In general, though, few websites/orgs reporting on the Librem 5 over the last few years seem to have understood what it was about and why.
4 Likes
I purchased a FLX1 from Furi Labs. Its very nice hardware but a work in progress. Makes the L5 seem really good.
A really big problem for me is the modem. Looks like it isn’t going to work with T-Mobile in the USA. I can’t get it to go online at all. I suspect the bands it does support of T-Mobiles aren’t used in my area. I don’t think the modem can be changed like we can with our L5’s.
No hardware kill switches I know of.
The browser works for simple pages but my go to test sites, ford.com and youtube.com both crash the browser quickly.
I can’t get any audio input to work, so not even a SIP account can get me making calls.
Bluetooth keyboard pairs but doesn’t work. Bluetooth audio (output only) worked well.
I read there is no support for an external monitor. The hardware just isn’t there. No docked mode I guess.
While output sound works fine I still get no sounds from alarms and timers from gnome-clocks. I put some time into trying to fix this. No joy. Only thing that got me sounds is a bash script using dbus-monitor.
On the plus side the specs are really good. Battery seems to last a very long time. I’m talking days and its not even going to sleep. Very quick and lots of storage.
I feel like what Purism has with the L5 is pretty special. I look forward to software improvements and perhaps some day a version 2 with better specs.
11 Likes
Should mention they seem very responsive to support questions. They said software on this device is very new an in a rapid state of development. The audio issues should be sorted out this week.
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Is the battery removable?
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The back cover of the phone pops off like on the L5 and the battery is removable.
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I installed a T-Mobile SIM in my FLX1. As suspected very poor coverage in the USA. None where I need it.
It also highlights just how awesome the L5 really is. Easily accessible kill switches and a replaceable modem.
Typing this on my L5 now. 
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L5 really is great
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I received my FLX1 last week and played with it over the weekend.
It feels very solid, the screen is bright and the pictures are significantly better than on my L5. It runs Phosh, which is my favorite (I had tried Lorimi, KDE, SXMO or so on the pinephone). Installing apps over wifi works well. I have not tried yet, but android apps should also be possible to install. Battery seems to last much longer than L5 or pinephone.
I could almost use it as my daily phone if it worked in the US. There are reports that Tmobile does not work, and while ATT works fine for me with the L5 it does NOT work with the FLX1. No connection, no matter what settings were used.
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Like OTG in connection?
1 Like
Furi Labs is still investigating support for the USA bands. They have the source for the modem and are finding references to the US bands being disabled. Only time will tell but it hasn’t been found to be impossible yet. Fingers crossed.
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In the meantime, pair with a data-only portable wifi device that uses a data SIM. (Or hotspot with your present phone.)
Or get a data SIM from JMP/Soprani.ca (non-expiring data for use in the U.S. and Canada), if the frequency bands it uses match the FLX1, and the FLX1 can use at least one U.S. carrier for (data) roaming. (You can ask Soprani about that.) They also have a physical eSIM card for loading multiple eSIMs.
Then you could set up either a VOIP/SIP number (for calls and SMS), or an XMPP account, e.g. JMP.chat (for calls, SMS, and MMS). You could even port in your present number, or possibly forward calls and messages from your current mobile number.
Edit: Actually, according to the specs, the FLX1 doesn’t fit with any U.S. carrier very well. So it might be that a portable hotspot is the only viable solution for using it in the U.S.
T-mobile: T-Mobile - United States - Wireless Frequency Bands and Device Compatibility
AT&T: AT&T - United States - Wireless Frequency Bands and Device Compatibility
Verizon: Verizon Wireless - United States - Wireless Frequency Bands and Device Compatibility
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There is evidence that says it won’t work with US carriers. There is also evidence that it can support US carriers.
