the whole point of the flipper is the sub-1ghz radio and nfc/rfid capabilities. It's not really intended to be used as a general purpose computer, it's more like a really extensible radio

Yeah, but for me (and I imagine a lot of people on here) the itch that Flipper Zero teases is that of a hackable computer in a neat form factor, not the specific radio capabilities that it's actually meant for.

I didn't know about M5 before and now I'm hooked exploring M5's store, so I appreciate OP's pointing me there!

I think there are a lot of better options if that's what you want. From what I've seen the appeal of the Flipper is that you can do a bunch of fun stuff with a super easy to use interface (just select the thing you want to do and press go!) It's like the iPod of radio/rfid hacking.

Yeah, for sure—I looked at the Flipper when it first came out and decided it was overkill for me.

Also the 1-wire/iButton capabilities. Systems that use this kind of keys are probably nonexistent in the US, but in some other countries, they're everywhere.