Ledger unveils Atom Android device with Solana Mobile integration and new tamper protections amid investigation into modified wallets

Ledger unveiled a new-style Android device called Atom at its Op3n event in Paris on Thursday, introducing new tamper protections amid an ongoing investigation into unauthorized modifications to its existing hardware wallet devices sold through third-party resellers.

Atom's limited Founder's Edition costs $849, with a $100 fully refundable deposit required to reserve one. Regular orders will cost $899 after launch, the firm said, substantially more expensive than its current hardware wallet product suite, which ranges from $69 to $399. Ledger expects deliveries to begin in summer 2027, pending certification. The device runs Android Open Source Project software alongside Ledger OS running on an EAL6+ secure element.

The device switches automatically between Standard and Secure Mode, with an FPGA chip keeping Atom's Android environment separate from Secure Mode, where transactions are reviewed and signed. A Ledger spokesperson told The Block that people could use Atom for regular everyday apps if they like, although it was primarily designed with more sensitive activities in mind. The spokesperson said that the secure mode functions like other Ledger signers and includes clear signing and transaction checks, and everyday apps cannot interfere with it. While a malicious Android app could theoretically send a malicious transaction request, it could not change what the user sees when the request reaches Secure Mode, and the transaction's actual details would still be displayed for approval, they said.

Atom also has a physical switch that cuts power to its cameras and microphone, with both automatically disabled whenever the device enters Secure Mode. Ledger said it will support encrypted messaging using GPG/OpenPGP, allowing messages to be encrypted before they reach a messaging app and decrypted on another Atom device in Secure Mode. Additionally, the company said Atom's encryption system will incorporate post-quantum cryptography compatible with standards developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Solana Mobile's Seeker app is also coming to Atom. Announcing Ledger as its first hardware expansion partner in a separate statement shared with The Block on Thursday, Solana Mobile said the app would combine its wallet and dApp Store into one app on Atom, with signing handled by the new device's Secure Mode. Solana Mobile said it has sold over 200,000 devices, generating more than $13 billion in transaction volume across 154 million transactions. Solana Mobile began making its software available to other Android manufacturers in March.

"The Seeker phone proved what a crypto-native mobile community can do: shipping over a thousand apps with billions in transaction volume from over 100,000 users, and founders finding their first customers in a matter of days," Solana Labs co-founder and CEO Anatoly Yakovenko said. "Now we're thrilled to take the Solana Mobile ecosystem further with Ledger, and I’m excited for Ledger Atom users to experience the magic that Seeker users have been experiencing for over a year."

Protections against physical tampering

The launch comes amid Ledger's investigation into modified hardware wallets sold through its CryptoBilis reseller in Southeast Asia. Ledger's security team said an unauthorized implant could capture users' recovery phrases from the device's screen during setup and transmit them over a mobile network. Onchain researchers have linked the incident to more than $86 million in suspected cryptocurrency losses, although Ledger has not confirmed the total. The company said Atom will contain its "most advanced anti-tampering and tamper-evident solutions to date."

More specifically, the company said Atom will detect attempts to remove its screen or enclosure. Ledger's spokesperson told The Block that it has enclosed the Secure Element, MCU, and FPGA in a protected area, which is monitored for signs of drilling or someone trying to open it. Its back cover is also paired with the device and cannot simply be replaced with one from another Atom, and the tamper sensors continue working on a separate battery when the device is off. "The Core Protection feature will explicitly block the screen reader implants from this weekend's incident," they said.

Ledger has not yet confirmed how the unauthorized hardware came to be installed in devices linked to the CryptoBilis reseller. Nor did it say whether its investigation had turned up any other affected resellers. In a Wednesday update, amid reports from one person in Germany, Ledger said it had inspected devices from retailers and distributors across the country and found no signs of tampering, adding that no losses linked to hardware implants had been reported anywhere in Europe.

The new Atom device will only be sold directly through Ledger's website, Solana Mobile said in its statement. Ledger declined to disclose sales targets for the device, but the spokesperson said Atom opens up its total addressable market "beyond the self-custody user, to the crypto adjacent user, the AI power user, and the security and privacy conscious individual."

AI agents and potential Kraken integration

Ledger also plans to bring its Agent Intent system to Atom, allowing users to review transactions proposed by AI agents without giving them access to their private keys. The company spokesperson said users would be able to set policies allowing an AI agent to move funds without permission under $100, for example, with physical approval required for higher amounts, or explicitly require authorizations in Secure Mode for every single action. Ledger Agent Intent will work best on Ledger Atom devices, the firm said, but is already available for other compatible Ledger signers.

Ledger Agent Intent will be directly integrated with OpenClaw, enabling users to register their OpenClaw agents and securely authorize actions directly on their Ledger Atom device, with the OpenClaw application preloaded on the device.

Separately, Kraken is exploring support for Ledger Atom ahead of its launch, Ledger said, considering whether customers could use the device's Secure Mode to approve actions on its exchange, building on a collaboration Payward and Ledger announced in September to expand support for Ledger devices on Kraken.