Verdict
The easiest screen to read.
A color touchscreen that shows a whole bitcoin address on one screen, open-source firmware and a certified secure element. It doesn’t keep a registration of your multisig, so pair it with a device that does, such as the BitBox02 or the Ledger. Change the backup type during setup, or it won’t mix with your other devices.
Key facts
| Screen | 1.54″ color touchscreen, 240 × 240, haptic feedback |
| Secure element | Yes, EAL6+ certified |
| Firmware | Open source |
| Connection | USB-C |
| Backup | 20-word SLIP39 by default; 24-word BIP39 selectable at setup |
| Multisig in Sparrow | Yes, over USB |
In a multisig
The screen is the main reason this device is in my setup. Checking a multisig receive address means comparing 62 characters, and the Safe 5 shows all of them at once in a readable size. On the small monochrome screens of the other two devices you scroll through it in pieces, which makes it far too easy to check only the start and the end.
The Trezor doesn’t store your multisig setup. Sparrow sends it along every time you show an address or sign, and the Trezor uses whatever it receives. So an address check on the Trezor only proves the address matches the setup your computer sent. A compromised computer could send a setup with an attacker’s key in it. The Trezor can show the three public keys for you to compare with your notes, but in practice the BitBox02 or the Ledger, which check addresses against your registered setup, are the stronger check.
Good
- Full address on one screen, easy to compare
- Open-source firmware and a secure element
- Touchscreen makes confirming on the device quick and clear
- Works with Sparrow without extra steps
Watch out
- Doesn’t remember your multisig: it trusts the setup your computer sends
- Default backup is 20 words in a format your other devices can’t restore
- Costs about twice as much as the Ledger
The setting you must change
During setup Trezor Suite offers a 20-word backup in the SLIP39 standard. For a multisig with other brands, pick the legacy 24-word option instead. You can’t convert it later without starting over with a new wallet. Step 4 of the guide walks through it.
Compare with
- BitBox02: smaller and cheaper, with fully reproducible open-source firmware, but a small screen.
- Ledger Nano S Plus: the cheapest third key; closed-source secure element code.
- Trezor Safe 3: same secure element, smaller screen, about half the price.
Setting it up in a multisig: Trezor multisig with Sparrow.