Librem 5 as of writing this is $1200 and even though its a well built quality device, it has a heavy thick feel. Purism doesn’t offer official cases to protect this phone which is priced as a premium device? I cannot think of a modern cell phone as thick as the Librem 5, so already existing cases probably won’t fit. I don’t own a 3D printer, but is that the only way to get a case for this unique device?
You can find Librem 5 cases on Amazon. For example:
Having an L5 myself, I wonder how much protection a case for the L5 would afford. A case would maybe protect against cracked glass or scuffs and scrapes, but the L5 is relatively heavy with lots of discrete components and I have my doubts if its internals would actually survive a drop. This being so, I’m very careful with the phone.
By the way, I don’t have a case at this time, but I did apply a Boxwave polymer screen protector to prevent screen scratches.
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I bought exactly this item. It’s not very handy to stuff in the L5 or to pull it out. I always do this above the table due to the danger while doing this. I do not recommend the item.
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Trust me, it can.
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not bad, but imagine if Purism offered a hard case with a kickstand in different colors maybe even with Purism branding, being its such a niche phone probably most people would buy that case as the phone’s thick shape is not conducive towards the one size fits all cases out there. I mean there might be cases out there designed already for other phones that fit say a niche phone like the Pinephone, but LIbrem 5 thickness, it sort of needs its own unique case.
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Or perhaps they could’ve just made the existing case a but thicker with extra padded corners and built a kickstand of sorts directly onto the back piece. Maybe we could demand that for the hopefully coming soon 2-in-1?! 
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If it doesn’t at least you can put the parts back together, since it is user servicable! (Especially those three Triple-A’s.)
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See the community Wiki:
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One concern I have about a case is heat accumulation, as the frame is acting as a heat sink. A protective case would likely need large holes along the side to let heat escape. Maybe some kind of lattice design would work well…? (Unless the case itself were made of some material that rapidly dissipates heat.)
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I dropped it onto concrete the second day I owned it. Other than a scratch, everything is okay.
Side note, I dropped it because I cared too much, not too little, it was wrapped in a sock that I grabbed the wrong side up 
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Wind it along the edge with 4 thin strips of duct tape. You’d have cut openings for plug holes and the kill switches. But it would give it a softer bounce when it hits the ground.
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Hi I’m bouncing on this very important topic: I broke my current phone (not the Librem 5) with a small drop on the screen that shattered.
I have the Librem 5, and I would like to use it but its screen is 2.5D: its relief risks to break the screen after a drop.
I’m not in favor of bag-type protections because as soon as you take the smartphone out, there is a risk of slipping.
I would like to know if anyone knows of a smarpthone with the same dimensions (or just a little smaller) of the Librem 5?
If not, would anyone be willing to 3D print (and sale) a shell? I’ve seen a kind of STL file on this forum, but it’s a bit rectangular on the corners, I think more rounded edges would probably make less damage when dropping on the corners, and the most important thing is the 2.5D screen relief protection via edges surrounding the screen to absorb a “flat” drop.
What do you think? Which material would come closest to the mechanical properties of silicone?
Thank you very much.
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Question to Purism: Will you workout some solution and offer a case which fits exactly for the L5?
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Hot glue. See Will any pre-existing phone cases work for Librem 5? for a little DIY-video linki 
I agree on the case problem. Fortunetely there is already are stl files available for DIY printing: https://source.puri.sm/Librem-5-Case-Creating-Community/librem-5-model/-/tree/master (I haven’t tested them - yet).
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It’s doubtful there could be one that’s as thick as the L5.
But maybe find a match for the height and width, then cut off the back, leaving only a silicone/TPU bumper that would wrap around the L5’s edges and protect the screen somewhat?
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In the community-wiki https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Tested%20Accessories#cases there is listed as 1st item a case which seems to fit, even if it is a bit expensive. But, I couldn’t find a reseller in Europe.
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they all appear to be more like sleeves and holsters than just regular cases. Purism could 3D print their own company branded cases and I would buy one in a second, especially if it has a kickstand attached.
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Thank you all, so to summarize, we have :
- DYI hot glue -> I love my L5 too much to make it up with that !
- bag-type cases -> I fear to slip it one day or another
- 3D print -> which material do you recommend ? TPU ? epoxy resin ?
- An existing silicon case and DYI back cutting to keep surroundings only -> could be the most realistic, we have to find a phone with the same dimensions (Height x Width).
Too bad there is no official silicon case, such a phone is rare. To tell you how important this phone is: I never used silicone protector on my smartphones, but this L5 is different, I’m afraid to break its screen as I did with my current phone.
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I found a couple of resources to aid the search for phones with similar dimensions to the L5’s 153mm x 75mm x 15.5mm frame and 5.7-inch/720 x 1440 screen:
https://www.gsmscore.com/model-finder/dimensions/
PDF: https://www.nimarwaterhousings.com/img/cms/SMARTPHONE/Smartphone_Compatibilty_List.pdf
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Goes hand in hand with the concept of user replacable parts. (Like the marketing point of the L5 battery.)
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