Following up on the higher-level report on the state of  the mainline Linux in August 2021 where we announced a “usable” devkit in fully mainline Linux, let’s focus on the phone and see how things look like right now.

As you might know, the latest Linux kernel tree we ship to users contains lots of changes on top of Linus’ mainline release. Over time, we are working on integrating features in mainline Linux kernel while also adding (possibly more experimental) features to our downstream tree. This way our tree is in constant flux and becomes more and more “specialized” over time.

Is the Librem 5 phone now at least “usable” on mainline linux too? Not quite yet, but we’re actively working on exactly that and these changes roughly contain what’s currently missing. Finding solutions that apply to everybody and are beneficial to mainline Linux is not always easy, but that’s fine and ensures we won’t get bored 🙂 For example, said changes linked above, result in a working internal display, audio and phone calls, wifi (but only with the newer SparkLAN WiFi card) various sensors and the selfie camera.

There is not only the PureOS Linux distribution but also Mobian and others that support the Librem 5 phone. One good thing of having a usable mainline kernel for the phone will be that the general Debian arm64 kernel can easily be configured to support the phone and be used by Mobian.

Once these puzzle pieces are put together, probably Debian itself can be usable on the phone, which will make all our lives easier. We’re grateful for all the help from the Debian, Linux and wider development community and hope that many other mobile phone devices will become similarly universally supported.

Purism Products and Availability Chart

 ModelStatusLead Time 
USB Security Token Purism Librem KeyLibrem Key

(Made in USA)
In Stock
($59+)
10 business days
Librem 5In Stock
($699+)
3GB/32GB
10 business days
Librem 5 COMSEC BundleIn Stock
($1299+)
Qty 2; 3GB/32GB
10 business days
Purism Liberty Phone with Made in USA ElectronicsLiberty Phone
(Made in USA Electronics)
Backorder
($1,999+)
4GB/128GB
Estimated fulfillment early November
Librem 5 + SIMple
(3 GB Data)
In Stock
($99/mo)
10 business days
Librem 5 + SIMple Plus
(5 GB Data)
In Stock
($129/mo)
10 business days
Librem 5 + AweSIM
(Unlimited Data)
In Stock
($169/mo)
10 business days
Librem 11Backorder
($999+)
8GB/1TB
Estimated fulfillment mid-October
Most Secure Laptop Purism Librem 14Librem 14In Stock
($1,370+)
10 business days
Most Secure PC Purism Librem Mini
Librem MiniBackorder
($799+)
Estimated delivery November
Most Secure Server Purism Librem ServersLibrem ServerIn Stock
($2,999+)
45 business days
The current product and shipping chart of Purism products, updated on September 12th, 2024

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