Trezor Model T

The Model T features a full-color touchscreen, making it more user-friendly and intuitive compared to its predecessor. It supports over 1,600 cryptocurrencies and offers advanced security features, such as passphrase encryption and PIN-protection.

The Trezor Model T aims to provide a safe and convenient way for individuals to manage their digital assets offline, protecting them from potential cyber threats.

Our impressions

Pros

• Very high usability through the touch-screen
• Future-proof USB-C port
• Uses the BIP-39 standard, which allows wallet recovery even without hardware
• Open source firmware that can be audited by the community
• Can be used as a secure key, providing additional value outside crypto use-cases
• Also includes unique features for highly advanced users, like Shamir backup

Cons

• Requires constant USB connection to operate
• Key extraction vulnerability (if an attacker with the right tools and knowledge has physical access to the hardware wallet)

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

Supported coins

Supports multiple coins, Bitcoin-only mode available

• BTC, ETH, ADA, XRP, LTC, XLM, DOGE, DASH, XMR
• and a thousand others. See a full list at trezor.io/coins

Open source

• Firmware
• Companion software

Seedphrase support

• BIP-39 (Mnemonic phrase)
• SLIP-39 (Shamir backup)
• Passphrase

Security protections

• On device PIN entry
• Factory reset with wrong PIN
• Factory reset with decoy PIN
• On device passphrase entry
• On device recovery

Platform support

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux
• Android
• iOS
• ChromeOS

Chrome OS is not officially supported and relies on WebUSB in the Chrome browser. This means that, i.e., it’s not possible to set up a freshly unboxed Trezor T, you need to perform the first-time firmware installation on a PC or Mac.

Authentication token

• FIDO U2F
• FIDO2 Webauthn
• SSH

Additional features

• supports GPG encryption
• microSD card slot
• Password Manager

Technical specification

Release year

Trezor Model T was released in 2018

Dimensions

64 mm x 39 mm x 10 mm
2.52 in x 1.54 in x 0.39 in

Weight

16 g
0.56 oz

Display

• Color
• Touchscreen

Full color LCD touchscreen
240 x 240 px

Connectivity

• USB-C

Storage

• microSD card

SD card can be used to secure PIN (device can not be unlocked unless the correct SD card is present)
SD card not yet used in any other capacity, other than protecting PIN

Processor

168 MHz Cortex-M4

Safety & Certifications

CE and RoHS certifications
Airplane and X-ray safe

Housing

Robust plastics
Available in black
Silicone protection case in multiple colors available

Manufacturer information

Brand deep-dive

Product overview

The Trezor Model T is the next generation of Trezor device, improving on the original Trezor Model One. The Model T is an advanced hardware wallet that allows its user to safely store sensitive data, such as cryptographic keys used in authentication. Created to protect owners of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Trezor devices make it easier to manage your portfolio while greatly reducing the risk of losing coins to many common attacks, including malware and phishing.

How does the Trezor Model T work?

The Trezor Model T is a touchscreen device that holds your cryptocurrency private keys, encrypted in its flash memory. The device has no onboard power source and draws its power via the USB-C port when it is connected to a computer or phone.

To access cryptocurrency stored at a certain address you own, connect your Trezor and use the Trezor Suite interface to enter the details of a  transaction. Your Trezor makes you physically confirm details about the transaction directly on its touchscreen, protecting you from common threats like keyloggers, malware or other forms of spyware.

When you are ready to send a transaction, it will show you exactly what transaction you are confirming and let you see if someone has tried to manipulate the data in any way. The private key will only be used to sign a valid transaction that has been repeatedly verified by the user and will never be exposed to the internet, with the whole signing process taking place on the device’s dedicated chip.

Security processes and benefits

All the core technologies that make up the Model T are open source, including its physical hardware. This allows for anyone to test and verify the code and components, allowing the Trezor to constantly react to new threats and upgrade its security.

The benefits of this process of constant community security audits is logged in detail on the Trezor security landing page, where you can browse the many bounties we have rewarded to pentesters and researchers who have responsibly disclosed security issues and helped propose a fix.

What does a hardware wallet do?

