Crypto hardware wallet comparison Coldcard Mk4 vs Keystone 3 Pro
Our impressions
Coldcard Mk4
Keystone 3 Pro
- Supports 3 concurrent seed phrases
- Convenient user experience with the huge touchscreen
- Completely autonomous device with long lasting battery lifetime (should be at least 100+ hours in sleep mode when using the device a couple times per day, 18+ months when turned off)
- Easy process for online Device Verification
- The airgapped QR code paradigm requires a camera on the paired device for certain interactions
- We love their dedication to open source “EVERY SINGLE LINE” of code they write, including their hardware designs. As long as they do not deliver on their promise, it sadly still is a closed source product.
The Keystone 3 Pro is a device that we can see in a “broad adoption of everyday Crypto financial transactions” scenario. It is a fully air-gapped, autonomous device that has great battery life with an easy to use interface on a convenient 4-inch touchscreen. We would add it to our everyday carry in an instant, in a world where QR code based Crypto payments are available at every shop and venue.
Disclaimer: Our impressions are based on a compilation of factors tailored to the average user’s perspective. It is also important to note that whether a feature is a “pro” or “con” can depend on your situation and preferences. What may be an advantage in one scenario could be a challenge in another, and vice versa. Therefore, while reviewing these points, it’s essential to consider your unique requirements and circumstances when making decisions. This list aims to provide an idea of what to anticipate, but it is not the ultimate guide to determining whether something will work for you or not.
Key features
Coldcard Mk4
Keystone 3 Pro
2022
2023
Supports only Bitcoin
Supports multiple coins
5000+ Coins Supported (Bitcoin & EVM chains)
Bitcoin-only Firmware is supposedly in the works, with an estimated release date some time before the next Bitcoin halving
Source: Comment on reddit.com
- Firmware
- Companion software
- Planned
The Keystone team is working on also open sourcing “EVERY SINGLE LINE of code we’ve written”, including their hardware design, with an announced release date in November 2023. The announcement is worded in a way that it leaves some room of what we really can expect to be released and if they can meet their own release date.
Source: Official blog post concerning Open Source
As the focus of the Keystone 3 series is on 3rd party app compatibility the previous companion software will be faded out in the future.
Source: second hand user comment on reddit.com
- BIP-39 (Mnemonic phrase)
- Passphrase
- BIP-39 (Mnemonic phrase)
- SLIP-39 (Shamir backup)
- Passphrase
- Multiple seedphrases on one device
- Secure element
- On device PIN entry
- Factory reset with wrong PIN
- Factory reset with decoy PIN
- Fake wallet with duress PIN
- On device passphrase entry
- On device recovery
Dual Secure Element
Multiple Trick PIN features
– Duress PIN
– Countdown to Brick (or Reset) PIN
– Brick Me PIN
– Login Countdown
On device recovery requires a previous SD Card backup or XPRV private key file on SD Card
- Secure element
- On device PIN entry
- Factory reset with wrong PIN
- On device passphrase entry
- On device recovery
- Fingerprint sensor
- Air-gapped QR code
Triple Secure Element Chips
USB & MicroSD Card Firmware Upgrading
PCI Anti-tamper Feature
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Android
- iOS
- ChromeOS
Technical specifications
Coldcard Mk4
Keystone 3 Pro
88 mm x 52 mm x 10 mm
3.46 in x 2.05 in x 0.39 in
62.44 mm x 103.9 mm x 12.08 mm
2.46 in x 4.09 in x 0.48 in
30 g
1.06 oz
103 g
3.63 oz
- Monochrome
- OLED
128 x 64 pixels
- Color
- Touchscreen
4-Inch LCD TFT Touchscreen
480 x 800 pixels
- USB-C
- NFC
- USB-C (limited to charging and firmware updates)
- Bluetooth
- microSD card
- microSD card
120 MHz CPU
n/a
PCI security standards
Plastics
Black plastics (PC + ABS)