Trezor Wallet Review – 7 Pros & 3 Cons Revealed (Trezor One & Model T Compared)

 

 

Trezor introduced its crypto hardware wallet in 2014, and the new star of a generation was born. Since then, they’ve brought the Trezor One and Trezor Model T to over 150 countries, helping thousands securely store their crypto of choice.

 

Software wallets are convenient, but increasing security concerns always made me sensitive to them. That makes Trezor sound like the perfect place to store my crypto safely. Today I’ll be sharing everything I’ve discovered about both the Trezor One and Model T.

 

 

Headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, Trezor is a brand of hardware-based crypto wallets. The first Trezor Prototype emerged in 2012, a lightweight device no bigger than the key fob for a smart car.

 

Since then, they’ve also launched the Trezor Model T, which features a touchscreen display. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at both models.

 

Trezor cold wallets offer many advantages, but the key distinguishing features are:

 

 

 

7 Reasons Trezor’s Cold Wallets Are Fantastic

 

1. Trezors are all cold wallets

 

 

Most crypto wallets you’ll find in the market are software-based. It removes the need for service providers to manufacture and hold inventory. That means less capital expenditure and risk on their part.

 

For users, hardware wallets offer a degree of security that isn’t in the same league as software wallets. Unless you somehow hook a hardware wallet up to a connected source, it’s not going to get hacked.

 

 

2. Trezor Wallets are ultra-portable

 

 

Both the Trezor One and Model T are tiny and will easily fit into the palm of your hand. The lightweight construction doesn’t seem exceptionally durable, but it’ll ensure portability no matter how you carry it.

 

The smaller model is a mere 60mm x 30mm x 6mm (2.4in x 1.2in x 0.2in) and weighs a mere 12 g (0.42 oz). The Model T is larger at 64 mm x 39 mm x 10 mm (2.52 in x 1.54 in x 0.39 in) and ups the weight to 22 g (0.77 oz).

 

 

3. Security on Any Trezor is airtight

 

Aside from them being hardware wallets, Trezor puts a tremendous focus on the security of their wallet. It starts with the Trezor Core, a custom-designed operating system (OS) that runs on their devices.

 

That’s only the beginning, though. Security on Trezors is so comprehensive that the following offers just a taste of what they do to help protect your crypto;

 

 

 

 

4. Increase anonymity by routing through Tor

 

 

Trezor offers communications that can be routed via the Tor network, potentially increasing the anonymity of your transactions. This capability requires special server configurations on their infrastructure, but to us, it just takes the toggle of a switch in the Trezor Suite.

 

Aside from enabling Tor communication, you can also set a unique IP address and port number. In addition, you can also opt to open the .onion version of any Trezor links.

 

 

5. Trezors Are Easy to Use With a Smooth Onboarding Process

 

 

I received both the Trezor One and Model T in original sealed packaging. Inside, there were the devices, some accessories, and tiny documentation slips. You can junk the documentation and simply head to https://suite.trezor.io/start/.

 

From there, download the Trezor Suite and install it. The suite will guide you through the entire setup process. It’s fast and painless, even for the greenest of newbies. The process took me just a few minutes.

 

 

6. Over 1,800 Crypto Types Supported

 

Trezor supports over 1,800 types of crypto, from the mainstream to the obscure. I’m not going to list them here but if you want to check if your crypto of choice is supported, simply head to the list of crypto supported on the Trezor website.

 

Do note, though, that this number refers to the cryptos supported. At any time, your Trezor only allows you to handle ten crypto accounts of your choice. For mine, I opted for Bitcoin, ETH, and Dogecoin. It’s a limitation enforced by Trezor to keep their server loads more manageable.

 

Aside from the main crypto list, you can also handle several testnet coins on your Trezor. These aren’t “real” crypto but are useful for testing.

 

 

7. Trezor displays are surprisingly readable

 

 

When I first glanced at the Trezor wallets, I was a little concerned about the seemingly tiny displays. The Trezor One has an OLED display of only 128×64 pixels. The Trezor Model T display is slightly larger at 240×240 pixels and uses LCD instead.

 

When connected, I was pretty impressed with the quality and legibility of the text. The Trezor One offered slightly fuzzier text, but it was undoubtedly readable. The Model T is the big shocker, though; it was like reading a smartphone display. Even more impressive was the inclusion of touchscreen technology.

 

Despite the tiny dimensions, the buttons and numbers on the Model T display were sensitive and accurate, even for my fat fingers. In weeks of use, I haven’t pressed the wrong button yet.

 

 

 

3 Cons To Keep In Mind About Trezor Wallets

 

1. Overall quality isn’t ideal

 

 

While I agree that the motivation behind getting a Trezor is mainly for secure crypto storage, the build quality surprised me – and not in a good way. The cheap, plasticky feel was the last thing I expected from them.

 

While they might have gotten away with it on the $68 Trezor One, the build on the Trezor Model T isn’t much better – and that comes at a price tag of $217.

 

It isn’t just the build quality but the overall feeling of the entire package. For example, removing the seal over the Model T’s USB port left lots of glue residue. It took generous amounts of Goo Gone to get rid of the stickiness, leaving me with a Trezor that smells like engine oil.

 

 

2. No smartphone app

 

Honestly, not having a smartphone app is merely an annoyance since everything is mobile nowadays. Instead, you’ll need to rely on Android’s WebUSB to connect your Trezor directly to your smartphone.

 

Trezor recommends you use Trezor Bridge instead as it’ll help smoothen the communication process. Honestly, I found it a little unnecessary since it isn’t something I plan to do often. Depending on your needs, though, an exploration into this area may be helpful.

 

 

3. Cashing out to FIAT is a clunky process

 

Trezor Wallets don’t natively support the withdrawal of assets to bank accounts. While some exchanges do, the core of Trezor lies in security. To “cash-out” any crypto, you’ll need to move it to an Exchange capable of handling bank withdrawals and then trade your crypto for fiat.

 

Honestly, this is just an annoyance, and you can’t fault Trezor for wanting better security.

 

 

Which Trezor Wallet should you get?

 

 

The Trezor One is the original Trezor, first prototyped almost a decade ago. It’s highly portable with its compact design but still includes a display for better functionality. In most respects, it’s similar to its larger brother, the Model T.

 

The Model T is newer and boasts a larger and sharper display with touchscreen capability. It also includes a faster microprocessor, but I didn’t notice significant speed differences between the two models.

 

One area of more significant consideration is that the Trezor One supports slightly fewer cryptos than the Model T. Both can handle ten selected on-board cryptocurrencies.

 

The Model T offers more comprehensive options, and the touchscreen display also reduces reliance on your desktop device, potentially making it safer. Aside from that, it has more native security options like FIDO2 authentication and the Shamir Backup system.

 

However, the Model T also comes at more than triple the price.

 

To make things easier, see the differences between both models at a glance below:

 

 

Recommendation: Get the Model T

 

The Model T is the better option in all areas, with the only advantages of the Trezor One being a lower price and its slightly smaller size. I highly recommend the Model T for its overall better security profile.

 

 

 

How To Set Up Your Trezor Wallet

 

 

 

Verdict: Should You Get A Trezor Wallet?

 

Having tested many crypto wallets, I’ve always been impressed by how each tries to outdo everyone else’s features and ease of use. Yet, many often forget how important security is to crypto owners.

 

Trezor remembers, and it builds hardware wallets with that exact theme in mind. At the same time, the company manages to keep things so user-friendly that you won’t struggle to manage to your crypto even if you’re new to cold wallets.

 

I highly recommend getting a Trezor if you’re serious about keeping your crypto safe. It may cost more, but losing your crypto will be much more painful.