Designed by Indonesian maker Ahmad Amarullah (amarullz), the piBrick PocketCM5 is an open-source hardware handheld Linux computer kit built around the Raspberry Pi CM5; it’s basically a smartphone-sized Linux machine with a physical keyboard and touchscreen. It is for developers, makers, and system administrators, for tasks such as general experimentation, embedded development, and remote access.
We have seen other handheld terminals and pocket computers based on Raspberry Pi SBCs and Compute Modules over the years, such as the PocketTerm35, DevTerm, Carbon’s CyberT, Pi Slate, and many others. However, the piBrick PocketCM5 is based on the latest Raspberry Pi CM5 and features a 3.92-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, a physical BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard, and various expansion options.
piBrick PocketCM5 specifications:
- Compatibility – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5 and CM5 Lite)
- Auxiliary MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 for keyboard/trackpad input, rotary encoders and buttons, USB HID (keyboard/mouse) emulation, and accelerometer data processing
- Storage
- MicroSD card slot
- M.2 NVMe socket for SSDs (2230 or 2242 sizes)
- Display
- 3.92-inch AMOLED touchscreen (1080×1240, 90Hz, 500 nits) with 5-point touch and Asahi glass
- MIPI DSI interface
- Video Output
- Full-size HDMI output
- Micro HDMI output
- Camera I/F – Front camera support via MIPI CSI interface (compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero Camera modules)
- Audio
- Integrated USB sound card with amplifier
- Built-in stereo speakers
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Microphone (integrated via the BBQ20 keyboard)
- Networking – Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0/BLE support via Pi CM5’s wireless module
- USB
- USB 3.0 Type-C port with charging support
- USB Type-C 2.0 port for peripherals and charging
- USB 3.0 Type-A port
- USB 2.0 Type-A port
- Internal USB 2.0 expansion header
- User Input
- BlackBerry (BBQ20) QWERTY keyboard with integrated trackpad (serves as a mouse)
- Side rotary encoders with push switches
- 5x Volume, Display brightness, and user buttons on the side
- Internal USB button
- Expansion – I2C connector, GPIO extension breakout
- Misc
- Built-in accelerometer
- RTC with battery
- Power
- USB Type-C port for charging and power
- 5000 mAh LiPo battery (recommended dimensions: 80x50x10mm) connected through a JST-PH 2.0mm connector
- Dimensions – 145 x 80 x 19.6 mm (Device size)
- Weight – ~500 grams (approximate shipping weight)
The piBrick PocketCM5 runs standard Raspberry Pi OS and other Linux distributions on the CM5, with full desktop support. The RP2040 converts keyboard, trackpad, and control inputs into standard USB HID signals, so no custom drivers are required, and its open-source firmware allows custom key mapping and input adjustments.
The hardware is fully open-source, designed with EasyEDA Pro. The estimated cost is around $172 for the main components. Design files, schematics, STL enclosure files, and firmware are released under the GPL-3.0 license, with documentation and assembly resources available via GitHub and the OSHWLab website.
Until now, you had to build it yourself, but Ahmad is now selling the standard kit for $240 on Tindie with a fully assembled piBrick mainboard (PCBA), an AMOLED display with a flex PCB, a speaker board, a physical keyboard, and an SLA-3D-printed enclosure set with mounting hardware. A “Full Camera Kit” is also available, which bundles a Raspberry Pi Camera Zero module.
It is important to note that this Raspberry Pi CM5 handheld Linux computer is sold as a hardware-and-enclosure kit, not a complete plug-and-play consumer device. You must have your own Raspberry Pi CM5, an active or passive heatsink, a LiPo battery, NVMe/MicroSD storage, and the operating system (Raspberry Pi OS or compatible Linux distributions).
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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