves power efficiency as well and also enhances app compatibility. We’re proud to build on the foundations provided by the Mesa project, which already supports some Imagination B-series GPUs. The work we do for the K1’s GPU will also benefit other K1 boards and other similar GPUs.

App compatibility is essential to use a user-respecting smartphone without compromising daily life. PureOS will continue to be our flagship operating system for those who don’t need broader app compatibility. For those who cannot abandon certain communication, banking, or government apps, we are funding work to improve web app and Android compatibility on the Librem 5 as part of the Librem 5 v2 work. We expect this work to benefit the Librem 5 v1 and the overall free software ecosystem. We’re proud to build with a community of contributors and give this work back for everyone’s benefit.

Milestones and tasks will be published as development proceeds, and we’ll complement our regular PureOS Development Update series with updates on the Librem 5 v2 development as well.

Campaign Policies

https://docs.puri.sm/about/policy/crowdfunding.html

FAQ

Can I buy a Librem 5 now?

Yes. We have our first version of the Librem 5 available now! You can go direct to our shop and order it! This campaign is to produce the second version of the Librem 5, aka the Librem 5 v2.

Can I invest?

Yes. If you are an accredited investor interested in private placement or alternatives. Our Investor Relations page (https://puri.sm/ir/) links to more information.

Which technologies did Purism initiate and build?

Yes, Purism has invented, initiated, innovated, and has contributed to many projects. Including: Phosh, Phoc, Libhandy, Squeekboard, Stevia, Libadwaita, PureBoot, Feedbackd, Calls, Chats, and a bunch of other libraries and services. Yes, Purism was the first to create a truly convergent operating system that combined all these together. Yes, a lot of other projects have spawned from what we gave birth to. Yes, we continue to invest and innovate; contributing to the many surrounding ecosystems and projects. Yes, we will continue to invest heavily in free software to advance PureOS and the Librem 5 v2. Yes, by participating in this crowdfunding campaign you support the continuation of all of these efforts.

How long will it take?

The Librem 5 v2 DevKit we anticipate will take between 6 and 7 months to produce and deliver from the end of this campaign. The Librem 5 v2 we anticipate will take between 14 to 15 months to produce and deliver from the end of this campaign.

Will it support 5G?

5G is planned for a future development. AweSIM already supports 5G. The new modem we are producing is an improved 4G modem to broaden carrier compatibility and reliability. We are planning a future 5G modem as well, and we plan for it to be compatible with both Librem 5 v1 and v2.

Will it support NFC?

While NFC will not be supported out-of-the-box, we are considering including the NFC radio on the mainboard to permit future support by adding a new chassis component with an NFC antenna.

Will there be a Made in USA version?

Yes, the plan is to produce a Liberty Phone v2 with Made in USA Electronics to follow the Librem 5 v2 delivery schedule. It is also a stretch goal whereby we would produce all mainboards for both phones – Librem 5 v2 and Liberty Phone v2 – at our facility in the USA, we are also heavily considering leveraging this stretch goal to add manufacturing in the EU. That stretch goals allows us to consolidate pricing as well as production to our facility.

What defines an order?

An order is any Librem 5 v2 line item sale or dollar amount invested divided by the cost of the Librem 5 v2. If you order quantity 5 Librem 5 v2, that will show as 5 orders. If you invest $5000 that would show as 3 orders. Order count is designed to represent total number of phones we can produce.

What defines a Beta order?

If you select to get the Beta release of the phone you are agreeing to get the earliest publicly available phone in its Beta form as your phone reward. You are moving your order to the front of the line as a Beta tester, knowing that you are getting a Beta release (with bugs included).

What jurisdiction controls the Librem 5 v2 after I get it?

This product is yours. You own it outright. There are no terms of service to use the phone. There is no contract to use the phone. You are the full owner of it, and can do with it what you will.

Can AweSIM service change?

Yes, Purism reserves the right to change the backing provider and the service offered, however we will always strive for comparable service.

What happens if you do not hit the goal?

