Flipper Zero: The Portable Multi-Tool Device for Hackers

Widely discussed in the hacking community, the Flipper Zero is an irreverent handheld hacking tool. Capable of interfacing and broadcasting on a wide variety of frequencies, the Flipper Zero can be used to open garage doors, change TV channels, and clone RFIDs on the go. Developed in Russia and funded through Kickstarter, the manufacturers for the Flipper Zero have come under fire for failing to meet their delivery timelines. Stock remains backordered for months, and frustrated fans have been forced to turn to resellers to get a Flipper for themselves.

What is the Flipper Zero?

Both playful and practical, the Flipper Zero is a handheld tool for exploring and interacting with digital transmissions. RFID, bluetooth, radio, and more can all be interfaced with on the go, and its all wrapped up in a quirky retro case. Allegedly, each Flipper Zero ships with the personality of "a cyber dolphin who really loves to hack." Forget 2077, Cyberpunk is here in 2022, and it has fins.

Drawing from previous DIY hacking tools, the Flipper Zero aimed to be the simplest and most robust choice on the market, and launched on Kickstarter in 2020 with a $100,000 goal. Eight minutes later, they had reached it, and the money kept coming in. As the backers piled on, stretch goals like RFID support became possible, and the company shifted its plans.

How to buy a Flipper Zero

In 2022, after 37,987 backers pledged a cumulative $4,882,784, the first batch of Flipper Zeros was shipped out to the initial 4541 backers. Immediately, the hype became real. Aftermarket sales exploded, with the price climbing past $1,000 for a single unit, before slowly settling into the $500-$800 range, depending on country.

For the next two months, the manufacturers remained silent, until finally posting this update on shipping in early March 2022:

• USA / 5k (already shipped)
• Australia and Canada / 5k + USA / 5k (Late March)
• USA / rest (Mid April)
• EU and UK / 20k (Late April)
• Russia / 7k (Mid May, if all goes well)
• Rest of the world (70+ countries) / 3k (Mid May)

However, it seems like they have struggled to keep up with this schedule. As of May 2022, no further updates have been posted to their blog, which has since been filled with various degrees of angry comments.

Flipper Zero's developers are Russian, however the company itself is based in the US, and orders are shipped from Hong Kong. It's possible that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and the ensuing economic fallout are interfering with fulfillment, but the company denies this, citing their status as a US based company.

In any case, even if Flipper Zero shipped out another 5,000 orders tomorrow, they would still be less than a third of the way through their initial Kickstarter orders. Some frustrated backers are considering buying through the aftermarket, and those who didn't place a pre-order are facing the possibility of a year or more wait.

The continued radio silence from the Flipper Zero team is a bad sign for those hoping to pick these up at retail any time soon. For now, it seems like eBay is the only way to get your hands on a Flipper Zero, even if you have a pre-order.

But hey, check out all the cool stuff it can do while you refresh the store page.