Ledger Nano X review

The Ledger Nano X is the device most people picture when they hear "hardware wallet". It is Ledger's mainstream flagship: a small USB-C and Bluetooth device built around a certified secure element, paired with the Ledger Live app that manages one of the widest ranges of coins and tokens on the market.

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.

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.

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. The daily experience is polished, though the small OLED screen and two-button navigation feel dated next to touchscreen rivals.

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.

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.