Buying A Hardware Wallet This Holiday Season?
You want to buy a new crypto hardware wallet this holiday season.
Over the past year, we’ve tested 17 different crypto wallets so you don’t have to.
Here’s our guide of the top 6 best crypto wallets to buy without a budget.
Ledger Flex ($249)
Black Friday: $70 in BTC
Build quality is unmatched on the Flex and unlike other brands, it comes in multiple colors such as silver, orange, blue and green.
The black and white screen e-ink is highly effective in size and feel, and we can add any lock screen to it, whether it’s an NFT or JPEG.
The Ledger Flex device connects via USB-C or Bluetooth, and battery lasts 10 hours of normal use.
A huge benefit to the Flex is that included with every device is the Ledger Recovery Key. This accessory essentially copies your seed phrase and backs it up, and tapping it on your Ledger device will recover your account.
The coolest additional feature on the Flex is that it’s more than just a hardware wallet. The device can also be used as a security key, which can act as a password for websites such as Google, Coinbase and Binance.
Ledger Wallet (previous Ledger Live) is the best overall crypto app experience. The UI is unmatched and we can complete all necessary actions such as sending and receiving, or explore the integrated Dapp section.
For more experienced users, do note you can make unlimited wallet addresses for each blockchain, which can come in handy.
Ledger supports most of the major coins and tokens, but only ETH NFTs are available at the moment.
The Ledger Flex uses an EAL 6+ secure element chip, but due to this third party chip, the Ledger device is 95% open sourced because of an NDA agreement with the chip manufacturer.
As for reputation, Ledger is quite a mixed bag with user reviews, but the Ledger Flex specifically has top ratings on many of the best review websites out there.
Overall though, this is the best crypto wallet experience yet and our personal favorite.
Tangem Ring ($160)
Black Friday: 30% off
Crypto… in a ring? Yah, you heard that right.
This ring is incredibly discreet, lacking any logos and takes the form of an object many people wear every day. So if you want something anonymous, this might be your next wallet.
The material is shockingly strong, has a nice polished shine and the sizes seem accurate to normal everyday rings. It comes in many different sizes to fit a wide range of users.
The ring also comes with two normal Tangem cards, which are backups in case the ring is lost, allowing us to recover our account.
But be aware Tangem is mobile only due to its use of NFC technology.
Setting up Tangem is THE easiest experience in crypto. Download the app, scan the ring and cards a few times using NFC, and set up an access code, aka password.
We can also generate a seed phrase in app, which will give you a fourth backup in case the cards are lost.
Now one of the drawbacks to Tangem is the app. It’s not bad by any means, but the design lacks features and smooth layout compared to competitors such as Ledger Wallet.
To send transactions with Tangem, simply scan the ring or cards on the phone to confirm.
The dapp section is a miss, connecting via WalletConnect.
And most importantly we can only create one wallet address per blockchain. That’s a shame for users who like to have multiple Bitcoin wallets, for example.
Token support is on average lower than other wallet apps, but NFT support is quite good, where there was no problem moving over Solana NFTs.
Along with an NFC chip, inside each Tangem ring is an EAL 6+ secure element chip that is not open sourced, making Tangem 95% open sourced like Ledger.
Tangem has a decent reputation amongst users, and the ring itself has garnered positive feedback from the crypto community.
With all said above, this ring has sat in my closet since reviewing it. So if you don’t wear rings, then you might prefer the cards more, since they’re half the price.
OneKey Classic 1S ($99)
Black Friday: 15% Off
OneKey Classic 1S is another traditional hardware wallet that’s nearly as thin as a credit card with a smooth, matte black finish that tends to smudge.
The screen is a bit small compared to other wallets but big enough to see most important info. This screen is lower quality to other devices on this list.
And having four buttons makes this crypto wallet a bit more difficult to use than touchscreens.
Inside the device is a small 110 mah battery that needs to be charged often, allowing the Classic 1S to connect via USB-C or Bluetooth.
And it’s compatible on both mobile and PC.
Setup is the standard seed phrase and pin code job.
OneKey app has one of the most user-friendly layouts, including a unique navigation dashboard not found on other apps.
Sending and receiving is super fast, and the Dapp section is solid. We can even set a lock screen similar to Ledger Flex for a personal touch.
OneKey has some of the best token support with 30,000 plus tokens and NFT support for many major blockchains.
The device itself rocks an EAL 6+ secure element chip thats again not open sourced, making the device 95% open sourced.
