Flipper Zero’s makers are cooking up a wildly customizable Linux computer

Flipper Zero is easily one of the most viral security tools you must have seen on the internet. While it was originally meant for vulnerability assessment or ethical hacking, Flipper Zero caught more eyes for its ability to spoof security access systems, such as RFID, and unlock systems or even crash supposedly “secure” systems without physical contact. Now, the company intends to build another, more capable device that would work with a broader range of long-distance communication technologies.

Flipper, the company behind the infamous “Zero” pentesting tool, is now moving on to the next generation with a more capable and advanced gadget. Flipper has announced its upcoming tool, called Flipper One, but insists it isn’t a successor to the Flipper Zero.

It isn’t meant to emulate access like the Zero, which was limited to short-range communications media such as infrared, NFC, RFID, etc. Instead, the Flipper One is designed to connect to any IP-based network. That includes widespread protocols such as 5G, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and even NTN satellite connectivity. Beyond that, the device also runs an open-source Linux-based platform, which brings it on par with a standard computer, which can more suitably be described as a cyberdeck.

In fact, Flipper One, as per the company, is “the most open and best-documented ARM computer in the world.” The device is proposed to ship with full mainline kernel support and won’t require vendor-specific patches or binaries. That means, every time a new Linux kernel update is added to the kernel archive, maintained by none other than Linux’s creator Linus Torvalds, you should be able to apply it to the Flipper One.

If that is implemented, Flipper One’s hardware will always support the latest software, at least in theory, and will be limited only by the compute bottleneck. However, it’s more difficult to implement in practice, which is why Flipper is asking developers to collaborate and help build a truly open and independent platform. It has announced a Developer Portal that will serve as a sort of Wikipedia for everything related to the device, including its software, hardware, design, and other aspects.

For its hardware, Flipper is taking a co-processor approach, relying on two chips instead of one. These include a Rockchip RK3576 SoC with an 8-core CPU, Mali-G52 GPU, and an NPU capable of running small AI models on-device. It also comes with 8GB of RAM onboard.

Complementing it is a dual-core Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller with 16MB of flash memory, which is used to control aspects such as the display, buttons, touchpad, LEDs, and the power subsystem. Flipper says the microcontroller is powerful enough to run the device on its own. Flipper also encourages the use of modular attachments using standard GPIO connectors. Flipper also intends to share 3D models, so users can customize the build to their requirements.

In terms of design, the Flipper One is envisioned to be identical to the Zero, but only in shape. In reality, Flipper One will be much bigger and heftier.

Flipper hasn’t commented anything on the device’s availability, mostly because it isn’t ready just yet. Flipper is going public with the intent of funding the development and fulfilling founder Pavel Zhovner’s vision of creating an open Debian-based OS. We’ll ensure we communicate more about the timeline once the company comments on it.