This phone is made in the USA
“Kim, I love my iPhone 16 but hate it’s made in China and apps track everything you do including your bowel movements. Is there a phone made in the USA that doesn’t track you?” — Paul in Tampa, Florida
Well, Paul, there’s exactly one, the $1,999 Liberty Phone from Purism. If the name makes you want to stand up and salute, you might sit right back down when I tell you the rest.
📱 Parts
First, it’s made in California with mostly American parts. Key components though, like the screen, battery and camera, are from China, South Korea and India.
The Liberty Phone has a 5.7-inch LCD display at 720-by-1,440 resolution (yes, 720p in 2025). The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch OLED screen at 2,556-by-1,179 resolution, with over three times the pixel density.
The Liberty Phone is like an Etch A Sketch but grumpier.
It’s 9.5 ounces compared with your 6-ounce iPhone. The Liberty Phone battery is lame, barely gets through a full day.
🚀 Performance
The Liberty Phone runs on an NXP i.MX 8M chip, a processor used in things like smart thermostats. It’s slow. Combine that with just 3GB of RAM, and you’ll feel the lag.
The iPhone 16 runs on Apple’s new A17 chip with 6GB of RAM. It’s like comparing a scooter to a Porsche.
📸 Camera
The Liberty Phone gives you a 13MP rear camera and 8MP selfie cam. There’s no portrait mode, no low-light correction, no HDR.
Photos look flat, grainy and lifeless compared to your iPhone 16’s 48MP wide and 12MP ultrawide cameras. You’ll hate it.
🔐 Privacy
Liberty Phone’s true strength is privacy. No Apple, no Google, no tracking. It runs on a version of Linux (not Android or iOS).
It has physical switches to cut off the mic, camera, bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Oh, the catch. Big one. You won’t find any mainstream apps such as Instagram, Gmail, Uber, Maps or even a decent camera app.
💥 Bottom line
You have to give credit to the innovative folks at Purism. Building a phone in the U.S., with a clear focus on privacy, is a huge undertaking. But freedom comes at a cost. This is half your paycheck and all your creature comforts.
I wouldn’t want one. I like my phone’s camera, apps and integration into my life. The Liberty Phone is great if you’re a programmer living in a cabin off the grid though.
The rest of us? We’ll keep letting our iPhone track those bowel movements… It’s not the best thing in the world, but it’s a solid number two. 💩
Tags: freedom, Linux, privacy, processor, RAM, tracking
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