{"id":35,"date":"2026-08-30T11:48:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T14:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T14:33:58","slug":"ledger-nano-s-plus-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ledger Nano S Plus: The Cheaper Wallet, and Why It Wins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Nano S Plus is the cheaper hardware wallet in the range. It drops Bluetooth and the battery, has less storage for applications, and keeps the part that matters, which is a secure element holding your keys and a screen you verify transactions on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most people this is the right purchase, and the reasoning is worth spelling out because the instinct to buy the more expensive model is strong and usually wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you are actually paying more for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Feature<\/th><th>Cheaper model<\/th><th>More expensive model<\/th><th>Does it affect security?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Secure element<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>This is the security<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>On device verification screen<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>This is the other half of it<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bluetooth<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>Adds surface, does not expose keys<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Battery<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>App storage<\/td><td>Less<\/td><td>More<\/td><td>No, keys derive from the phrase<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Recovery phrase standard<\/td><td>Same<\/td><td>Same<\/td><td>Recoverable on either, or elsewhere<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two rows that constitute the security model are identical. Everything the extra money buys is convenience, and one of those conveniences is a radio, which is a small addition to attack surface rather than a subtraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who genuinely needs the more expensive one<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People who will actually sign from a phone regularly and without a cable. That is a real use case and if it is yours the extra cost is justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you sign from a computer, which most people do, you would be paying for Bluetooth you never enable. <a href=\"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/ledger-nano-x-review\/\">the Bluetooth model<\/a> covers that model in detail if you are weighing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review-2.jpg\" alt=\"Hardware wallet connected by cable to a laptop for signing\" class=\"wp-image-34\" srcset=\"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review-2-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review-2-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ledger-nano-s-plus-review-2-768x401.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-image__caption\">No radio is not a limitation if you sign from a computer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where the saved money should go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the actually useful part of the comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common way people lose self custodied bitcoin is not a broken device. It is a recovery phrase that was written on the card in the box and stored in a drawer, then lost, damaged, thrown out during a move, or found by someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>A steel backup plate costs a fraction of the price difference and solves fire and water, which paper does not<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A second storage location solves the single point of failure that one hiding place represents<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Both together cost less than the upgrade and address the failure that actually happens<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cheaper device with a properly protected, tested, geographically separated backup is a materially safer arrangement than an expensive device with the phrase on the supplied card in a drawer. The device is rarely what fails.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The app storage question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The limitation people worry about most and the one that matters least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you hold many different assets you may run out of room and need to remove an app to install another. That sounds alarming and is not, because your funds do not live in the app. They are derived from your recovery phrase and recorded on their own networks. Removing an app removes an interface, not a balance, and reinstalling it brings everything back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you hold bitcoin and a small number of other things, you will likely never encounter this at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two devices, and whether that is worth it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A question that comes up once people have one and start thinking about failure. If the device is lost or breaks, is a spare worth buying?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually not, and the reasoning is the same one that runs through everything here. The device is replaceable from any shop. The recovery phrase is not replaceable from anywhere. Money spent on a second device buys redundancy for the part that was never the weak point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exception is people holding enough that being unable to access funds for a week would genuinely matter, or people who travel and want a device at home and one with them. Both are real situations and both are narrower than the general case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For everyone else, a second backup location beats a second device, every time and for less money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Buying it without being robbed in the process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The supply chain attack on hardware wallets is not hypothetical and it is simple. Someone sells a device that has been opened, or that ships with a recovery phrase already recorded. The buyer sets it up, uses the supplied phrase, and the seller empties the wallet whenever they choose, possibly months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Buy from the manufacturer directly. Not a marketplace listing, not an auction site, not a third party seller with a good price.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Never accept a device that arrives with a recovery phrase written anywhere in the box. This is not a convenience feature. It does not exist as one.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Generate the seed yourself, on the device, after updating firmware.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>If anything about the packaging looks previously opened, stop and contact the manufacturer rather than proceeding and hoping.