OneKey’s reputation is up and coming, and the brand landed investment from some major companies such as Binance and Coinbase. Altogether, reviews for the device are positive.
For the price, OneKey Classic 1S is a great option.
Ledger Nano X ($149)
Black Friday: 50% all colors
The Ledger Nano X is the budget version of the Flex and new Nano Gen5. It’s surprisingly our most used hardware wallet.
Build quality is slightly lower than the Flex, but the stainless steel arm does well to shield the main plastic body.
One of the drawbacks is the small 1 inch screen, which is more difficult to view transactions than other wallets on the list.
Instead of a touchscreen, the Nano X has two buttons for navigation, which is slightly more tedious while signing transactions.
The device connects via USB-C or Bluetooth using it’s 100 mAh battery, and is compatible with all devices.
Setup with the Nano X is the typical Ledger experience mentioned with the Flex.
We’ve already discussed Ledger Wallet, but it’s important to note that Ledger Nano X has no lock screen image or ability to be used as a security key. Also, the Ledger Recovery Key is not included with this device.
As for security, this hardware wallet rocks an EAL 5+ secure element chip which is not open sourced.
The Ledger Nano X device has slightly lower reviews than the Flex, but for many users, this is a common first hardware wallet.
If you’ve chosen Ledger and the extra features and larger screen aren’t needed, Nano X is an excellent option in its price range. Especially at 50% off totaling $75, that’s an insanely good deal.
Ellipal Titan 2.0 ($169)
Black Friday: 10% off (Code: ALDARON)
The Ellipal Titan 2.0 is an option if you’re into QR code style devices.
Instead of typical cold wallets that use USB-C or Bluetooth, this crypto device has no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB C connection and is fully sealed, claiming a term called ‘airgapped’, or 100% offline.
Do note that public blockchains are always online and this is just fancy marketing.
The Titan 2.0 is made of aluminum alloy and weighs a ton, basically as heavy as a phone.
The 4 inch screen size is wonderful for clear signing to see transaction transactions transparently while signing transactions.
This hardware wallet also comes with a separate charging accessory, which is kind of annoying. And firmware must be updated through a microSD card, making the device slightly more tedious than the others on the list.
The 1400 mah battery is massive, and Titan 2.0 is mobile only, lacking any desktop app.
Setup is the same as traditional wallet devices, with the addition of QR scanning to verify it.
Ellipal app design is excellent, and it’s super simple navigating to send and receive crypto. But by using QR codes, Titan 2.0 takes longer due to added steps of scanning multiple QR codes.
Inside is an EAL 5+ secure element chip, and most of the Titan 2.0 code is closed source, meaning users can’t authenticate a lot of their firmware and software code.
Ellipal has a decent reputation, and the device itself has average scores on popular review websites.
Although we wouldn’t recommend the Titan 2.0 to new users, for experienced users who want the air-gapped, this device is a good choice.
Ledger Stax ($399)
Black Friday: $80 in BTC
Okay, okay, I know… so many Ledger devices. But their products are literally just great quality, user friendly options.
And the Stax is the most ambitious hardware wallet creation we’ve seen in a long time.
The Stax has to be the most expensive wallet ever made, and that’s mostly due to it’s curved e-ink touch screen which lets users label the binding like a book.
The screen is about an inch bigger than the Flex, but it’s not a very noticeable difference. Something that’s definitely noticeable is that the screen clarity is actually slightly better on the Flex.
Included with each Stax is a magnet shell case, and it’s fun to play with. But unfortuntely this accessory blocks the side label.
The device can charge via both USB-C or wireless Qi charging, and connects via USB-C or Bluetooth.
Due to the lack of any further differentiation, the rest of the Stax is exactly the same as the Flex. Materials, app, tokens, security… it’s apples to apples.
$150 extra is a ton for mainly aesthetic differences, which is why we always recommend the Flex first over the Stax. But it is a super unique wallet that’s enjoyable to use.
So which Hardware Wallet Should You Buy?
When it comes to buying a gift, what really matters is the type of wallet someone would like most.
- For the best overall experience, I’d say Ledger Flex or Ledger Stax.
- For the most portable user friendly device, grab a Tangem Ring.
- For a traditional experience, buy a Ledger Nano X or OneKey Classic 1S.
- For a unique air-gapped experience, Ellipal Titan 2.0 is the one.
If you want the best prices on any device, check the discount page or links included.
Also, you may be looking for the best hardware wallets under $100, so check out this post here.
Happy holidays and catch ya in the next one!