Purism Librem 5
Yes, it’s an open source smartphone for the privacy- and security-conscious user, but is it easy to operate, asks Christian Cawley…
Yes, it’s an open source smartphone for the privacy- and security-conscious user, but is it easy to operate, asks Christian Cawley?
Announced in 2017 as a crowdfunder that was impressively supported, Purism’s Librem 5 is a smartphone take on the Librem laptops. The device is equipped with kill switches and other privacy-enhancing measures, and has been positioned as the company’s solution to forced obsolescence, digital surveillance and the lack of a genuine Linux smartphone.
The Librem 5 was released in late 2019 and was shipped to some but not all of its early supporters, and those who received the smartphone noted it sported fewer features than originally advertised. Review devices were suspicious by their absence, until six months later when we can finally examine the Librem 5 phone.
Weighing in at 230g, the Librem 5 is a charcoal grey slab containing a quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of EMMC storage, expandable to 2TB via microsd. The 5.7-inch 1,440x720px TFT IPS display looks imposing and the bezel is minimal. On the back is a removable cover, revealing the 3,500mah battery. This can be swapped out with a replacement cell if necessary.
Key to the Librem 5’s design is the trio of kill switches. There’s one each for Wi-fi, mobile internet, and the camera and microphone, and when all three switches are activated the GPS is also disabled. There’s also a smart card reading slot. On the opposite side is the power button and a pair of volume buttons. The nanosim and microsd card slot is found alongside. At the base of the phone is the USB-C port, equipped for power, data and Displayport. Up top is a 3.5mm “Courage Jack” for headphones. Purism has “no intention” of locking you to a non-standard connector just to hook up some earphones, which is a welcome move by the company.
Performance
General performance from the Librem 5 is decidedly average. Despite the crisp display and impressive hardware specs, key software is slow, and some basic functions have considerable room for improvement. Telephony, for example, works – but the speaker mode is unusably quiet. The volume buttons make absolutely no difference. Call quality is fine, however. Network connectivity seems acceptable, and the phone swiftly connected to the local Wi-fi router. Connectivity with other devices was less convincing, however.
The boot time is impressive. Compared with an iphone SE, the Librem 5 boots quickly, reaching the lock screen just ahead of the Apple device.
Because it’s a Linux phone, there’s no real way to assess it using popular benchmarking smartphone tools like Antutu, but because the Librem 5 isn’t ready for prime time it would be unfair to benchmark it at this stage.
Battery life
A stark reminder of the Librem 5’s beta status is the battery. Despite the hardware modesty compared to a standard iphone or Samsung, the battery loses power at an almost impressive speed. With the current setup, the charge lasts just three to five hours.
At least part of the power conundrum will be tied to the modem vendors chosen (Gemalto and Broadmobi). These are usually deployed in industrial equipment, so while perfectly functional will be harder to optimise for power consumption than other closed-source options. That’s not to say Purism isn’t working on the issue. It’s hired firmware developers to improve both reception and power use, but with the strict “no binary blob” imposed on itself, is rather restricted in its options.
Some support was required from Purism to get the Librem 5 up and running. Following an initial successful boot, the phone rapidly lost charge. After several days of charging, it turned out that the phone refuses to charge while powered up. Furthermore, it emitted considerable
heat. Not enough to melt anything, but certainly warmer than a phone should be. In addition, the device refused to boot. Fortunately, an answer was provided on the Purism website. While the experience underlines the beta nature of the phone, the sheer list of issues other users have faced makes for sobering reading.
Software and features
Scant software is built into the review device. Along with the standard phone, messaging and contacts tools, there’s a browser, email and software installer. You’ll also find a text editor and Terminal, document viewer, calculator, settings app and usage monitor.
Along with the blocking of browser trackers, the Librem 5’s kill switches are a key privacy bonus. In most cases these work well, but the phone struggles to cope if they’re enabled and disabled in quick succession. Only a full reboot can resolve the subsequent lock-up.
Perhaps one of the key concerns of the pre-installed software is the keyboard. While it can be launched from any screen thanks to an icon in the lower-right corner, the implementation of text entry is terrible. It’s difficult to see if you’re hitting the right key, there’s no swipe option and accuracy is terrible, things you would have thought should have been keenly polished at this stage.
Convergence support
One of the key selling points of the Librem 5 crowdfunder was convergence support: the ability to use the phone like a PC. Ultimately, however, there isn’t much on offer. Connecting devices to the phone over Bluetooth didn’t enable convergence; neither did a USB-C hub with HDMI.
In the name of future proofing and defeating the spectre of planned obsolescence, Purism promises lifetime updates to extend the phone’s life. This alone is a strong feature, but the essentials promised with the phone are incomplete. The lack of camera software is a prime example of this.
The browser, meanwhile, is frustrating in its slowness, struggling to render even the most basic sites in anything close to an acceptable time frame. Meanwhile, installing additional software is unreliable. Installation completes, but there’s no guarantee that the app or utility will work as planned. A case in point is Libreoffice, which refused input from the software keyboard. Attempts to install and use a screenshot tool also proved fruitless.
Meanwhile, the bare home screen is crying out for a
Ubports-style collection of swipeable cards. While Ubuntu Touch was not a success, it was at least usable. Without the HTML5 apps and with the camera and convergence disabled, the Librem 5 feels as though it’s barely on the brink of being a complete phone.
Planned obsolescence is a menace, phones that last longer are clearly more desirable, and in this respect the Librem 5 wins much respect. Overall, there’s every chance the phone will improve, much like a good wine if we’re to paraphrase Purism’s promotional copy. But with so much work still to do and an active competitor in the shape of the Pinephone, it’s hard to see where the Librem 5 fits in the cellar.