Best Ledger Wallet? [Nano X, S+, Flex, or Stax]

Four wallets, four designs, four price

tags. Which Ledger wallet is right for

you? Maybe you're thinking about

upgrading from your old Ledger wallet,

or maybe this is your first one ever.

Either way, what actually sets these

devices apart, and which one is best for

you? Well, fortunately, I own them all,

but they're not all created equally.

Let's kick things off with a little bit

of a lightning round because there are

four things you need to know before you

decide which Ledger wallet is best for

you. Number one, all of these devices

are equally secure. They all use

Ledger's custom operating system and

securement chip, which is a custom

component that keeps the keys to your

wallet secure. So, if you're just

looking for the most secure wallet and

don't care much about anything else,

then the most affordable option might be

the best choice for you. That is, unless

you consider number two, how are you

actually going to use your wallet? And I

know it's a bit of a vague question, but

it's an important question to ensure

that you don't overspend. And number

three, how many blockchain networks do

you plan to interact with? Because the

more blockchains you interact with, the

more storage your wallet is going to

need. Why? Because every time you use a

new network, you'll need to install a

new app on your Ledger device. And yeah,

those apps take up some space. So, if

you're just into Bitcoin or Ethereum,

you can get away with less storage, but

if you're dabbling in a bunch of chains,

you might want to get extra storage. And

don't worry, I'll touch more on this

storage thing a little later. And number

four, how much do you want to spend?

Ledger wallets range all the way from

$79 up to $400 depending on the features

you're after. That said, no matter which

one you go with, my link in the

description will get you free Bitcoin

when you buy your Ledger wallet. Don't

miss out on free money. So yeah, that's

my lightning round of four things you

need to know. Now, let's talk about the

lineup and answer the big question.

Which wallet is best for you? So, you

have four Ledger wallets to choose from

here. There's the entry-level Nano S+,

the slightly more advanced Nano X, the

mid-range Ledger Flex with a

touchscreen, and Ledger's flagship, the

Stacks, with a firstofits-kind curved

touchcreen. And starting at the bottom

with the cheapest, this is the Nano S+.

This is actually one of the cheapest

coal wallets on the entire market. But

that doesn't mean it's not good. In

fact, it's great. It has one job, to

protect your crypto, and it does that

well. But it is a very basic device. It

has a 1.09 09 in monochrome OLED screen

and then it has these two buttons on top

to navigate the entire device. Now,

don't get me wrong, the screen and

buttons get the job done. But when it

comes to things like entering your seat

phrase or reviewing transaction details,

there just not a lot of screen real

estate to work with. So, if you've got

2060 vision like me, that screen might

feel a little meh. That said, its

simplicity is also what makes it so

great. First off, this is Ledger's

smallest device, so when you fold it

close, it looks like a USB stick,

meaning it's extremely discreet. It also

doesn't have a battery in it, so you

don't have to worry about the battery

ever crapping out on you, whereas with

any other device with a battery, it's

bound to fail eventually. Of course, no

battery has its downsides, too. You can

only use the Nano Plus when it's plugged

into your computer. And speaking of

devices, it's also the only Ledger

wallet that doesn't work with iOS. It is

compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and

Android, but not iPhones. Another reason

why I consider the Nano Plus the least

mobile friendly of the Ledger lineup is

because it doesn't have Bluetooth. So

again, you're tied down by that USBC

cable. You need it to both power and

manage this wallet. But even though the

S+ falls short in terms of usability,

it's just as secure as all the other

Ledger wallet models. Just like Ledger's

flagship, the STAX, it uses an EAL6 plus

secure element chip to protect your

keys, which by the way is the most

secure chip you'll find in any hardware

wallet right now. Now, what I'm about to

talk about next is pretty nerdy, but

it's actually super important when it

comes to security. Ledger uses a secure

screen on all its devices, including the

S+. And Ledger is the only hardware

wallet manufacturer that does this. But

what is a secure screen, and why does it

matter? Okay, here comes the nerdy part.

Most hardware wallets with the screen,

except for Ledger, use two separate

chips. A secure element chip to store

your wallet's keys and a microcontroller

unit or an MCU, which handles the more

general stuff like running the screen

and managing the user interface. The

problem with this is that an MCU is not

a secure chip. It's the same kind of

chip that's used in TV remotes and

toasters. And since it controls the

screen, that opens up a real risk. a

hacker could potentially alter what you

see, like making it look like you're

sending crypto to one address when in

reality you're sending it somewhere

else. Now, this is somewhat unlikely

because the hacker would need to get

their hands on your wallet, but it is

still technically a risk, and I know how

paranoid you crypto people are. I've

been watching you. But Ledger secure

screen eliminates this risk by

eliminating the MCU chip altogether. So,

in simple terms, this makes all Ledger

devices extremely resistant to both

remote and physical attacks. So, if you

don't need Bluetooth or a battery and

you don't mind plugging in your wallet

to use it, but you want something

affordable and secure, the Nano S+ will

get the job done. Next up, we have the

Nano X. Now, at first glance, it doesn't

look like a huge upgrade from the Nano

S+, but when it comes to usability, it

is a pretty big step up. First off, the

Nano X shares the same screen size as

the S+ despite the Nano X being a larger

overall device. It's also a similar

design as the S+ except the buttons are

on the front of the device rather than

the top. Personally, I prefer this

button placement over the S+, but

functionalitywise, they're the same.

