Ledger Stax, a new generation wallet. Check it out!

This week in Paris, hardware wallet company Ledger presented Stax at the annual Ledger Op3n community gathering. Designed by designer Tony Fadell (best known for designing the iPod, iPhone and Nest thermostats) in close collaboration with Ian Rogers, Ledger’s CXO, the Stax has the potential to attract a new wave of people to the web3, given the seismic leap in usage and entertainment compared to previous versions of Ledger’s devices for secure cryptocurrency and NFT storage.

With Stax, the form factor and user experience are completely new: it is shaped like a thick credit card and is covered in touch-sensitive electronic ink that wraps around the spine at 180 degrees.

This configuration allows for easier control of the device when it needs it and the ability to view digital art when it is at rest. Although lightweight, Stax gives a superior feel and the use of magnets that allow the devices to be stacked on top of each other adds an extra layer of fun.

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Ledger Stax is compatible with over 500 types of cryptocurrencies and allows users to view and manage their NFT collections. Ledger users can interact with the phone via Bluetooth, but there is the option to connect the wallet to a laptop or desktop computer with a cable. Ledger announced the new wallet at an event in Paris, where the company is based.

It is currently accepting pre-orders for the device which will be available from March 2023 and can be ordered for $279. In response to a question from Fortune about Ledger’s financial situation, a company spokesperson declined to provide specific revenue figures, but said that historically Ledger has been profitable.

He added that Ledger posted the best two sales days in its history in November, following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, a development that likely reflects cryptocurrency owners’ desire to store their digital assets rather than rely on third parties.

A wallet with a new generation user experience

The Internet wave of the 2000s, Web2, changed the way people connect thanks to revolutionary Internet devices: smartphones. This is what hardware does: it changes the daily lives of billions of people.

Web3 needs a similar hardware milestone to change the way billions of people own and exchange value. Smartphones have democratised the information web. Storage devices are about to do the same for the Internet of Value.

This year was a pivotal year as the big centralised platforms went bankrupt, froze customer withdrawals and wiped out consumer funds, sending shockwaves through the cryptocurrency market. Aside from third-party bankruptcies, this is outright theft. The lesson is clear.

See more from Ledger in our comprehensive Ledger Review.

When you give your private keys to a third party, you lose control of them; you lose control of your digital life. Cryptocurrencies were invented to be decentralised and transparent, not to rely on centralised structures subject to mismanagement or hacking attacks.

The most significant promise of Web3 is to usher in a digital world supported by publicly verifiable distributed networks. This revolution of trust has nothing to do with third parties blocking tokens when something goes wrong. Digital ownership is not a buzzword, but a right that will underpin your future digital experiences.

With our devices, you own your private keys, you own your digital life. Manage your digital and NFT assets and explore the ever-growing set of Web3 DApps with security and ownership.

And let us emphasise something fundamental: Ledger is an open platform built at scale. External developers can easily integrate their coins, tokens, blockchains, applications and services directly into the Ledger ecosystem, enabling an ever-growing set of supported DApps.

Ledger Stax – Technical specifications

Ledger Stax measures 85mm by 54mm by 6mm, weighs 45g, has an e-ink touchscreen display with a resolution of 672×400 pixels and 16 shades of grey, connects via USB-C and Bluetooth, supports Qi wireless charging and has Ledger’s EAL 5+ certified security feature. “One of the things I’ve learned is that when you create a robust platform, you put in more hardware so that it can be used by software over time,” Fadel explains. “All these aspects [are key] because you really want to build for the future, instead of saying, ‘Oh, you should buy another one next year and another one the year after’.

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