While we do expect to far exceed the goal by the end of the campaign, if we are under target by the end of the campaign, we will evaluate what developmental areas we would have to triage to deliver the reward and in what manner. The good news is that we are able to produce boards and by reusing the chassis, we can do very small runs. This was also a consideration when choosing to do a rolling campaign.

Is this a rolling campaign?

Yes, as campaign dollars come in we begin putting them to use. While we do have some components that have MOQ, those can be staggered for purchase after we cross certain thresholds. Our overall desire is to begin work as soon as possible as we see traction and share updates during the full campaign.

Can I get a refund?

No. There are no refunds.

Can I cancel my monthly charges?

Yes, you can cancel or stop your monthly charges at any time. The accumulated funds are not refunded; they are applied to R&D with the source code released for public use. If not all payments are completed, you can resume payments and/or pay off the balance to receive the associated reward. Any unused or unclaimed balances will convert to a donation into PureOS development on November 1st, 2028.

Why is crowdfunding used?

Purism has utilized crowdfunding to determine market demand. It is valuable to know that before we invest time and energy inventing products.

Will software be freely licensed and open source?

Yes. It will adhere to Purism’s well established Social Purpose and follow our over a decade of precedent and release all our software as free software.

This has a bootable SD card? Really?

Yes, the Librem 5 has a bootable SD card, the Librem 5 v2 also has a bootable SD card that is even faster!

Do I need to add the cost of shipping to my pledge?

Our shop will calculate the cost of shipping during checkout.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept credit cards, direct bank transfers, certain cryptocurrencies, and international wire transfers. PayPal for general products on our store, but not for this crowdfunding campaign. For any alternative options for payment, email support@puri.sm for assistance.

Will my existing SIM card work on the Librem 5 v2?

It depends. 4G is supported for most common international frequency bands and carriers. 5G compatibility is underway.

What countries and mobile networks will support the Librem 5 v2 phone?

The Librem 5 v2 is a fully-unlocked phone. It will work in all countries that provide 2G/3G/4G, GSM, UMTS, or LTE-based network services.

Can I use it as a daily-driver phone?

Yes. It is reliable as a smartphone for everyday use. As a device running PureOS Linux, there will be a native application gap between PureOS and mainstream Android and iOS ecosystems, but there are workarounds for most of these applications.

Can I run Android apps?

Yes. with certain exceptions. Many services that offer smartphone applications also leverage Progressive Web Applications (PWA) – applications that run in any modern web browser. For applications where a PWA is unavailable, it is possible to run most Android applications via Waydroid, a container-based approach to boot a full Android system on regular GNU/Linux systems running Wayland based desktop environments. More information is available in our documentation. Any native Android Operating Systems are not supported at this time; we are focusing our efforts on PureOS and have no plans to implement native Android compatibility. Of course, community support is always appreciated!

How easy will it be for me to switch from Android or iOS to the Librem 5 v2?

This depends on your expectations and how deeply you are integrated within those ecosystems. For phone calls, email, web browsing, there will be no issues with switching. If you rely upon native applications that are not yet supported, you may need to use HTML5 applications (Social Media, News, Banking), or consider alternatives (e.g. Matrix or Signal Messenger).

Can I transfer my photos, files, downloads from Android or iOS to the Librem 5 v2?

Yes. You will be able to use the phone as a storage device, that can show up on your computer by just plugging in the USB cable and viewing the folders. This will allow you to import or export files, photos, documents, with ease. With the Librem 5 v2 there is no proprietary software that locks your files into proprietary formats, allowing easy sharing of the content you want to share.

Will I be able to communicate from my Librem 5 v2 to other phones?

Yes. You are able to make regular unencrypted phone calls to any phone number. You will also be able to communicate securely by using the phone dialing application and messaging application, that can run on the Librem 5 v2 phone, Android based phones, and iOS based phones, and any computing device.

Will communicating from my Librem 5 v2 to other phones compromise my privacy or security?

While the Librem 5 v2 is most secure when communicating with another Librem 5 v2 phone, communicating via an encrypted app on a Librem 5 v2 to an Android or iOS encrypted app is the second best option available.

