Your iPhone or Android phone is a surveillance device that occasionally makes calls. The baseband modem runs mystery firmware you can't audit. The camera and microphone can be accessed remotely. Your location is tracked constantly. But in 2025, there are actual alternatives. Real hardware designed by people who give a damn about your privacy.
The market for privacy-respecting mobile hardware is small but growing. Hardware kill switches - physical toggles that cut power to cameras, microphones, and cellular modems - are no longer science fiction. They're shipping on real devices you can buy today. And there's serious progress on eliminating the proprietary firmware blobs that make every smartphone a black box.
Here's every serious Linux phone and open-hardware mobile device available or coming in 2025, what they actually offer, and whether they're worth your money.
Why Hardware Matters More Than Software
You can install GrapheneOS or LineageOS on your Pixel. That helps. (See our mobile security hardening comparison for software options.) But underneath that privacy-respecting software, your phone still runs closed-source firmware on the cellular modem - code you can't inspect, audit, or control. That modem has access to everything going through it.
The Librem 5 from Purism isolates the cellular modem from the main CPU and memory entirely. It sits on a separate M.2 card with its own dedicated connection. When you flip the hardware kill switch, power is physically cut. No software exploit can turn it back on. [1]
Compare that to your iPhone's "Airplane Mode" - a software toggle that Apple can override, and which the baseband can potentially ignore. The difference isn't academic. It's the difference between trusting a corporation's promise and verifying with physics.
Current Hardware: What's Actually Available
Purism Librem 5 / Liberty Phone
Price: $799 (Librem 5) / $1,999 (Liberty Phone - Made in USA)
Hardware Kill Switches: 3 (Camera/Mic, WiFi/Bluetooth, Cellular Modem)
The Librem 5 is the most privacy-focused phone you can buy. Period. The cellular modem is physically separated from the CPU and memory, running on an isolated M.2 card. Three hardware kill switches let you cut power to the cameras, microphone, WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular modem. [2]
In 2025, Efani ranked the Librem 5 as the #1 most secure mobile phone, citing hardware kill switches, modem isolation, and PureOS's fully open-source architecture. Purism also released the STEP file for the Librem 5's physical design, making it one of the most open-hardware phones ever produced. [3]
The Liberty Phone is the same device but manufactured entirely in the USA with a transparent supply chain. It ships with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage (vs 3GB/32GB on the base Librem 5).
The catch: Performance is dated. The i.MX8M processor won't win any benchmarks. Software ecosystem is limited. Battery life is mediocre. This is a privacy tool, not a flagship smartphone experience.
Best for: Security researchers, activists, journalists, anyone who needs verifiable hardware-level privacy.
Pine64 PinePhone (Original)
Price: ~$200
Hardware Kill Switches: 6 (Modem, WiFi, Bluetooth, Mic, Rear Camera, Front Camera, Headphone Jack)
The original PinePhone remains available and will be sold for approximately two more years. It's the cheapest way to get hardware privacy switches on a mobile device. Six DIP switches under the back cover let you physically disconnect components.
Important news: Pine64 discontinued the PinePhone Pro in August 2025. The $400 Pro model never sold well enough to justify continued production. Spare parts will be available for up to two years. [4]
The original PinePhone supports dozens of Linux distributions: PostmarketOS, Ubuntu Touch, Manjaro, Mobian, and more. The community is active and development continues.
The catch: The A64 processor is slow. Like, painfully slow for 2025 standards. This is a hobbyist device, not a daily driver for most people.
Best for: Developers, Linux enthusiasts, people who want to experiment with mobile Linux without spending much.
Furi Labs FLX1s
Price: $550
Hardware Kill Switches: 3 (Microphone, Cameras, Cellular/GPS)
The FLX1s is a newcomer that shipped in late 2025 with modern specs and three dedicated hardware kill switches. One cuts the microphone, one disables both cameras, and one kills cellular connectivity and GPS at the hardware level. [5]
Specs: MediaTek Dimensity 900, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, 6.7" 720p 90Hz display, 5000mAh battery, 5G, WiFi 6.
It runs FuriOS, a Debian-based mobile operating system with Android app compatibility. You can also install Ubuntu Touch or run multi-boot setups.
The catch: New company, unproven long-term support. First batch sold out quickly; second batch is now in pre-order.
Best for: People who want modern hardware with kill switches and don't want to pay Purism prices.
