Librem 5 - as laptop replacement?

Dear community ,

as many others I am really interested in buying a Librem 5. I’ve been a Linux administrator for the last 20 years and was looking for a phone like this for a long time especially after I read that Threema will be accessible from the phone.

As I saw there is a usb c connector at the phone that can be used to attach a (mobile) screen. It would be nice to know if I can use the phone as a replacement for my tablet /laptop.
I usually use my laptop to maintain my servers or do office work - nothing really special.

What do you think about the idea ?

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Are you aware of the planned convergence feature (search “convergence site:puri.sm”) and the monitor bundle?
It’s a bit early to say how well it will work, but if mouse+keyboard+shell could already satisfy you, it’s not unlikely you’ll get what you want.

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Well,
Mouse, keyboard and shell is about 70% of what I need :slight_smile: something like Libre Office and maybe a nextcloud client would be awesome and oc Threema (that’s actually a must have).

I saw the bundle, but I was hoping that I could connect any monitor capable of usb-c to the phone … am I wrong ?

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sure why not. that bundle is just an integrated usb hub inside the monitor but you could connect any monitor to the librem 5 if you find adapters or a dedicated docking-station/usb-c hub.

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I would assume standard desktop software not to be a problem.
Monitor in theory also not, given compatibility.

Related topics:
What's the point of the monitor Librem 5 combo?
Librem 5, convergence and laptop extension
Convergence and the Librem 5- Do I NEED the kit?

Plus:

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I am not planning on fully replacing my laptop with the Librem 5, but I can definitely see myself using it as an extra one. I’m very interested in owning a phone that can double as a desktop/laptop :slight_smile:

In addition to doing normal phone things (text, email etc) I can imagine running Manuskript on it (I like to write stories), as well as doing some Python programming.

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If you are planning to use the Librem 5 as regular office machine, you can have a look at this kickstarter project.

I already supported this project and hope it will work like a charm.

I hope that puri.sm will also develop a tablet sized screen with battery and additional connectors where I can push in the Librem5, and use it as a tabled.
Additionally with an BT keyboard, mouse and so on, it will be a high value addition to my regular Laptop.

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I like the kickstarter! Looks awesome ! … I guess I will buy a phone :slight_smile: thx community !

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At one time I had a Lumia 950 which was almost usable as a laptop replacement so I’m cautiously optimistic that this will be even better. I used it to connect to VDI/RDS formost heavy lifting and actually worked that way in my office for several days without any major issues.

Yes I know MS is evil, but the convergence thing is something they were actually getting right until they killed the phones entirely.

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The display output should work with most displays out there, but it will not work with all of them: there are multiple ways to transfer display data over USB. The USB-C port will use the DisplayPort alternate mode, and that’s what the display (or the hub) should support. Thankfully, it seems to be the most popular one by far.

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that is interesting.
will the nexdock 2 work with the librem 5?

There’s no official statement.
But, according to the specs and compatibility list, it should work anyway.

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It shows the Librem 5 + Ubuntu, so I’m assuming PureOS wont work with it?

Nawwww , not for me . My laptop has Ubuntu Studio 19.04 XFCE and even the great L5 is not going to replace it . Right now they have few apps libhandy modified to render correctly on this device but many still dont render correctly or just dont function at all .

Im sure as the device is delivered and interest and development grow this will all change .

But nothing is replacing my laptop right now . Certainly not with the listed L5 hardware and heat management .

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The nexdock ? Thats actually not L5 and IS android . However that is just a hardware shell with a monitor mouse and keyboard interface. It should work with anything that has HDMI out to USB

No they show a librem 5 with the nextdock which is basically a laptop without any guts, just a keyboard, display. But the picture shows Ubuntu one, so I’m assuming you have to be running Ubuntu on your phone.

No , the device is what allows the nexdock to work via mini hdmi out . The operating system can be anything . All the dock does is put the HDMI signal on the screen . What that HDMI signal actually is is moot .

How I understand it to function anyways .

See today’s email by NexDock re USB-C output with video support

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Thats exactly how I believed it to work as outlined above. To my knowledge the hardware on the device being hdmi is what creates the ability to use the dock .

Nexdock is a glorified monitor keyboard and mouse in a familiar housing connecting it all together via ports and not much more. I mean it does have M.2 SSD storage dock on board and built in speakers as well . But it is an empty shell awaiting a signal to distribute to all its components.

I bet you could hook a ps3 up to it and get a signal . and have maybe web browsing capabilities if the keyboard interfaced with the browser software.

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I already do this with my OnePlus One on LineageOS, so the Librem 5, being native GNU/Linux, should work even better! The screen is a bit low resolution for it, bit it’s pretty hard to see normal resolution text in 1080p on such a small screeen anyway, even for me.