Are all hardware components running completely free software, with the source code available?

From testing the CPU will run free software, including a completely free kernel, drivers, and appliations. We are evaluating firmware for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPU, baseband modem, and peripheral functionality. Any necessary non-free firmware will be include in built-in flash memory in compliance with the Free Software Foundation’s Secondary Processors exception. We intend to invest time and money toward freeing any non-free firmware.

Can the Librem 5 v2 phone run iOS?

No. We will not expend resources toward this.

Will the Librem 5 v2 and PureOS receive updates after launch?

Yes. All hardware Purism releases gets regular security and performance updates within PureOS.

Will Twitter, Fandango, My Bank, etc. work on a Librem 5 v2 phone?

Yes. Any web based app will work through the browser. Over time these sites will either use progressive web applications, or could have a native app.

Will I be able to open Microsoft Word or Excel documents sent via email?

Yes. You can use an email client such as Geary or Thunderbird, to download the document or spreadsheet, and open the file using the LibreOffice office suite.

Will there be hardware kill switches?

Yes: Camera/Microphone; WiFi/Bluetooth; and Baseband Modem kill switches are included. Switching all three off additionally disables GNSS (GPS), accelerometer, and other sensors.

Can I remove the battery and replace it?

Yes, like all Purism products, the case itself will allow you to access internal components, and the battery is user-replaceable.

Will this run coreboot and have the Intel ME neutralized?

No, this is not applicable. The Librem 5 v2 will not be Intel based; it will be RISC-V based, so therefore there is no need for coreboot nor the Intel Management Engine. Like the Librem 5 v1, the v2 will boot with U-Boot.

Will this have tamper-evident boot?

Tamper-evident boot is not part of the development roadmap for this campaign, but we are interested in building tamper-evident boot in a later phase, either as a firmware update or minor hardware revision.

What hardware specifications are subject to change?

RAM, Storage, USB version and type, WiFi version, Bluetooth version, Screen type, Screen resolution are the important things that are subject to change based on supplier availability, and software and driver support.

Will this support Dual SIM and eSIM?

The Librem 5 v2 will support Dual SIM. We are considering options for the second SIM. Supporting two physical SIM cards is possible by using the microSD slot as the optional second SIM slot, and eSIM would be possible using an physical card eSIM in the second slot. Or, the eSIM may be built-in to allow using a microSD card at the same time with one SIM card.

What is the RAM/Drive configuration?

We are targeting at least 8 GB RAM and 128 GB eMMC for initial production. If market conditions permit, we will increase the base specifications leading up to production.

What detailed hardware specs can be provided, and when?

The detailed specifications will be released as we navigate available hardware options.

Can I upgrade my Librem 5 v2 with the new electronics?

The Librem 5 v2 is designed with the same chassis as the Librem 5 v1 combined with new electronics. We expect to make electronic components available as supplies permit following production. Separate components are not available during the campaign period in order to meet production volumes for all components.

What warranties apply to the Librem 5 v2 phone?

Our standard 1-year parts and labor warranty applies. Purism will not cover the cost of return postage and packaging.

Will this be an “open hardware” design?

Yes; as much as we are able. We will continue to advance toward this goal as it aligns with our long-term beliefs.

Will the phone have a fingerprint reader, or other biometric access?

No. We will not be shipping with any biometric hardware, the reasons for this is because single access via biometrics does not prevent access to your phone the same way a security code or lock does. The US Supreme Court has alluded to biometric access not protecting you the same way that a security code from memory (a security code) does (e.g. You can say “no” to a passphrase, or security code, but you cannot say “no” to biometric (physical) information). If future models of the Librem 5 v2 phone include biometric hardware, we will be double-locking it with a security code, to have the best security story we can for users.

Can I work for Purism?

Purism is actively hiring. Please visit our job listings and take a look! We are mostly interested in eager, self motivated, free software enthusiasts who want to change the world for the better.

I have a question not answered here. How can I get it answered?

We greatly encourage you to review our user documentation! If your question remains unanswered, please email support@puri.sm for assistance.