Murena HIROH Phone
Price: $999 (pre-order) / $1,199 (retail)
Kill Switches: 2 (Hardware: Camera/Mic, Software: All Wireless)
The HIROH is a flagship privacy phone launched in September 2025 by a team led by CEO Victor Cocchia, who holds over 20 patents related to mobile security and invented the physical kill switch concept. [6]
One hardware switch cuts circuit power to cameras and microphones - physically, not through software. The second is a software switch that disables all wireless (5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC) simultaneously. A visible red indicator shows when the phone is in secure mode.
Specs: MediaTek Dimensity 8300, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, 6.67" 1.5K AMOLED 120Hz display, 108MP main camera, 5000mAh replaceable battery.
Ships with your choice of Murena's /e/OS (deGoogled Android) or stock Android 16.
The catch: Only the camera/mic switch is true hardware-level. The wireless switch is software-based. Ships January/February 2026.
Best for: People who want flagship specs with privacy features and don't mind paying for it.
Jolla Phone (2025)
Price: €499-699 (pre-order €99 down)
Privacy Switch: 1 (Microphone, Camera, Bluetooth)
Jolla is back. The Finnish company that created Sailfish OS has launched a new phone through crowdfunding, already exceeding 125% of their 2,000-unit goal with over 2,515 units ordered. [7]
A physical privacy switch cuts power to the microphone, camera, and Bluetooth. The 5500mAh battery is user-replaceable - increasingly rare in 2025. Sailfish OS 5 supports Android apps through Jolla AppSupport, which you can disable if needed.
Specs: MediaTek 5G SoC, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage (expandable to 2TB), 6.36" FHD AMOLED, 50MP + 13MP ultrawide cameras.
Jolla guarantees 5 years of OS support.
The catch: Ships end of first half 2026. Only available in UK, Norway, Switzerland, and EU initially.
Best for: People who want a non-Android, non-iOS alternative with some privacy hardware features.
Fairphone 5 / Fairphone 6
Price: ~€700-800
Hardware Kill Switches: None
Fairphone doesn't have hardware kill switches, but it deserves mention for its approach to openness. Fairphone publicly releases Linux kernel device trees and GPL-licensed kernel sources, making it easier to run mainline Linux. [8]
The Fairphone 5 is currently the best-supported device for Ubuntu Touch. The Fairphone 6, announced in 2025, shipped with same-day Linux mainline kernel patches - a first for any smartphone manufacturer.
Both devices have modular, repairable designs with user-replaceable batteries. You can run /e/OS (deGoogled Android) from Fairphone directly. For more on leaving Google's ecosystem, see our guide to escaping Google's ecosystem.
Best for: People who want ethical hardware with good Linux support but don't need hardware kill switches.
The Future: RISC-V and the Librephone Project
Pine64's RISC-V Shift
Pine64 killed the PinePhone Pro to focus on RISC-V - an open-source processor architecture that doesn't require licensing from ARM or Intel. Their recent launches tell the story: [4]
- Oz64: $12.99 RISC-V single-board computer
- Star64: $89.99 with 4x 1.5GHz cores, 8GB RAM, GPU
- StarPro64: $249.99 with 4x 1.8GHz SiFive cores and 20 TOPS NPU
A RISC-V phone from Pine64 isn't announced yet, but the direction is clear. RISC-V processors are royalty-free and fully open, meaning every line of the CPU architecture can be audited. ARM and Qualcomm chips can't make that claim.
NLnet RISC-V Phone Project
The NLnet Foundation is funding a project to build an open-hardware phone using off-the-shelf RISC-V components. The design uses a SiFive FE310 RISC-V microcontroller to control all peripherals, with an ESP32 for WiFi/Bluetooth and a standard mPCIe modem for cellular. [9]
It's not a smartphone replacement - more of a secure communication device. But it proves the concept of fully auditable mobile hardware.
FSF Librephone Project
On October 14, 2025 - the FSF's 40th anniversary - they announced the Librephone project. This isn't another phone or operating system. It's a long-term effort to reverse-engineer the proprietary firmware blobs that make every existing smartphone a black box. [10]
Even if you run LineageOS or GrapheneOS, your phone still uses closed-source firmware for WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular modems, touchscreens, and fingerprint sensors. The Librephone project aims to create open-source replacements.
