Purism spokesperson Sriram Ramkrishna said in an update, to those who have pre-ordered the device, that initially the i.MX 8M Quad CPU had some known errata in the silicon and the project had been delayed due to this.
Thus, the development team had started looking at the i.MX 8M Mini which had an updated silicon process and a reduced feature set.
But even as the evaluation of this other processor was taking place, the company manufacturing it released new firmware for the i.MX 8M Quad CPU that fixed both the heating and power consumption issues.
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"With power consumption issues dealt with in software, we ultimately know we don't need to change the hardware to solve the issue. Full fabrication will thus begin for the Librem 5 with the same specifications we described before."
He provided the following specs:
Display: 5.5" - 5.7" HD display
Processor: i.MX 8M Quad CPU
Storage: 32 GB eMMC internal storage
Wireless: 802.11abgn 2.4 Ghz / 5Ghz + Bluetooth 4
Baseband: Gemalto PLS8 3G/4G modem w/ single sim on replaceable M.2 card
GPS: TESEO LIF3 multiconstellation GNSS receiver
Smartcard: yes for 2FF format smart cards
Kill Switches: 3 – WiFi, Cellular, Microphone/Cameras
Speaker: at least one
External Storage: microSD storage expansion
Accelerometer: 9-axis IMU (gyro, accel, magnetometer)
Front Camera: specs not confirmed
Back Camera w/LED flash: specs not confirmed
Vibration motor: yes
Charging: USB C connector for charging, USB client function, USB host function, power delivery
Battery: User replaceable
The company behind the phone raised US$2.279 million in a crowd-funding effort, far above its target of US$1.5 million.
"Free" refers to the hardware and software, with the phone to use Plasma Mobile, a mobile version of the KDE software that is used on the Linux desktop.
