Review of Ledger Wallets with Secure Touchscreen

Among the familiar cold (hardware) wallets from Ledger, two unique devices stand out with touchscreen capabilities—Ledger Stax and Ledger Flex. Both look like small smartphones and allow for quick and easy transactions while being, according to the developers, the most secure options for handling crypto assets.

In this article, we will discuss what these wallets are, how they differ from the Ledger Nano X, and where you can purchase them.

What is a Secure Touchscreen?

In the wallets released on August 13, 2024, Stax and Flex, Ledger uses special E Ink displays with electronic ink, similar to e-readers, that display 16 shades of gray.

The operation is entirely touch-based, and transaction verification and signing occur under transparent signing conditions—meaning you can see all the transaction details on a single screen before confirming, without needing to navigate elsewhere.

The wallet’s security is ensured by a PIN code and a special Secure Element chip, certified at the CC EAL6+ level. This means that the chip has been tested according to international standards and deemed secure for use in high-risk situations where the value of the protected assets justifies the additional costs.

For reference, there are seven levels in international certification, with the highest level reserved for highly specialized, top-tier protection technologies.

Ledger’s New Feature — Security Key

All Ledger wallets, including Nano, Stax, and Flex, store keys offline, and access and transaction signing occur through a new pre-installed app called Ledger Security Key.

With this app, users don’t need to remember passwords or use additional protection methods for accounts in X (Twitter), Google, some crypto exchanges (like Binance, OKX), and popular browsers. The app provides a more secure alternative to temporary passwords and login codes, including two-factor and multi-factor authentication.

Overview of Ledger Stax and Ledger Flex

Since the overall functionality of the wallets is identical, we won’t break the review into two large sections.

Ledger Stax is a compact wallet with a 3.7-inch (9.4 cm) curved screen. It supports wireless Qi charging.  

Pre-order price as of 08/13/2024 on the official Ledger website is €332.50. The purchase includes a magnetic protective case.

Ledger Flex is even more compact, with a 2.84-inch (6.99 cm) screen.  

Pre-order price as of 08/13/2024 on the official Ledger website is €207.50. The purchase does not include a case—it must be purchased separately.

Thanks to integration with Ledger Live, both wallets support instant sending, receiving, purchasing, and exchanging of more than 5.5K coins, including BTC, BCH, USDT, USDC, and staking for about a third of them—such as ETH, SOL, ADA, DOT, and NEAR.

They also support USB-C, Bluetooth, NFC, and are compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS on both mobile and desktop devices.

Finally, you can customize the lock screen display—setting any image or even an NFT collection.

Important! As of August 6, 2024, both wallets were available for purchase in Russia through a distributor, with delivery across the country handled by CDEK. If any restrictions or difficulties arise during pre-order or direct purchase, the distributor will notify on the official website or through their support.

Comparison of Stax, Flex and Nano X

Parameter	Ledger Flex	Ledger Stax	Ledger Nano X
Format	Touchscreen	Touchscreen	USB-device
Certification	CC EAL6+	CC EAL6+	CC EAL5+
Qi charging	–	+	–
Blind signing	+	+	–
Protective case	Optional	Included	Optional
Release year	2024	2023	2019
Price on the Ledger website as of 08/13/2024	€207.50	€332.50	€124.17