# Purism Librem 5 32 Hacker News commenters recommended Purism Librem 5 and 48 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months. **Verdict:** People recommend it as a free-software Linux phone usable as a daily driver. Common caveats: battery life, app compatibility, and modest performance. ## Why people recommend it - Free software without Android dependence (6 comments): "It also allows to natively run any desktop software and develop it in any language, without reliance on Google's decision on how one must use the phone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48573338)) "They've just been the only ones to ship Linux phones that don't depend on anything Android nor significant closed source code at all." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200200)) "If you prefer to keep your freedom when Android removes it, you may want to try GNU/Linux phones." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47487452)) - Usable as a daily driver (5 comments): "I use Librem 5 with Phosh as a daily driver, and it is really just fine. Except the battery life, app compatibility and smoothness of the UI." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50053005)) "will make me keep the Librem 5, with all its own issues, as my daily driver for the foreseeable future" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49197701)) "GNU/Linux phones exist and can be used as daily drivers, if you put enough effort in it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46176738)) - Full desktop Linux with desktop apps (4 comments): "It also allows to natively run any desktop software and develop it in any language, without reliance on Google's decision on how one must use the phone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48573338)) "Since it runs a desktop GNU/Linux, you can develop and run the same app on mobile and desktop with some adjustments in the interface." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921132)) "can just be docked to a screen, keyboard and mouse and used this way, running a Debian system" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49195928)) - Open hardware designs published freely (3 comments): "has its layouts, schematics, assembly drawings and 3D designs published on a free license" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47179256)) "it also contains ECAD (and a link to MCAD) designs and BOM published on a free license" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49343252)) "I guess something with open schematics (Librem 5, Pinephone) should be better" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47050253)) ## What people warn about - Insecure hardware, weak killswitches (6 comments): "With your Librem/PinePhone, you cannot even reasonably expect your calls with end-to-end encrypted apps like Signal and Element to be protected." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47854892)) "the hardware killswitches on the Librem cannot provide even remotely the same level of assurances as even a software killswitch" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47949803)) "it’s irresponsible to promote it as an alternative device without noting that it’s less secure and full of footguns" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47951827)) - Proprietary firmware blobs loaded oddly (5 comments): "All that just to fit the technicalities of the FSF RYF certification while still loading a blob like every other phone microprocessor." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47958450)) "they keep PureOS "free of blobs" by having the bootloader inject all of the blobs into memory in an extremely shady manner" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47947395)) "No. The touchscreen firmware's source is not distributed for one, and neither is the firmware for the baseband processor." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46165808)) - Underpowered chipset, poor performance (3 comments): "some things really bothered me about it , as a smartphone alternative: shitty screen shitty camera shitty cpu shitty battery life" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48806691)) "What I don't see a good way around is framing it as anything other than low-to-midrange performance chipset even in its day" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49204961)) "it being fairly underpowered, JavaScript needs to be disabled on a number of sites in order to have a usable experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48232868)) - Expensive and painful for most users (3 comments): "Sadly it always seems incredibly painful and hinted at post-launch improvements tend to be small if they come at all." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49193285)) "prohibitively expensive for something that isn't guaranteed to be a usable daily-driver for most people" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46567916)) "switching from iOS/Android to Linux phone of the Librem 5 or PinePhone (/Pro) variety is a bag of hurt" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49203331)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [PinePhone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pinephone.md): 36 recommend - [FuriLabs FuriPhone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/furiphone.md): 8 recommend - [FuriLabs FLX1s](https://hackerapproved.com/p/furilabs-flx1s.md): 7 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Purism+Librem+5+phone&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) - [Official site](https://puri.sm/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Purism Librem 5", https://hackerapproved.com/p/librem-5/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).