Comparison of open-source mobile phones

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The scope for this page is that used for list of open-source mobile phones.

Contents

Mobiles currently in production

Model Hardware kill switches Modular smartphone System-on-a-chip (Soc)Baseband cellular modemWi-Fi firmwareBoot firmwareOther proprietary firmwareHardware licensingObsolescence slowdownModifiabilitySecurityCertificationsOther
PinePhone Pro 5 (or 4, amalgamating cameras?): Modem & GNSS, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, microphone, rear camera, front camera, audio jack [1] (DIP switches inside back cover [2] [3] [ better source needed ]). No kill switch for other sensors.Hexacore. 2016 Rockchip RK3399S and 2× A72 and 4× A53 CPU cores @ 1.5 GHz [1] Quectel EG25-G. [1] Ships with proprietary firmware for regulatory compliance [4] (isolated from CPU with a USB bus [2] [5] ). More secure, better-featured free replacement exists. [4] proprietary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth firmware, [5] in /lib/firmware. [6] Efforts to replace it are in beta, but may never be legal to ship,[ citation needed ] same as original PinePhone. [1] open-source boot software, [2] same as original PinePhone. [1]  ?User-replaceable [7] Samsung J7 form-factor 3000mAh battery. Phillips-head screws. [1] I2C pogo pins, back mods can be added (all compatible with original PinePhone). USB 3.0. Bootable from a microSD card. Good parts availability. [6] [1] GPS and modem on same kill switch; neither can be used while the other is airgapped. [1] entire phone can be disassembled. Headphone jack. Convergence (will run as a desktop if monitor and keyboard plugged in). [1]
Librem 5 [8] 3: Cameras and the microphone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and baseband processor. All three also shut off sensors (GPS, compass, accelerometer etc.). [2] The Wi-Fi+Bluetooth card, [9] and the Modem [10] are on M.2 slots.2017 NXP arm64 [2] [11] [12] On replaceable m.2 card. Proprietary firmware isolated from CPU with a USB bus (like a USB Wi-Fi dongle) [2] Originally, proprietary firmware isolated over USB, no downloadable/modifiable firmware; [13] subsequently, Purism paid Redpine Signals to create open-source Wi-Fi/Bluetooth firmware for the RedPine hardware. [6] [14] proprietary DRAM init code loaded on separate CPU [2] for RYF cert compliance [15] [16] none in /lib/firmware; some non-modifiable proprietary firmware in components. [6] schematics released under GPL 3.0+ [6] User-replaceable (but custom-sized [6] ) battery, lifetime updates [17] Display and frame fused. Phillips-head screws. [6] Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on replaceable m.2 cards (the former custom-made). [6] m.2 card slots. Purism has traditionally had more time-limited parts availability. [6] slot for an OpenPGP card, planned Librem key support [6] Tentatively recommended by Free Software Foundation (FSF). [18]

Operating system PureOS is endorsed by FSF. [19] [20]

Seeking FSF "Respects Your Freedom" endorsement. [21] [22]

Convergence; will run as desktop. [17] Headphone jack. Carrier-free OTT service available. [23]
PinePhone [24] 5: Modem & GNSS, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, microphone, rear camera, front camera, audio jack [25] (DIP switches inside back cover [2] ). No kill switch for other sensors. [6] 2015 Allwinner arm64 (Allwinner violates the GPL) [2] Quectel EG25-G. Ships with proprietary firmware isolated from CPU with a USB bus. [2] [5] More secure, better-featured free replacement exists, but can't ship due to regulatory threats. [4] proprietary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth firmware, [5] in /lib/firmware. [6] Efforts to replace it are in beta, but may never be legal to ship,[ citation needed ] same as original PinePhone. [1] open-source boot software [2] proprietary schematics published [6] User-replaceable battery, 5-year production run. Phillips-head screws. [6] I2C pogo pins, back mods can be added. Cannot be upgraded beyond USB 2.0. Bootable from a microSD card. Good parts availability. [6] GPS and modem on same kill switch; neither can be used while the other is airgapped. [6] entire phone can be disassembled. Headphone jack. Convergence. [26] [27]

Mobiles expected to be in production

ModelExpected release date Hardware kill switches Modular smartphone System-on-a-chip (Soc)Baseband cellular modemWi-Fi firmwareBoot firmwareOther proprietary firmwareHardware licensingObsolescence slowdownModifiabilitySecurityCertificationsOther
DragonBox Pyra Mobile Edition Unclear, possibly defunctNoneThe PCB is separated in three parts: CPU board (CPU, RAM and storage), mainboard (ports, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) and the display board.schematics will be available to users [28] [ clarification needed ]
Necunos NC 1 Unclear, possibly defunctNone2011 NXP i.MX 6 Quad and 4x Cortex-A9 MP, 32-bit [6] None [6] Proprietary blob for wi-fi driver (for regulatory reasons) [29] Blob without access to the main memory; [30] via SDIO [6] probably binary blobs on separate ROM, given cert aspirations [6] binary-blob proprietary firmware will not have memory access [6] strong focus; most sensors omitted for security.Seeking FSF endorsement. [30] 100 Mbit/s ethernet port [6]
Mudita KompaktQ2 2025 [31] Yes [32] MediaTek MT6761V/WBA (Helio A22)

2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor with Imagination GE8300 graphics [33]

Liberux NEXXJuly 2026 [34] Cellular modem, camera, microphoneSeparate storage, RAM and cellular mdemRockchip RK7588SQualcomm Snapdragon X62Publish own schematics. Aim to minimise undocumented components.