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The saving on a used device is small and the downside is total. This is one of the few places in this subject where the advice is genuinely absolute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When the device eventually fails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hardware wears out, gets lost, or goes through a washing machine. None of that is a crisis, and understanding why removes most of the anxiety people carry about these devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The device does not hold your funds. It holds keys derived from your recovery phrase, and those keys can be derived again on any compatible device. Buy a replacement, restore from the phrase, and you are back where you were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the phrase follows a common standard, you are also not locked to one manufacturer. A phrase generated on one brand can generally be restored onto another, which matters if a company goes out of business or you simply lose confidence in them. That portability is worth more than any feature on the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is why the backup deserves the effort and the device does not. Devices are replaceable and interchangeable. The phrase is neither.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What no hardware wallet protects you from<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worth restating on every article about these devices, because the marketing implies a completeness the product does not have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Approving a malicious transaction. The device signs what you confirm, and confirming without reading is the commonest loss with a device attached.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A recovery phrase stored badly, found, destroyed, or never tested.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Entering the phrase into a phishing site, which no device can prevent.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A defect in the device&#8217;s own key generation, which sounds theoretical and was not: Coldcard owners lost roughly 1,816 BTC in 2026 to exactly that.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/what-is-a-cold-wallet\/\">cold storage<\/a> covers how that last one should change your setup, particularly around adding your own entropy where a device supports it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting it up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Buy directly from the manufacturer. Not a marketplace, never secondhand.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Update firmware before generating a seed.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Generate the seed on the device yourself. Anything pre filled is an attack.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Record the phrase on something durable and store copies in more than one place, never digitally.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Send a small test amount, then wipe and restore from the backup before moving anything substantial.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Verify every receiving address on the device screen, every time, because that habit is what you bought.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the wider decision, <a href=\"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/best-crypto-wallet\/\">choosing a wallet<\/a> covers whether you need hardware at all, and <a href=\"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/self-custody-crypto\/\">what self custody commits you to<\/a> covers what holding your own keys actually commits you to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-q-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What do I give up compared with the more expensive model?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Bluetooth, the battery, and how many applications fit on the device at once. The security model, the secure element and the on device verification screen are the same. If you sign from a computer you are giving up features you would not have used.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is it secure enough for meaningful holdings?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It uses the same core security approach as the more expensive model, so the answer is the same for both. What determines whether meaningful holdings are safe is your backup discipline, not which of the two devices you bought.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I install every app I want?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Storage is more limited, so if you hold many different assets you may need to install and remove apps as you use them. This does not affect your funds, because the keys derive from your recovery phrase rather than living in the apps.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Does it work with a phone?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>By cable rather than wirelessly, which is more awkward on a phone and entirely fine on a computer. If phone signing is genuinely part of your routine, that is the one real argument for the more expensive model.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is buying the cheaper model a false economy?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Usually the opposite. The money saved is better spent on a durable metal backup than on a radio you will not use. A cheap device with a well protected backup beats an expensive one with a phrase on paper in a kitchen drawer.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-q-6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Should I buy secondhand to save more?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No, never. A tampered device is a real and documented attack. Buy directly from the manufacturer and generate your own seed on the device. Anything arriving with a recovery phrase already written down is an attack, not a convenience.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article is educational and is not financial advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold anything. You are responsible for your own security decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drops Bluetooth and the battery, keeps the security model. For most people that is the right trade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"Ledger Nano S Plus: The Cheaper Wallet, and Why It Wins","rank_math_description":"The cheaper hardware wallet drops Bluetooth and the battery and keeps the security model. Here is what you actually give up and who genuinely needs the expensive one.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"ledger nano s plus","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_breadcrumb_title":"","rank_math_facebook_title":"","rank_math_facebook_description":"","rank_math_facebook_image":"","rank_math_twitter_title":"","rank_math_twitter_description":"","rank_math_twitter_image":"","rank_math_pillar_content":"","rank_math_robots":[],"rank_math_advanced_robots":[]},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wallets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions\/37"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getbitcoin.guide\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}