Coldcard MK3 vs Ledger's Nano S & X Hardware Wallets

In the 2020s, more travelers will want to make bitcoin transactions anywhere on the planet. Most will use their smartphones, which is somewhat secure. 

However, if you the best security, you should use a bitcoin hardware wallet. 

In this faceoff, we’ll review the two best hardware wallets: Coinkite’s Coldcard MK3 versus Ledger’s Nano S. Since there is substantial information about the Ledger Nano S, we’ll focus on the Coldcard MK3.

Because the Nano X is similar to the Nano S, much of what I say about the Nano S also applies to the Nano X. 

What I love about the Coldcard MK3

• Big, fat numeric keypad and decent vs. the Ledger’s tiny buttons and screen
• The Coldcard MK3 offers bulletproof security.
• Ingenious double-PIN security system. 
• The Coldcard MK3 comes with a Duress PIN that is useful if someone is forcing you to reveal the PIN
• Even better, the Coldcard MK3 comes with a Brick PIN, which allows you to erase the Coldcard completely with one PIN – that’s also useful in an emergency.
• Unlike other hardware wallets, its process is in effect a flash ROM (read-only memory) with a pathetic 10k bits of storage. This is good news for you because it makes it effectively impossible to be reprogrammed. 
• 12-word encrypted backups.
• The Coldcard MK3 can fool an unsophisticated person into thinking that it’s just a geeky calculator.
• Its display can show QR codes.
• The Coldcard MK3 supports Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions (PSBT), thereby giving you supreme security through its air-gapped technology.