Key Takeaway
The Ledger Stax is the most ambitious cold wallet yet, with an iconic design, high level security and the best wallet app in the industry. Despite this, it’s difficult to justify the price tag when all functionality is the same as Ledger Flex. Choosing one comes down to aesthetics.
- Key Takeaway
- Unboxing
- Ledger Stax: Next Level Design Quality
- Arduous Yet Surprisingly Clear Setup For Ledger Stax
- Ledger Live App: Best Crypto Wallet Experience
- Ledger Stax Supports Tons Of Tokens
- Ledger Stax Security: Top Tier, But At A Cost
- Ledger Stax Reputation & Reviews
- Ledger Stax Vs. Other Crypto Wallets
- Final Thoughts: Put Those Crypto Gains To Work
What‘s Inside The Box?
Ledger Stax: Next Level Design Quality
From the onset, Ledger Stax, is an incredibly sleek and with a modern design. This device is super thin, so thin in fact that if turned sideways, it practically disappears.
The device is made in Vietnam, as with all Ledger devices.
The premium materials, lightweight build, and unique curved E Ink® screen give it a futuristic feel, while the compact size makes it easy to hold and carry.
The 3.7” grayscale e-ink touchscreen is responsive with capacitive touch and even features like sound feedback for a more ‘modern’ experience.
Wrapped in an aluminum frame, the Stax has a plastic back cover and embedded magnets for unique functionality.
These built-in magnets let users stack multiple Ledger Stax devices together, which is a pretty cool idea in theory. But at $399 a pop, I’m not sure how many whales will be stacking these up on their bookshelves.
One of the standout bonuses is the magnetic shell case included with the device for extra protection.
The side or ‘spine’ of the curved screen, users can label their device such as ‘My Crypto’, ‘Insert Name Here’ or anything else desired.
As for color options, Ledger Stax only comes in a Graphite.
The device can connect via bluetooth or USB C.
Battery life is solid as well, offering up to 10 hours of normal use or around 150 transactions on a single charge.
A plus is that it supports wireless Qi charging, because why not!
Arduous Yet Surprisingly Clear Setup For Ledger Stax
It has to be made clear that Ledger gives clearest and most detailed setup instructions of any wallet brand.
Do note the Stax works with virtually all modern day devices.
Firstly, you’ll want to download Ledger Live from the app store.
Choose the Stax option, and it will then search for the device.
We can set up the Stax in the following ways: Ledger Live mobile, Ledger Live Desktop or set up without Ledger Live.
Choose Ledger Live Mobile.
Next, connect your mobile device to the Stax using Bluetooth.
Afterwards, the wallet will perform a genuine check along with some OS updates.
One cool feature with the Stax is naming the wallet, which I called ‘Aldaron’.
Next add a pin code to stop brute force attacks.
Then, select set up as a new ledger.
Write down the 24 word seed phrase.
Confirm all 24 words, and the app will start downloading sepate apps for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Ledger Live App: Best Crypto Wallet Experience
Ledger Live is has a plethora of features, the UI is solid and most importantly, everything works.
View crypto assets, such as tokens and NFTs.
Users can also stake to earn yield, buy, sell, swap and receive.
Clicking the ‘Discover’ tab has many different 3rd party dapps such as 1 Inch, Moonpay and others that can be connected to for more options.
Unique to the Flex and Stax, add a screensaver, turn the device into a security key and explore additional options.
Ledger Stax Supports Tons Of Tokens
Ledger Stax is compatible with 50+ wallets for managing thousands of tokens, DeFi apps, and Web3 assets..
At the moment, NFT support is only for Ethereum and Polygon but there are rumors that Solana NFTs are coming soon.
Ledger Stax Security: Top Tier, But At A Cost
Let’s start off by stating no Ledger devices have ever been hacked.
Period.
An immaculate track record being in crypto security for over 10 years now.
The Stax rocks an EAL 6+ certified secure element chip from ST Microelectronics (ST33K1M5) to handle complex cryptographic tasks such as generating private keys.
The device also contains a MCU chip which handles basic functions such as movement commands, and uses Ledgers custom operating system called BOLOS.
Now, we cannot discuss Ledger security without discussing some negative events occurring over their 10 year history.
In brief, here’s what you need to know:
July 2020: A security breach of resulted in the theft of 1 million customers’ emails.
December 2022: 20,000 Ledger Stax preorders at full payment were delayed for over a year until May 2024.
October 2023: Ledger Recover, a seed backup service, was criticized for it’s KYC requirement.
