Ledger Nano X review

The Ledger Nano X is the device most people picture when they hear "hardware wallet". This Ledger Nano X review covers its certified-chip security, the Bluetooth convenience that sets it apart, its class-leading coin support, and the trust caveats that keep it just behind Trezor, then compares it with the alternatives.

Ledger Nano X at a glance

The secure element

Security starts with the chip. The Nano X uses an ST33 secure element certified to Common Criteria EAL5+, the same class of tamper-resistant chip used in payment cards and passports, and it carries France's ANSSI CSPN certification. Private keys are generated and held inside that chip, and every transaction is confirmed on the device's own screen and buttons, so malware on a connected phone or computer cannot move funds on its own. This is the Nano X's core strength and the reason a stolen device is very hard to extract keys from.

How the Nano X keeps your crypto safe

Around the secure element, the device runs BOLOS, Ledger's custom operating system, which isolates each coin's app from the others so a flaw in one cannot reach your keys. Every transaction must be confirmed by pressing both physical buttons on the hardware itself, so even if the connected computer or phone is infected, an attacker cannot approve a transfer without the device in hand. The Bluetooth link only ever carries public information; your recovery phrase and private keys never leave the secure element, and the chip asks for your on-device approval before anything changes. In Ledger Live you install a small app per crypto network you use, and the wallet manages Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, XRP, BNB Chain, Avalanche and thousands more assets from one place. Recovery is always the 24-word phrase, so a lost or broken device is restored on a new one without losing funds.

Bluetooth and daily use

The headline convenience is Bluetooth. Alongside USB-C, the Nano X pairs wirelessly with the Ledger Live mobile app, and on iPhone Bluetooth is the only way to connect. A small 100 mAh battery powers that wireless use. For anyone who wants to check balances or sign the occasional transaction from a phone it is genuinely handy; for purists, wireless is an attack surface they would rather avoid, which is exactly the trade Trezor refuses to make. The small OLED screen and two-button navigation feel dated next to touchscreen rivals, but they work.

Coin support and Ledger Live

Coin support is where Ledger pulls ahead. Through Ledger Live and its integrations the Nano X handles well over 5,000 assets across major chains, comfortably more than Trezor's line, so it is the safer pick if you hold a long tail of tokens or NFTs. Ledger Live also bundles buy, swap and stake services alongside self-custody, which is convenient but means the app nudges you toward paid features you can ignore. The daily experience is polished and beginner-friendly.

The trust caveats

The honest caveats are about trust, not hardware. Ledger's secure-element firmware is closed source, so you are trusting the company rather than auditable code. Two events sharpened that concern: a 2020 breach that leaked the personal data of more than 270,000 customers, and the 2023 launch of Ledger Recover, an optional service that showed the firmware can move seed material off the device if you opt in. Neither took funds from a device, but both are fair to weigh, especially against Trezor's fully open-source approach, and together they are why the Nano X scores 8.5 rather than higher.

Recovery and buying safely

Recovery is a standard 24-word phrase you write down and keep offline, with the optional paid Recover service as an alternative most self-custody users will skip. As always, never enter that phrase into any website or app, and never buy a Nano X that arrives with a phrase already set, which is the signature of a scam. Buy only from Ledger or an authorized retailer to avoid a tampered device.

Ledger Nano X vs the alternatives

Against the Trezor Safe 5, the Nano X trades open-source verifiability and a touchscreen for the widest coin support and Bluetooth. Against Tangem, it offers a screen and desktop use where Tangem offers a cheaper, seedless card. And if you do not need Bluetooth, Ledger's own Nano S Plus gives you the same secure element and coin support for less.

Read the full Ledger vs Trezor and Tangem vs Ledger comparisons, or our best hardware wallets roundup, to place the Nano X in the field.

Price and value

At $149 the Nano X sits in the premium tier of hardware wallets, above the cheaper Nano S Plus and around the Trezor Safe 5. You are paying the extra for Bluetooth and the rechargeable battery; if you will manage crypto mostly from a phone, that convenience is worth it, and the certified secure element plus 5,500-coin support is strong value. If you never need wireless, the Nano S Plus delivers the same security for about half the price, which is the better value for a desktop user.

Who should buy the Ledger Nano X

The Ledger Nano X is a strong pick for someone who wants the widest coin support, a certified secure element and the convenience of managing crypto from a phone over Bluetooth. It is the wrong pick if you require open-source firmware you can audit, where a Trezor is the better fit, or if you never use wireless, where the cheaper Nano S Plus gives you the same protection for less.