Mobiles no longer in production

Model Hardware kill switches System-on-a-chip (Soc)Baseband cellular modemWi-Fi firmwareBoot firmwareOther proprietary firmwareHardware licensingObsolescenceModifiabilitySecurityCertificationsOther
Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition None
Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition None
BQ Aquaris E5 HD Ubuntu Edition NoneMediaTek Quad Core Cortex A7 1.3 GHz [35]
BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu EditionNone
NEO1973
Neo FreeRunner

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "PinePhone Pro". PINE64.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Braam, Martijn (20 December 2019). "Yet Another Librem 5 and PinePhone comparison". TuxPhones.
  3. ↑ "October Update: Introducing the PinePhone Pro". PINE64. 15 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Picugins, Arsenijs (16 December 2021). "PinePhone Malware Surprises Users, Raises Questions". Hackaday. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Erecinski, Lukasz (25 January 2020). "Setting the Record Straight: PinePhone Misconceptions". PINE64.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Batto, Amos (20 August 2021). "Comparing specs of upcoming Linux phones". Purism community. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (22 October 2021) [15 October 2021]. "New PinePhone Pro Announced with 6-Core CPU". OMG! Ubuntu!.
  8. ↑ "Hardware Reference". Librem Hardware Reference wiki page.
  9. ↑ "Librem 5 Phone – Birch". Wiki page about the Birch version of the Librem 5, on Puri.SM hardware reference wiki.
  10. ↑ "Will the phone support 5G networks?". FAQ entry about 5G support.
  11. ↑ "Intel's Management Engine". Purism.
  12. ↑ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "Computer vendors start disabling Intel Management Engine". ZDNet.
  13. ↑ Faerber, Nicole (4 September 2018). "Progress update from the Librem 5 hardware department". Purism.
  14. ↑ Faeber, Nicole (27 May 2019). "Librem 5 - WiFi Specs". Purism community.
  15. ↑ Ainslie, Angus (19 June 2018). "Solving the first FSF RYF hurdle for the Librem 5". Purism.
  16. ↑ Larabel, Michael. "Purism's Librem 5 To Rely On Secondary Processor For Binary Blobs - Phoronix". www.phoronix.com.
  17. 1 2 Amadeo, Ron (26 September 2019). "Purism's Librem 5 phone starts shipping—a fully open GNU/Linux phone". Ars Technica.
  18. ↑ "Ethical Tech | Giving Guide". www.fsf.org. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  19. ↑ Robertson, Donald (2017-12-21). "FSF adds PureOS to list of endorsed GNU/Linux distributions". www.fsf.org. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  20. ↑ "Free GNU/Linux distributions". GNU.
  21. ↑ Ainslie, Angus (2018-06-19). "Solving the first FSF RYF hurdle for the Librem 5". Purism. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  22. ↑ Foster, Jeremiah C. (2019-09-19). "Librem 5 — Promise Delivery Chart". Purism community. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  23. ↑ "Librem AweSIM". Purism. 7 October 2020.
  24. ↑ "PinePhone board information, schematics and certifications". PinePhone board information, schematics and certifications section on the Pinephone wiki page on Pine64 wiki.
  25. ↑ Leprince-Ringuet, Daphne. "This Linux smartphone is now shipping for $150". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  26. ↑ "Pine64 July Update: Biggest Update In Months!". New Convergence Package Announce. 15 July 2020.
  27. ↑ "PinePhone Manjaro Community Edition". New PinePhone flavour announce with Convergence Package option. 31 August 2020.
  28. ↑ "The Pyra". Official Pyra and Pandora Site.
  29. ↑ "Long awaited NC_1 update". Necuno Solutions. 24 January 2020.
  30. 1 2 Batto, Amos (20 August 2021). "Comparing specs of upcoming Linux phones". Purism community.
  31. ↑ Onawole, Habeeb (2024-10-31). "Mudita Kompakt E Ink Phone: A minimalist privacy-focused phone powered by Android". Notebookcheck. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  32. ↑ "New Sneak Peek ALERT: Discover the Ultimate Privacy with Mudita Kompakt's Offline+ Feature!". Mudita Forum. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  33. ↑ Linder, Brad (2024-10-30). "Mudita Kompakt is a minimalist phone with an E Ink display and modern features like wireless charging and a fingerprint reader (crowdfunding)". Liliputing. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  34. ↑ "Liberux NEXX is the Most Powerful Linux Smartphone and Desktop in One That You Probably Never Knew About". TechEBlog. 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  35. ↑ "BQ Aquaris E5 HD Ubuntu Edition Caracteristicas". BQ (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-03-31.
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