Purism is crowdfunding a new version of its Librem 5 Linux smartphone, this one powered by RISC-V rather than Arm.
Librem 5 v2 will use an octa-core SpacemiT K1 RISC-V SoC1, replacing the quad-core Arm64 NXP CPU. This processor shift will provide better performance and longer battery life than the original Librem 5 and not run as hot in use.
Memory is bumped to 8 GB RAM, up from 3 GB, and storage leaps to 128 GB from 32 GB. Librem 5 v2 will run PureOS, Purism’s Debian-based operating system using Phosh as its UI.
SD card read speeds are faster, which is handy since the device can boot a second OS from a memory card. On-board hardware encoding means the Librem 5 will be able to take 13 megapixel photos and shoot high-definition video for the first time.
Librem 5 v2 uses the same case design, 5.7-inch (720×1440) IPS TFT display and removable 4500mAh battery as the first handset. It retains the USB-C port, audio jack and physical kill switches to disable camera, modem and GPS.
Why no design upgrade? Intentional; compatibility with the first model makes repairs and upgrades between generations easier.
Modular wireless boards are used, with the v2 handset offering an improved 4G modem (a 5G module is planned, which can be swapped out). But the v2 will be dual SIM, whereas the v1 is single-SIM.
Librem 5 v2 costs from $159
“RISC-V is the future, and Librem 5 v2 is the perfect product to bring it to a mainstream audience”, Jonathon Hall, CTO at Purism, says of the launch.
“Freeing us from the control of Big Tech starts with the foundation, and RISC-V’s foundation frees us from the oligarchy. The Librem 5 v2 puts you in control of your data, combining that with the ease of use we expect in the modern era”.
Given that general feedback to the first-gen Librem 5 – beset by delays, price rises and patchy build quality – was mixed best. But, to it credit, Purism is still out there making, selling and supporting the phones (and their other devices and services).
Transitioning to RISC-V for the follow-up won’t be trivial, mind. Graphics acceleration, new drivers and power management (which on a phone is rather critical) will be big undertakings.
And more work is needed to make the day-to-day software stack editable, like browser performance (sluggish on the newest and fastest RISC-V chips) and providing an Arm app compatibility layer to run software not made for RISC-V.
Available to back until February 2027
If you’ve got at least $1599 burning a hole in your pocket and you don’t need anything to show for it before 2028, you can go pledge to the campaign. It runs until February 2027, so don’t feel pressured to decide just yet.
via LinuxGizmos
- Which is not RVA23 baseline; that’s K3 and up. ↩︎