Open source smartphone, from available components. Prioritizing user experience, performance, control, repairability, innovation and privacy. (Currently in the development phase, progress documented here and on the V Electronics YT channel). Contribution and feedback are very welcome! If you want to contribute please read the Contribution Guide.
- General Specifications
- Hardware And Electronics
- Software And Operating System
- DIY Build Guide
- Parts List
- Cost
- Ethical And Environmental Concerns
- Compliance And Legality
- Resources
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- 2GB / 4GB / 8GB / 16GB(2025) LPDDR4
- Broadcom BCM2712 64-bit 2.4 GHz
- 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB eMMC
- 1 x USB C 3.0
- 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz WiFi
- Bluetooth 5
- GSM
- GPS
- 5.5" Capacitive Touch TFT Display
- resolution: 720x1280 pixels
will change soon
- Capacity: 2.05Ah
- Type: Lithium Polymer
- Voltage: 3.7 V
- Dimensions: 84.5mm x 47.5mm x 6.0mm (3.33" 1.87" 0.24")
- The battery can be easily swapped for a fully charged one to effectively get back to 100% almost instantly.
80mm x 148mm (±1mm)
Total estimated thickness is 12.3mm (excluding camera module lens sticking out)
Main components that contribute thickness:
| Component | Thickness |
|---|---|
| Chassis | 1 mm |
| PCB | 1.4 mm |
| Battery | 6 mm |
| Screen | 3.9 mm |
SPIRIT is compatible with Arducam cameras e.g. the 64 MP Hawkeye or the more affordable 16 MP Autofocus.
Below are the stats for the Hawkeye:
| Name | Sensor Resolution | Zoom | Field Of View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pi Hawk-eye | 64MP (9152 x 6944 pixels) | 10x (digital) | 84 degrees |
Sensor: 1/1.7" stacked CMOS image sensor, 0.8 μm pixel size Lens: f/1.8 aperture, 8 cm–∞ focal range, motorised focusing Max Resolution: 9152×6944 stills; 1080p 30 fps video
For more details see the product page
(For now there is only one camera for simplicity and cost reduction)
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"The power of Raspberry Pi 5 in a compact form factor for deeply embedded applications" (CM5 website).
By default SPIRIT uses the 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC version of the CM. It is possible to use a different CM4 variant (for example to increase the RAM to 8GB).
For schematic, PCB layout etc. KiCad 8 is used.
All design files are openly available through this repository.
Custom carrier board (motherboard) that interfaces between the Compute Module and the rest of the electronics.
This is the only custom electronic component in this project. The design files are publicly available.
Capacitive LCD Display TFT MIPI Dimensions: 5.5" (139.70mm) 1280px x 720px
The battery is mounted such that it can be easily uninstalled for replacing or privacy reasons. The user is free to swap the battery for any compatible model. It is also possible to run the phone without a battery, or using an external one if you attach long enough leads.
An added benefit is that the user can easily replace an empty battery for a charged one - effectively eliminating the need to wait for the phone to charge. An external battery charger can also be used for unmounted batteries.
EC25VFA-512-STD
Cellular, Navigation BeiDou, EDGE, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, GNSS, LTE Transceiver Module 1.561GHz, 1.575GHz, 1.602GHz
2 x CMR-15062S-67
32 Ohms Receiver Speaker 20 mW 300 Hz ~ 7 kHz Top Rectangular
The speaker system consists of a pair of speakers mounted symmetrically facing upwards.
100018754
The fingerprint scanner is located on the back of the phone and has a sensing area of 8x8mm. It is rated for 10 million finger placements and can store up to 50 templates.
False acceptance rate: 1/500k (per finger) False rejection rate: 1.4-3.5 %
This phone has a TRRS headphone jack. This way the user can decide between wireless or wired.
SPH0645LM4H-B
Omnidirectional with a theorethical frequency range 20 Hz - 10 kHz. Sensitivity: -26dB ±3dB @ 94dB SPL. Digital output (I2S)
The power, volume and programmable buttons are identical rectangular, tactile switches with a life expectancy of 30k cycles.
The Programmable Button's function can be customized by the user. For example, it can be used for quick launching an app, instantly dialing a saved contact, toggling sound settings (silent, vibrate, sound) etc. The list of potential use cases is very long. One of them could be enabling small children or elderly people to instantly call for example a parent, or supervisor in case of emergency. Another could be to immediately launch the camera app to quickly capture a moment.
SPIRIT has 4 physical switches that cut off the power lines to specific modules ensuring they are 100% inactive and not drawing power. Notice, you can also completely disconnect the battery. Needless to say, this is a very useful feature for people who want to have direct control over the hardware and want to protect their privacy without relying on software.
| Switch Number | Module |
|---|---|
| 1 | Microphone |
| 2 | GPS/GSM EC25 chip |
| 3 | Camera |
| 4 | Battery |
LXML-PWC1-0100
1W 3V white, cool LED.
Toggling on/off can be binded to the programmable button.
Once the hardware is functional it will be time to test various operating systems as well as explore the possibility of developing one based on Debian.
List of operating systems to test/research:
| Name | Website |
|---|---|
| Ubuntu Touch | https://ubuntu-touch.io/ |
| Lineage | https://lineageos.org/ |
| Graphene | https://grapheneos.org/features |
| Android | https://www.android.com/ |
Additionally, The Yocto Project has been suggested (not an OS) https://www.yoctoproject.org/
Link to build guide/tutorial: No build guide yet
The list will be updated soon. To get the most up-to-date parts list please look at the BOM. Certain components such as the camera can be swapped for a different model - the presented setup is just a suggestion.
TODO update parts list
Click here to show/hide
The total cost of the device is x (excluding shipping)
SPIRIT phones avoid components produced in unfair or harmful ways, as well as containing conflict minerals if possible.
TODO Here are ethical details for each major component:
-Chassis -CM5 -Battery -Screen -Chassis -Speakers
The goal is to be 100% ethically and environmentally "clean" as soon as possible, however that is a hard task and presents multiple enginnering challenges.
TODO ?RoHS complicance
TODO research
Ecodesign Regulation 2023/1670
?EMI norms
?RoHS
?REACH
?WEEE
?
?
?
?
?