Ledger, the hardware wallet manufacturer, has introduced its latest innovation, the Ledger Flex wallet. This new addition builds on the design language and E Ink touchscreen interface of its predecessor, the Stax model. The Flex, priced at $249, sits just below the premium $399 Ledger Stax in Ledger’s lineup, offering a 2.8” E Ink capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 600 x 480 pixels. Unlike the Stax, it lacks the Tony Fadell-designed curved screen but comes in two distinct colorways: the classic black and silver, and a special orange BTC Edition variant.
Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier emphasized the company’s goal of making self-custody more accessible to a broader audience, including both consumers and enterprises. Weighing in at 57.5g, the Flex is equipped with USB C, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC connectivity, all housed in a sleek 78.40 mm × 56.50 mm × 7.70 mm frame. Its battery promises “weeks or even months on one charge,” ensuring long-lasting performance.
Central to the Flex’s design is the company’s Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 6 certified secure element. This secure element is pivotal, as it generates and stores the user’s private keys and powers Ledger’s secure screen. Ledger touts a unique approach to secure elements, incorporating a proprietary operating system called BOLOS, and Donjon, a team of white-hat hackers dedicated to identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in its hardware and software.
The launch of the Flex wallet is part of Ledger’s broader strategy to “secure a world that’s embracing AI.” A key component of this initiative is the “Proof of You” concept, which begins with the new Ledger Security Key app. This app enables users to create Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Passkeys using the open FIDO 2 specification directly on the device. Available for both Flex and Stax wallets, the app facilitates passwordless login to sites like Google, Amazon, and major crypto exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase. Users can either tap the device against their phone using NFC or plug it into a personal computer for seamless access.
Ledger has faced its share of security challenges in the past. In 2021, a breach exposed the personal details of nearly 300,000 Ledger users when an email database was hacked. Last year, a malicious version of the Ledger Connect Kit was identified by developers on Twitter, prompting the company to advise customers to stop interacting with decentralized applications (dapps) while a fix was implemented.
More controversially, in May 2023, Ledger came under scrutiny for its Ledger Recover service, an ID-based key recovery system that backs up users’ seed phrases. While the company reassured users that the service was opt-in, some critics argued that it could create a “backdoor” on devices, potentially compromising security. Ledger co-founder Nicolas Bacca defended the service, stating it was “not a backdoor at all, because nothing will happen without your consent on your device,” and emphasized that it did not increase the attack vectors on the hardware wallets.
The Ledger Flex supports the Recover service from launch, providing peace of mind for users concerned about losing their physical Secret Recovery Phrase backup. The company claims that “With Ledger Recover, you never have to worry about recovering access to your wallet, even if your physical Secret Recovery Phrase backup is lost or destroyed.”
