MNT Reform is the ultimate open hardware laptop, designed and assembled in Berlin, Germany. MNT Reform is uniquely designed to be as open and transparent as possible, and to support a free and open source software stack from the ground up. We invite you to take a look under the hood, customize the documented electronics, and even repair it yourself if you like. The Reform laptop has no built-in surveillance technologies, cameras, or microphones, so you can be confident that it will never spy on you. Built not around Intel technology, but NXP i.MX8MQ with 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 cores (upgradeable), MNT Reform has a much easier to understand architecture than conventional laptops.
MNT Reform's motherboard features not only a mPCIe slot and an M.2 slot for NVMe SSDs, but even the System-on-Chip and memory are upgradeable: they live together on a SO-DIMM sized module. Moreover, the input devices are fully modular and connected internally via USB 2.0 headers, inviting easy modification and upgrades.
MNT Reform ships with the latest version of Debian Linux on a 32GB SD card, and with a second copy as the Rescue System on the integrated 16GB eMMC. With the Reform Migration tool, you can easily copy the system to an optional SSD, including full-disk encryption (LUKS) support.
To get you up and running quickly, some essential open source applications are preinstalled:
| Firefox and Chromium | Web browsers |
|---|---|
| Evolution | Email client |
| LibreOffice | Fully featured office suite for creating documents, spreadsheets and presentations |
| GIMP | Powerful raster image editor |
| Inkscape | Vector image editor |
| Ardour | Audio/music production workstation (DAW) |
| CPU | NXP/Freescale i.MX8MQ with 4x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.5 GHz), 1x Cortex-M4F core. CPU and RAM are on an exchangeable SO-DIMM sized module. |
|---|---|
| RAM | 4 GB LPDDR4 memory |
| GPU | Vivante GC7000Lite GPU with mainline Linux drivers and OpenGL 2.1, ES 2.0 |
| Display | Full HD (1920x1080 pixels) 12.5" IPS eDP display driven via MIPI-DSI. HDMI port. 128 x 32 pixel system control OLED |
| USB | 3x USB 3.0 ports external (Type-A), 2x USB 2.0 internal (for input devices) |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet port. Optional ath9k miniPCIe Wi-Fi card. |
| Storage | Internal M.2 M-key socket for NVMe SSD. Full size SD card slot. 16GB eMMC |
| PCIe | 1x miniPCIe socket (PCIe 2.0 1x), 1x M.2/NGFF socket M-key (PCIe 2.0 1x) |
| Keyboard | Reform mechanical USB keyboard with Kailh Choc Brown Switches, dimmable backlight, open firmware |
| Trackball (Option) | Reform optical USB trackball with 5 mechanical switches (Kailh Choc Brown), open firmware |
| Trackpad (Option) | Reform capacitive USB trackpad, open firmware |
| Enclosure | Modular case from CNC-milled, bead-blasted, black-anodized 6061 aluminum. Bottom cover milled from semi-transparent acrylic. |
| Sound | Wolfson WM8960 ADC/DAC, stereo speakers, 3.5" headset/microphone jack (no internal microphone) |
| Camera | No camera. Internal MIPI-CSI connector |
| Battery | LiFePO4 battery technology, which is more fire-safe and has more charge-cycles than LiPo batteries. 8x owner-serviceable 18650 cells totalling 12 Ah/3.2 V. 5 h approximate battery life |
| System Controller | NXP LPC11U24 ARM Cortex-M0 chip with open firmware and hackable expansion port |
| Manual | Operator Manual incl. system schematics and full parts list |
| Sources | KiCAD sources for motherboard, keyboard, trackball, trackpad, STEP/STL/FreeCAD files for case parts, C sources for all firmware (input devices and system controller), build scripts for boot & system image |
| OS | Preloaded with Debian GNU/Linux 11, Linux 5.x mainline kernel |
| Dimensions | 29 x 20.5 x 4 cm |
| Weight | ~1.9 kg |
In May 2020, MNT Research launched the MNT Reform open hardware laptop. Since March 2021, we are shipping MNT Reform to backers. You can currently order MNT Reform at our distribution partner, Crowd Supply.
The following is a list of MNT Reform appearances in global news outlets. We do not take responsibility for the content in any of these links.