Left button scrolls left, right button

scrolls right, and press both to

confirm. But hey, just like my mom used

to tell me when I was a kid, it's what's

on the inside that really counts. And

same is true for the Nano X. Unlike the

Nano S Plus, the Nano X has a

rechargeable lithium ion battery that

gives you around 8 hours of standby time

on a full charge or about 3 to 4 hours

of actual use. Plus, it has Bluetooth,

which means you can use the Nano X with

all of your favorite devices, including

your iPhone. No cables required. Aside

from that, the other key differences

between the S+ and the Nano X is the

chip and storage. The Nano X uses an EAL

5 plus secure element chip and gives you

about 2 megabytes of storage, which is

actually the most storage of any Ledger

wallet. The others, including the S+,

have 1.5 megabytes of storage. Now,

depending on which crypto apps you

install, 1.5 megabytes is good enough

for about 15 to 30 apps. The extra half

a megabyte on the Nano X gives you room

for about 10 more, give or take. And

again, it really depends on which crypto

apps you're downloading. That said, I've

never personally ran out of storage on

any of my Ledger wallets, but if you are

someone who is interacting with a ton of

different blockchains, you might want

the extra storage, but in my experience,

it is not required. And just to be

clear, this doesn't mean that the Ledger

Nano X is any less secure than the other

Ledger models. Both EAL5 Plus and EAL 6

Plus chips go through rigorous

thirdparty testing to meet high security

standards, so you still get top tier

protection either way. But if you're

torn between the S+ and the Nano X, the

deciding factor really comes down to

usability. If you want a wallet that

works with both mobile and desktop

devices, and you don't want to be tied

to a cable every time you use it, then

the Nano X is the one you want. All

right, this is where things get a bit

more interesting. Meet Ledger's newest

edition, the Ledger Flex. And this

happens to be my personal favorite. Not

only did the Flex get a full design

makeover, but the overall experience is

way more userfriendly, just the ease of

use of entering my passcode alone made

it worth the upgrade from my Nano X. I

mean, just look at the difference in

screen size. The Flex has a 2.8 in

touchscreen, which is nearly four times

bigger corner to corner than the Nano

models. But size isn't the only thing.

You've probably noticed the screen looks

a bit different, too. That's because a

Flex uses an e- in screen similar to the

ones you'd find on a Kindle. And

honestly, there's a lot I like about

this type of screen. It's anti-glare, so

it's super easy to read, even in bright

light. Plus, it uses way less battery

power than the OLED screens. So, you get

up to 10 hours of actual use on a full

charge. And just to put that into

perspective, I've owned my Flex for a

little over 7 months now, and I think

I've only charged it once. But there is

one downside. The screen doesn't have a

backlight. So, if you're trying to use

your Flex in the dark, yeah, that's not

going to happen. Just like the Nano X,

the Flex comes with both a USBC port and

Bluetooth, but it also has something

you'll find only on the Flex and Stacks

models, NFC or nearfield communication.

That's the same tech your phone uses to

tap and pay at stores. But on the Flex,

NFC is used to communicate with your

phone. And here's why that matters. The

Flex isn't just a hardware wallet. It

also works as a pass key to FA device to

secure your other online accounts like

crypto exchanges, social media, and

email using Ledger Security Key app. So

instead of having to buy a separate

device like a UB key, you can use the

Flex to secure both your crypto and your

online life all in one device. Now to be

fair, all Ledger wallets can be used as

a pass key device, but only the Flex and

Stacks give you the convenience of

tapping to log into your online accounts

thanks to their NFC capabilities. With

the Nano models, you'll need to plug

them in anytime you want to use the pass

key feature. If you want to learn how to

use your Ledger wallet as a pass key,

I've got a full video breaking it down,

and I'll make sure to link that down in

the description below. But beyond the

larger touchscreen, the more efficient

battery, and its NFC capabilities, the

Flex is just more enjoyable to use. The

touchscreen makes entering info way

faster, and it's a lot easier to review

transaction details without squinting or

scrolling endlessly. So, if you're after

the most enjoyable user experience

without the premium price tag, the

Ledger Flex is going to be your best

bet. Last, but not least, we're almost

there, I promise. Ledger's flagship

model, the Ledger Stacks. From what I've

seen, a lot of people have a hard time

telling the difference between the Flex

and the Stacks. And that's important to

understand, especially since the Stacks

costs about $150 more than the Flex. The

most obvious difference is the screen.

The STAX also uses an e-ing screen, but

this one is different. It's the first

ever curved organic plastic e-ing

touchscreen designed by Tony Fidel, the

same guy who created the original iPod.

The screen on the Stacks is also nearly

an inch bigger than the Flex, coming in

at 3.7 in. Now, aside from the size, the

plastic screen on the Stacks is mostly a

coolness factor. It doesn't work any

better or worse than the glass screen on

the Flex. If anything, the plastic might

be a bit more durable, but honestly,

I've had zero durability issues with

either device. And aside from the

design, the only real difference between

the Stacks and the Flex is that the

Stack supports wireless charging. But

heads up, it doesn't come with a

wireless charger. So, yeah. So, if the

larger one-of-a-kind eating touchscreen

and coolness factor is worth an extra

$150 to you, I say go for it. Otherwise,

if you just want a wallet that's easy to

use, enjoyable, and doesn't break the

bank, the Flex is more than enough in my

experience. And no matter which Ledger

wallet you use, you can feel confident

knowing that millions of crypto

investors trust these devices to secure

their assets, and Ledger wallets have

never been hacked. And get this, even

other wallet manufacturers rely on

Ledger's own security team to test their

products and make sure that they meet

industry standards. But if you're still

unsure, check out my in-depth reviews in

these next videos. I'll see you over

there. God bless. Peace out.