December 2023:Researchers claim that Ledger Live software collects and transmits a surprising amount of user data to its analytics provider.
March 2025: Ledger Donjon, the company’s in-house white hat hacking group, posted a controversial article criticizing their long term rival Trezor’s new devices Safe 3 and 5 for having security flaws.
Currently only the Nano X has been independently certified by ANSSI, a French government standard for Cybersecurity Certification. The other wallets, including the Stax, are pending due to a time lengthy process.
Most of Ledger’s software products are open sourced. But Ledger’s operating system, BOLOS, is partially reviewable and verifiable due to their NDA agreement with the maker and provider of the secure element chip STMicroelectronics.
Ledger Stax Reputation & Reviews
Ledger was founded in 2014 in Paris, France. In 2016, the company launched the Ledger Nano S.
The Stax started shipping in May 2024.
In terms of reviews, the wallet brand holds a shockingly low 2.9 out of 5 on trustpilot.com.
For the Ledger Stax device specifically, the wallet scored a 4.5 out of 5 on Amazon.com, 4.9 out of 5 on hardware-wallets.net and a 4.8 out of 5 on Bestbuy.com.
Here’s what users are saying about the Ledger Stax:
To get a true representation of Ledger’s reputation, consult their socials, metrics and read what other users are saying.
To contact support, navigate to Ledger.com and click on ‘support’. After a few seconds, a chat icon will appear in the bottom right corner, with live agents available during normal working hours.
Ledger Stax Vs. Other Crypto Wallets
How does the Ledger Stax ($399) differ from other popular hardware wallets?
Ledger
- Ledger S ($59): USB C only, small screen, less storage
- Ledger X ($149): battery powered, bluetooth or USB-C connection, smaller screen
- Ledger Flex ($249): essentially same as Stax, but with a curved screen and label binding
Trezor
- Trezor Safe 3 ($79): USB-C only, 2 buttons, less token/NFT support
Tangem
- Tangem card ($50): NFC, less security, more portable
- Tangem ring ($160): NFC, less security, more portable
OneKey
- OneKey Classic 1S ($99): 4 buttons, bluetooth or USB C, lower quality build and screen
Coolwallet
- Coolwallet Go ($69): NFC, less security, more portable
- Coolwallet Pro ($149): battery, small screen, clunky, slow, more portable
Safepal
- Safepal S1 ($50): QR codes for transactions, slower transactions, lower build quality
Cypherock
- Cypherock X1 ($149): USB-C only, joystick, 4 card backups, worse app, lower build quality
Secux
- Secux Neo X ($179): bulky, lower build quality
Final Thoughts: Put Those Crypto Gains To Work
Look.
If you want the most unique and premium hardware wallet on the market, the Stax is THE go to device.
It has unmatched quality, parts and design, as well as the best hardware wallet app out there with Ledger Live.
But the $399 price tag is quite steep considering we can get nearly all of the same features in the Flex for $249.
So should you buy the Ledger Stax?
If you want the most unique cold wallet experience, or maybe a consumer who just likes nice stuff, perhaps the Stax was made for you.
But I personally prefer the feel of the Flex, which has the same exact functionality, security and arguably better feel in the hand for a more reasonable price.
If you want to grab one, check my link below.
Ledger often gives $80 to $90 BTC bonuses with Flex and Stax purchases, so don’t regret it and wait for the sale around holiday time.
Thanks for reading and catch ya in the next review!
What’s the difference between the Ledger Stax and Flex?
Other than price, there is essentially only an asthetic difference. Ledger Stax has a curved screen, which lets a user label it with the name of their wallet and displays the battery life.
Functionality wise, materials and tech are all the same.
Is Ledger open sourced?
Ledger is 95% open source. The only part that’s not is their operating system BOLOS, due to an NDA agreement signed for the secure element chip manufacturer ST Electronics.
This is common practice in the hardware wallet industry.
Is Ledger S Stax compatible on all devices?
Yes, any device from Mac to Windows, iOS to Android should work.
What if I lose my Ledger Stax device?
The generated seed phrase is the key to recovering your crypto, not the device itself. All crypto assets are stored on the blockchain.
What is the expiry or shelf life of the Ledger Stax?
According to Ledger’s own blog, screened devices only last about 3-5 years mainly due to the battery life. My original Ledger S only lasted 5 years just to confirm.
Is Ledger safe and secure?
Yes, just be cautious. Ledger security is top notch. Ensure you do not connect to any dodgy links, websites or share your seed with a person or camera.