As far as cold storage solutions go, hardware wallets offer the best compromise between convenience and security. Among the most popular is Ledger’s Nano X, considered the best hardware wallet to store your crypto with a reputation for reliability and ease of use. With the Ledger Nano X, your private keys are never exposed to the internet, even when connected to a computer or phone.
Following on from its predecessor, the Ledger Nano S, the Ledger Nano X adds a bigger screen, has Bluetooth connectivity, and has a battery built right into its slimline body.
Read on for our Ledger Nano X review and to see why we consider it the best hardware wallet for storing your coin.
First impressions
After receiving your Ledger Nano X, you’ll be greeted with a small box that has everything you need to store your crypto safely offline.
Inside, you’ll find the hardware wallet itself, the Nano X, a key-chain strap for keeping the wallet close at all times, and a USB-C cable for connectivity and charging. As well the hardware, you’ll also find some documentation, some “recovery sheets,” some stickers, and a quick start guide.
As one of the more expensive hardware wallets, the product looks and feels premium-grade with a solid construction and high-quality material use.
The Ledger Nano X itself resembles a USB memory stick, with a stainless steel cover that rotates out the way to reveal the screen and USB-C port. This is a removable cover but is recommended for keeping debris out of the port and to protect the screen from scratches.
While a little bulkier and heavier than its predecessor, the Ledger Nano S, the Nano X is still slim and stylish. The extra heft is down to the larger 100mAh battery and the bigger OLED display and is a sacrifice worth making, considering it still only weighs a mere 34 grams.
The screen is bright and clear, with a resolution high enough to make text and icons legible. The buttons, too, have been made bigger and moved to the face of the wallet for improved ease of access over the Nano S.
Setting up the Ledger Nano X
The first step in setting up a Ledger Nano X is to ensure your goods are genuine.
This involves checking the contents of the box and making sure everything is included, confirming the recovery sheets are unused, and checking the state of the Nano X device itself.
The first step is to check the contents of the box against those listed on Ledger’s website. If anything is missing, it’s worth getting in touch with the seller or Ledger themselves before using the device.
Making sure your recovery sheets are blank is also essential. If these sheets have recovery words written on them, the item is likely not new and should not be used without proper precaution.
The next check involves ensuring your Nano X has arrived in a factory-fresh state. To do this, simply follow these instructions:
- Hold the left button for 3 seconds until a welcome message appears
- Press the right button when prompted to do so
- The device should then prompt you to download the Ledger Live software
- Should the device request a pin, the device is not safe to use
Setting up the Ledger Nano X is easy with the device’s display holding users’ hand’s through the process with simple instructions. The Ledger Live software itself can be installed on Windows, Mac, Linux, and on iOS and Android devices. Ledger Live is used to check balances and transfer crypto. This is especially useful when connected wirelessly to a smartphone.
Once installed, the screen on the Nano X will give instructions with the following controls:
- Both buttons = select menu item
- Left/right button = scroll
- Hold both buttons = control center
The setup process is relatively pain-free, with the ability to import another wallet if you so wish. Choosing to set the Nano X up as a new wallet involves choosing a pin of four to eight digits, with eight being highly recommended for security reasons.
After the pin is created, the device will randomly generate the 24 words needed to recover your wallet, known as the recovery seed. In the name of security, these words are only displayed this one time, so it’s recommended to write them down on the recovery cards provided and physically secure them in a safe place.
With each word being displayed and confirmed one at a time, the process can feel a little laborious. Nevertheless, the process is necessary to ensure the crypto held on the Nano X is secure.
After this initial setup, the device is ready to use.
Features
The primary use of hardware wallets is the long-term, safe storage of cryptocurrencies and assets such as NFTs, and this it achieves flawlessly.
And while other wallets also do the same thing just fine, the Nano X gets to wear the hardware wallet crown for its useful additional features and growing list of support for every major cryptocurrency. The Nano X supports over 1800+ coins and tokens that is higher that most of the top hardware wallets in the market currently.
See the full list of supported coins here – https://www.ledger.com/supported-crypto-assets?r=150d7120b94b
Whereas the Nano S could only store at most seven apps in its 230kb of memory, the Nano X has received an upgrade to 2048kb. The upshot of this is the ability to run anywhere up to 100 apps on the device, removing the need to switch them in and out to handle your crypto portfolio.
Another welcome new feature is the Nano X’s beefed-up 100mAH battery. With the addition of Bluetooth connectivity, the wallet can now connect to smartphones to transfer and store crypto, making the extra power a necessity, while also increasing the length of time between charges.
With a larger, clearer screen to boot, the Ledger Nano X is superior to the Nano S in every way.
Ease of use
With just two buttons, using the Nano X itself is a simple affair. The buttons individually are used to navigate left and right with a press of both used to confirm a selection. While a touchscreen may, perhaps, be something Ledger wish to consider, there would have to be a compromise on size somewhere. For its intended purpose, the Nano X’s physical buttons seem to be the right choice allowing the device to remain as small as possible.
Press both buttons on the Nano X, and you’ll get to the control center where you can adjust time-out settings, activate Bluetooth, rename the device, and set up additional security features.
Thanks to the addition of a Bluetooth chip, the Nano X is perfect when paired with a smartphone or laptop. With the Ledger Live app, you can check the real-time balance of your assets and transfer funds quickly without the need for wires.
Both the mobile and desktop versions of the Ledger Live software are easy to use with a modern and sleek-looking interface that should be familiar enough to most. Ledger has also teamed up with Coinify to enable crypto purchasing directly from the software, triggering a direct transfer to your Ledger wallet. The software is also integrated with the Compound DeFi platform, allowing users to put their crypto work earning interest.
Security
Ledger’s reputation is associated with valuing security, with the crypto community’s most respected entrusting their portfolio to their hardware wallets.
The Nano X upholds this reputation via its highly secure proprietary BOLOS operating system that maintains safe communication between devices. Bolstering this is the inclusion of a physically isolated security CC EAL 5+ element, similar to those used for credit cards.
As with all the Nano X’s data, Bluetooth traffic is also encrypted with an additional security measure of a manual code verification between device and wallet.
As with the Nano S, the X has been bestowed with the CSPN certification, an external assessment that confirms the devices conform to industry standards. Thus far, the Ledger devices are the only hardware wallets to receive this certification, making the upgraded Nano X the safest hardware wallet out there today.
Supported devices and cryptocurrencies
The Ledger Nano X is compatible with almost all modern devices and operating systems:
- Windows
- Mac
- Linux
- Chrome OS
- iOS
- Android
With its bumping up in memory, the Nano X’s extensive list of supported coins is also now more relevant than ever, allowing users to manage all assets on the device simultaneously.
The list of cryptocurrencies supported runs over 1800 coins and tokens, with all of the big players included:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Binance Coin (BEP20/BNB)
- XRP Ripple (XRP)
- USD Tether (USDT)
- Solana (SOL)
- Cardano (ADA)
The full list of coins can be seen here with support for further ERC-20 tokens enabled through additional software.
Ledger Nano X Review: Verdict
At $119, the Ledger Nano X is one of the more expensive hardware wallets on the market but brings with it premium features and build quality. And while the Nano S still holds its own as a viable way to safely store your crypto offline, the Nano X’s additional Bluetooth connectivity and bigger memory make it a true successor that’s worth the extra cash.
