Discover what the internet is saying about Purism.
Yay or nay?
Upgraded Reviews scanned the web to find out what real users are saying about Purism.
See the highlights below and decide for yourself!
Table of contents
- ✅ Pros
- ❌ Cons
- ⚖️ Summaries
- 💸 Top Discount
✅ Pros
“It has very decent storage and expandability up to 2TB, which is no small feat, using MicroSD, and a smart card reader.”
“RAM, storage, and WiFi card are easy to switch out.”
“The chassis of this warrior is made of high-quality aluminum.”
“The laptop lasted about 5 hours and 14 minutes on battery power. That’s adequate.”
“The dual-core Skylake Intel Core i7 is fast enough.”
“You can switch to Debian.”
“What marks the Librem laptops out is the presence of hardware kill switches (HKS).”
“The battery is really good for a GNU/Linux laptop.”
“The laptop weighs no more than 1.4kg, making it ideal for outdoor work and also reduces the burden of carrying when traveling.”
“Our test unit arrived with the mic and webcam kill switch enabled.”
“Being designed to be upgradable, Purism makes sure you will never be locked to the “base” specifications.”
“Unlike most laptops with non-removable parts, the Librem 14 has a modular design that allows you to replace and upgrade parts painlessly.”
“They offer free software all the way down the stack.”
“The 1080p screen of the Librem 15 has a matte finish.”
“Being a Linux-based phone, it can boot up so fast.”
“Purism uses BIOS and EC chips that are protected through hardware kill switches.”
“The Librem 14 uses a fairly widespread, 10th generation Intel Core i7-10710U Comet Lake processor.”
“There’s a good collection of ports.”
“Reviewers stated that the 5.7-inch TFT IPS display was colorful and quite crisp.”
“The laptop is simple to use, there is no surprise from the hardware to software.”
“It uses GNU/Linux PureOS, and the company detects software and hardware tampering with PureBoot and the Librem Key.”
“Librem13 was packaged with care and with elegant branded black and white box and a dedicated Quick Start Guide.”
“The keyboard is accurate and quiet.”
“Starbook is fully compatible with Linux so no more incompatibility headaches.”
“With a 67Wh battery, you can get more than nine hours of light to medium usage.”
“It has well-built and attractive chassis.”
“The magnetic lid of the Librem 14 closes perfectly, with a satisfying click, and does not show any misaligned angle.”
“You can customize the battery, memory, storage, and installed firmware.”
“It has hardware kill switches for WiFi and webcam.”
“One very enjoyable feature is that of being able to open the screen up to near-flat level to the table (somewhere around 187 degrees).”
“The screen is bright and can fall very dim for dark environments.”
“It’s a slim, minimalistic and beautiful object.”
“It offers physical kill switches.”
“The 13” ISP 1920x1080pixels monitor is not glossy and the anti-reflect coating on it is smooth and not grainy.”
“It is ultra-portable.”
“It is extremely secure.”
“Thanks to custom-made, libre boot process, you will get to the Linux bootloader screen in less than two seconds.”
“The layout of the Librem 15 makes it easy to service or upgrade parts.”
“The smooth aluminum chassis and trackpad give the Librem 15 a premium feel akin to a Macbook Pro or Razer Blade Pro.”
“The most significant change for the Purism Librem 5 is the kill switches on the side, one for WiFi, mobile internet, and camera and speaker.”
“It has great privacy and security features.”
“The spec list for the Purism Librem 5 looks excellent.”
💸 Top Current Discount
❌ Cons
“The trackpad is annoyingly buggy and frustrating to use.”
“Single fan is high-pitched and can get loud.”
“CPU is now three years old and will only get older.”
“Reviewers stated that there wasn’t any camera software on the phone to determine whether it captured good photos.”
“I searched the official site about the lack of support for Thunderbolt in Librem 14, but I did not find a clear answer.”
“More cores would be nice since compilers and other apps take advantage of them.”
“The screen borders take more space than those of a super-thin flagship, still following the aesthetic.”
“Speakers need calibration.”
“It is somewhat pricey.”
“Webcam needs improvement.”
“It is expensive.”
“You cannot add an external GPU due to the absence of a Thunderbolt port.”
“The Core i7-6500U CPU is a little old.”
“You can get a better performance laptop for this price.”
“Battery life is decent but not the best.”
“The GPU is weak on this laptop; don’t expect doing hardcore gaming with it.”
“If you are using an 802.11ac router, this laptop can’t take advantage of the extra speed.”
“I wouldn’t probably cross the 4K or 6K resolution with this laptop.”
“It has poor webcam, mic, and speaker.”
“While its initial boot is faster than an Apple phone, the software is slow to open.”
“With so many feather-light options out there, reviewers weren’t sure if it was worth compromising for more privacy.”
“LCD could be brighter.”
“There is no native Bluetooth.”
“It is not cheap.”
“It is very expensive considering the hardware.”
⚖️ Final Say
Read the summaries of what reviewers think about Purism below.
“A stunning laptop that is lightweight and powerful, Purism’s Librem 14 unfortunately suffers from a poor webcam, mic, and speakers, and is expensive, costing roughly the same as an Apple MacBook Pro. Its security features make up for this, but you may find its refusal to install proprietary drivers and software restricting. But if you’re looking for a truly secure laptop, it’s a trade-off you’ll have to consider seriously.”
“Librem 14 represents a great addition to the Linux world. It is a unique laptop as it is the most secure laptop you can buy. This “Road Warrior” is devoted to a specific group of users who do not mind making “some sacrifices” and paying additional amounts to protect their digital life in this brutal cyber world. If you are one of those, this is currently your best choice.”
“If privacy is your main reason for investing in a laptop with a Linux OS, go for the Purism Librem 14. It uses GNU/Linux PureOS, and the company detects software and hardware tampering with PureBoot and the Librem Key.”
“If you’re in the market for a high-end laptop that will last, Purism’s engineering excellence and attention to detail will put this on your shortlist. If you want a user-friendly desktop on a system that has real credibility when it comes to digital rights, this should be at the top of your list.”
“The Librem13 already has this charisma of a collectible-hardware; especially because it screams “made for GNU/Linux, privacy and freedom” from every aspect. This speaks hard to my heart of libre geek. But for my heart of artist, it is just a OK laptop: nothing less, nothing more.”
“With the Librem 14, Purism happened to find a market niche in which, so far, not much competition is to be seen. What Purism did here was not only achieving one of the cleanest hardware boards on the market, but caring about the software to the point of rewriting big parts of firmware for the sake of security and software longevity.”
“The heart of Purism Librem 5 is a good base with current concerns about privacy and data gathering, but it was just not executed correctly. Between the booting problems, the lack of speed, and battery longevity, perhaps the Librem 5 should have stayed in beta and received a little more work before its debut.”
“The Librem 15 impressed me for what it does. While the performance and hardware are a step behind the times, this laptop’s first priorities lie elsewhere, in its privacy features, upgrade-friendly design, and sleek looks. That’s where your priorities should lie, too, if this laptop is meant for you.”
“The Librem 13 and its creator, Purism, endeavor to offer something most laptop manufacturers consider as an afterthought: user privacy and security. The Librem 13 succeeds at this task (for the most part), but it does so at quite a high cost. There are just too many issues for us to recommend the Librem 13, and the price tag is simply too high for the value offered.”