The project is funded by FSF board member John Gilmore and led by developer Rob Savoye, who has contributed to GCC, GDB, and other GNU projects. Initial focus is on radio functions: cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth. [10]
"For example, I can't even get datasheets on the chipsets," Savoye said. "Then throw in things like Secure Boot, Trusted Computing, and layers of firmware signing." The legal challenges include DMCA and FCC regulations.
This is a years-long project. But if successful, it would make truly free mobile phones possible for the first time.
What Actually Works as a Daily Driver?
Let's be honest: none of these are iPhone or Pixel replacements for most people. But some are more usable than others:
Most polished experience: Murena HIROH (when it ships) or Fairphone 5/6 with /e/OS. You get Android app compatibility with privacy improvements.
Best hardware privacy: Librem 5 or FLX1s. True hardware kill switches with physical isolation.
Best value: Original PinePhone at ~$200, if you're comfortable with Linux and understand the limitations.
Most interesting for the future: Whatever Pine64 builds with RISC-V, and the Librephone project's eventual results.
The Kill Switch Question
Hardware kill switches aren't just marketing. When you cut power to the cellular modem on a Librem 5, you're eliminating an entire attack surface. No software vulnerability can reactivate a component that has no electricity.
That said, some critics call kill switches "marketing frills." One technical analysis notes that microphone kill switches are less useful since audio can potentially be captured via accelerometers and gyroscopes. And Qualcomm has isolated modems via IOMMU for years - the question is whether you trust their implementation. [11]
The real value is verifiability. You can look at a hardware switch and know it's off. You can't say the same about software toggles controlled by companies that make money from your data.
What You Should Do
If you need serious hardware privacy now: Buy a Librem 5. It's expensive, it's slow, and the software ecosystem is limited. But the hardware isolation is real, and Purism has committed to lifetime software support.
If you want better privacy with usable hardware: Wait for the HIROH or buy a Fairphone with /e/OS. You won't get full hardware kill switches, but you'll get a functional phone with serious privacy improvements.
If you want to experiment: Get an original PinePhone for $200 and learn. Install different Linux distributions. Understand what's possible and what's not. You'll learn more about mobile privacy in a month than most people learn in a lifetime.
If you want to help: The Librephone project needs volunteers at all skill levels - not just engineers. Testing, documentation, and spreading awareness all matter. Join at librephone.fsf.org or #librephone on IRC (libera.chat).
The surveillance phone in your pocket is the result of deliberate choices by companies that profit from watching you. These alternatives represent different choices - hardware designed by people who believe you should control your own device. They're not perfect. But they exist. And in 2025, that matters.
Related Guides
- Open Source Phones Guide - Detailed comparison with postmarketOS on mainstream phones
- PinePhone Pro Discontinued - August 2025: Why Pine64's flagship failed
- Librem 5 vs PinePhone Hardware - Detailed hardware comparison
- Mobile Device Security Guide - Comprehensive security hardening for any phone
- Mobile Security Hardening Comparison - GrapheneOS vs CalyxOS vs LineageOS
- Open Source Hardware Guide - Phones, laptops, routers, and more
- Privacy Operating Systems Guide - Tails, Whonix, Qubes compared
- Escaping Google's Ecosystem - DeGoogling your digital life
References
- Purism. "The Most Secure Phone: Librem 5." puri.sm
- Purism. "Lockdown Mode on the Librem 5: Beyond Hardware Kill Switches." puri.sm
- Purism. "Purism Releases STEP File for Librem 5." puri.sm
- The Register. "PinePhone Pro canned in pursuit of RISC-V business." August 2025. theregister.com
- It's FOSS News. "This $550 Linux Phone Has Kill Switches That Protect Your Privacy." news.itsfoss.com
- Security Brief UK. "HIROH unveils privacy smartphone with dual kill switches, USD $999." September 2025. securitybrief.co.uk
- GSMArena. "Jolla announces the new Jolla Phone with Sailfish OS 5 and a physical privacy switch." December 2025. gsmarena.com
- Fairphone. "We're big fans of open-source buildable code at Fairphone. Here's why." December 2025. fairphone.com
- NLnet Foundation. "RISC-V Phone." nlnet.nl
- Free Software Foundation. "FSF announces Librephone project." October 2025. fsf.org
- Madaidan's Insecurities. "Linux Phones." madaidans-insecurities.github.io