Librem5…
######### Librem5 ########################
purism@pureos:~$ mmcli -m 0
-----------------------------------
Bands | supported: pcs, g850, utran-4, utran-5, utran-2, eutran-2, eutran-3,
| eutran-4, eutran-5, eutran-12, eutran-13, eutran-17, eutran-25,
| eutran-26, eutran-41, eutran-66
And FLX1…
######### FLX1 ########################
root@FuriPhoneFLX1:~# mmcli -m 0
----------------------------------
Bands | supported: egsm, dcs, pcs, g850, g450, g480, g750, g380, g410, g710,
| g810, utran-1, utran-3, utran-4, utran-6, utran-5, utran-8,
| utran-9, utran-2, utran-7, utran-10, utran-11, utran-12, utran-13,
| utran-14, utran-19, utran-20, utran-21, utran-22, utran-25, utran-26,
| utran-32, eutran-1, eutran-2, eutran-3, eutran-4, eutran-5, eutran-6,
| eutran-7, eutran-8, eutran-9, eutran-10, eutran-11, eutran-12,
| eutran-13, eutran-14, eutran-17, eutran-18, eutran-19, eutran-20,
| eutran-21, eutran-22, eutran-23, eutran-24, eutran-25, eutran-26,
| eutran-27, eutran-28, eutran-29, eutran-30, eutran-31, eutran-32,
| eutran-33, eutran-34, eutran-35, eutran-36, eutran-37, eutran-38,
| eutran-39, eutran-40, eutran-41, eutran-42, eutran-43, eutran-44,
| eutran-45, eutran-46, eutran-47, eutran-48, eutran-49, eutran-50,
| eutran-51, eutran-52, eutran-53, eutran-54, eutran-55, eutran-56,
| eutran-57, eutran-58, eutran-59, eutran-60, eutran-61, eutran-62,
| eutran-63, eutran-64, eutran-65, eutran-66, eutran-67, eutran-68,
| eutran-69, eutran-70, eutran-71, eutran-85, ngran-1, ngran-2, ngran-3,
| ngran-5, ngran-7, ngran-8, ngran-12, ngran-13, ngran-14, ngran-18,
| ngran-20, ngran-25, ngran-26, ngran-28, ngran-29, ngran-30, ngran-34,
| ngran-38, ngran-39, ngran-40, ngran-41, ngran-48, ngran-50, ngran-51,
| ngran-53, ngran-65, ngran-66, ngran-70, ngran-71, ngran-74, ngran-75,
| ngran-76, ngran-77, ngran-78, ngran-79, ngran-80, ngran-81, ngran-82,
| ngran-83, ngran-84, ngran-86, ngran-89, ngran-90, ngran-91, ngran-92,
| ngran-93, ngran-94, ngran-95, ngran-257, ngran-258, ngran-260,
| ngran-261
The one that is winning at the moment is that it doesn’t support US bands… …because it isn’t working.
5 Likes
You confused me at first, pasting outputs from two separate devices in one block. 
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I thought I saw Elon asking on X if he should make a cell phone. If he partnered or bought Purism, that would certainly put a lot of steam behind developing the platform.
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Bite your tongue!
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If Purism goes out of business because of cheap knockoff L5’s like you just pointed out, what then? That’s even worse.
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The community can decentralize responsibilities:
The schematics of the Librem 5 are available, so I am not concerned about its future.
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I just read this and thought of your post
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Furi Labs just announced they apparently got bands working in the US USA Bands - Furi Labs: Planned Permanence
I am pretty tempted…
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As an owner of a FLX1 in the USA, and one of the people mentioned in the blog post… Development has not caught up with marketing. On my device LTE band 4 is working. There are many more bands to go. My device still doesn’t do MMS although the blog post seems to say it does. I asked in chat about MMS and was told updates were on the way.
Based on what I know about USA band support so far I was disappointment in marketing’s choice of wording in the blog. I’m just reserving judgement until a bit more time has passed and more updates make it to my device.
I really want them to be successful so if you can afford it, buy one. Just be warned to keep your expectations below what marketing claims, just in case.
4 Likes