@janvlug would say an additional battery, a Modem (in case you are a traveler to Europe, Asia or Australia) and a SD Card from Purism (hey, if you are going to pay money to someone for the SD Card then why not pay it to Purism)
1 Like
Yes, according to videos, those are two independent slots. See also: https://puri.sm/posts/your-own-personal-enclave-the-smart-card-reader-on-the-librem-5/.
4 Likes
I ordered a spare battery and an OpenPGP card.
Rationale: Free shipping if you order with your phone. It may not be possible to get a Lithium battery shipped separately (for safety reasons - will depend on country and carrier) later on when I really need it.
I have some experience with each of the two accessories that I ordered - to the extent of establishing that they ‘work’. (There is still much for me to discover about how to use the OpenPGP card.)
Most definitely. I am doing it.
The SIM card and the uSD card go in the tray on the left hand side (a fairly conventional arrangement, at least as far as the SIM card goes).
The OpenPGP card goes in an internal slot, accessed by removing the back cover and the battery.
If you literally keep it in storage then I think there is a high risk that it will not work at all by the time you need it.
I am managing that by periodically changing the battery roles. Since the batteries have a unique number it is somewhat possible to keep track of which is which. I am not swapping out daily.
6 Likes
Thanks for all your replies, information and recommendations!
I live in the Netherlands, so I will get the BM818-E1. I assumed that it will also work (on a limited set of frequencies) on other continents.
I was thinking along the same lines 
. The next question is now: which size? I’m thinking now of the 256GB SD Memory Card, because it has the best GB/USD ratio. I also think it should be enough for a phone. Any opinions on the size of the SD card?
I already decided to also order a Battery and the OpenPGP Card.
Depends what you are putting on it. I will eventually have my entire music collection and maybe some videos as well. So that determines the bare minimum size for me. You? (I opted for 512 GB.)
2 Likes
If it’s discharged, then yes. However, if you charge it to around 50% before putting away and recharge occasionally to compensate for self-discharge, it should be able to last years. Charging it to higher percentage will shorten its life span a bit, and letting it stay completely discharged will shorten its life span a lot.
7 Likes
I will initially use the Librem 5 mainly as a phone. I hope that Signal will work once on the Librem 5, which is my main messenger. Currently it has a ~7.5 GB database on my Android phone.
I will use the Librem 5 further with a Nextcloud account, so I hope that I can leave most files on the server, and only need to synchronize files that I use more often.
When convergence is fully working I will probably use the Librem 5 more often for desktop work, and might need more files on the device itself.
1 Like
Then 256 GB sounds plenty. (I can’t rely on having internet that is available and fast, hence my desire to have a local copy, in addition to the cloud copy and the home server copy when the internet is available!)
1 Like
Do you follow https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_message/68655430 ?
The biggest and fastest you ‘can’ afford.
Biggest because that way it will have the longest lifetime as it has more flash to wear out, and because years from now it will be more likely to be not too small to be useful.
I’ve bought a https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1372230/sandisk-extreme-pro-1tb-microsdxc-uhs-i.html last month for a rpi4, and will also buy one for my Librem 5.
2 Likes
No. Thanks for this link!
My strategy is to buy what I need, and to have not too much spare room upfront, because prices normally go down over time.
Thanks for this useful remark. I did not think about that.
I went for second battery and screen protector. Order date is 2017, October.
1 Like
Anyone here use the privacy screen for the L5? I ordered it, along with the open PGP, spare battery, and 128 gig SD. I’m just not sure if I’ll actually like it or not, would prefer just a regular screen protector.
If you don’t want your bus passengers to read your stuff on-screen, then privacy screen is the right decision 
1 Like
Hey, if they want to glance at my historic meme collection, I say enjoy the show 
2 Likes
i have a NexDock (touch) and tried it with my Librem5. Yes, it works out of the box. But there a still some problems like, that from time to time phosh crashes - mostly if you let the phone screen active. The performance isn’t also great / comparable with a normal laptop. The i.MX8 isn’t really suitable for more than listening to musik, while surfing on one website. But yes; you can do really nicely something like office work with this combo.
from the cost side; buy a normal (used) laptop instead of a new NexDock for the same price and you are more happy with that / can do more. If you can get the NexDock used for about 50,- used… buy the NexDock.
2 Likes
Except you will not get a laptop with non-proprietary BIOS and supporting FLOSS drivers/firmware for WiFi/BT at such price.
1 Like
yes, indeed. Thats because i tried this setup. for my personal work/daily usage and requirements the i.MX8 is to slow; but the setup works (in most cases).
1 Like
The accessory I’d be most interested in is a case to protect the valuable device! Actually I broke two (somewhat older) Android devices’ screens by dropping them accidentally.
The last time this happened was in late 2018, and I thought I’d soon get my Librem 5, funded in October 2017… For the time in between I got myself a second-hand Nexus 6p (from 2015) - and a nice case for it. In Feb 2020 Lineage OS stopped supporting the device, and the battery by now is barely getting through the day - when I’m not using the phone. Browsing or watching a video can kill the battery in an hour. But this got me to buy a “powerbank xs10000”… and this really helps a lot! I think it is also going to be very useful with the Librem 5. I’d assume it is more practical to recharge the one battery in the phone, than to replace it in the middle of the day? Recharging without connection to a power outlet means the phone is pretty well usable while charging (although taking pictures is awkward with the powerbank attached). The powerbank can probably recharge the battery (4500 mAh) twice, it can be charged on any USB outlet, and it can also be used to charge other devices, like for example my PineBook. So to answer the question: I’m not recommending any of the accessories available now.
3 Likes
On Lineage, check to see if the device has nightly builds… The OnePlus One still received nightly builds…