The essential function of a hardware wallet is that it keeps your private key isolated from the internet at all times, even when signing a transaction. The Trezor Model T does this transparently with open-source code and hardware, so everyone can verify that their keys are safe on the device. The Trezor Model T supports over 1600 coins and tokens.

To improve usability and privacy, the Model T has many other features. These include support
for new authentication standards like FIDO2, a unique PIN entry keypad, and a Micro SD card slot which adds a second level of protection when accessing the device. The most notable feature is Shamir backup, a way of splitting your recovery seed into multiple shares, a new standard not yet available on any other wallet.

Protection from Online Attacks

Trezor hardware wallets are designed to accept only a limited number of external commands. This means that it is only capable of performing a number of functions, and always requires the user’s input to do so. When sending a transaction, for example, the device will be given the destination address, transfer value, and any associated fees. It will only show the correct information used for the transaction to the user, so it is plain to see if the destination address appearing on their computer has been switched or in any way manipulated.

Protection from Physical attacks

Should an attacker get their hands on your device, two protective mechanisms are in place to prevent access to your funds. Both these features can be disabled but are highly recommended.

Firstly, using a PIN to unlock the device is recommended, which stops anyone from using the device. Trezor’s unique, randomized PIN entry layouts make it more difficult for anyone to observe you enter it.

Secondly, the device is protected from more advanced attacks directed at the chip itself, by a passphrase which encrypts the private seed data. Unlike the PIN, your Passphrase is not stored anywhere on the device and not vulnerable to extraction. As an extra benefit, entering the wrong passphrase will simply create an empty account, which could be used as a decoy when needed.

Feature details

• USB-C
  This simple upgrade keeps your Trezor Model T forward-compatible. The device has no  onboard power source, rather drawing power directly over USB from the computer it is plugged in to. Its high-quality connector ensures firm contact that prevents the deice from unplugging when in use.
• Touchscreen
  The Trezor Model T features a full-color touchscreen that makes it easier and more secure to usethe device. It enables a number of features that let you manage all sensitive operations directly on the device, meaning you are kept safe from keyloggers, screen recorders, and other malware that can target your peripheral inputs or clipboard items.
• U2F, 2FA and FIDO2 authentication
  The Trezor Model T is also easy to use as a security token, for holding and authenticating FIDO U2F and 2FA keys, taking users through a clear step-by-step process that ensures no accidental transactions occur. As the only touchscreen device that works with FIDO2, users are shown exactly what account credentials are being requested and used on any FIDO2-supporting platforms.
• Shamir backup
  The most common way to recover a Bitcoin wallet is to use the BIP-39 mnemonic recovery seed standard, developed by SatoshiLabs founders Marek “Slush” Palatinus and Pavol “Stick” Rusnak with the help of the Bitcoin community. This is a list of words that can be deciphered to produce the very long random number that represents your Bitcoin keys. This standard for recovery seeds is easy and practical but leaves a single point of failure. Shamir backup, or SLIP-39, is an improvemen to the recovery seed that derives multiple lists of words, which can be combined to provide the seed. This means that exposing one list, known as a share, would not result in your keys being found and your funds stolen. You can also lose a share and still have access to your funds. This makes Shamir safer and more reliable than a standard physical backup of your recovery seed.

Security highlights

• On-device confirmation
  Protect yourself from malware attacks by confirming all actions using your wallet’s on-board touchscreen.
• Firmware verification
  The bootloader always verifies the firmware signature. The firmware is only run if correctly signed by SatoshiLabs. Otherwise, a warning is shown.
• Isolated design
  Trezor keeps your private keys safely isolated from online attacks.
• PIN-protected
  Unique design scrambles your keypad layout to prevent onlookers or malware from discovering your PIN.
• Secure update
  The bootloader erases the device memory if the firmware signature is invalid. Downgrading to a vulnerable firmware version also wipes the memory.
• Passphrase support
  Trezor supports BIP39 passphrases, which are never stored or remembered on the device. These provide protection against physical hardware attacks.
• Reliable backup & recovery
  Your recovery seed protects you against theft, loss, or destruction of your device. Simply restore the recovery seed, and your wallet is back.
• State-of-the-art-encryption
  Trezor devices use the latest encryption standards and technologies, rigorously tested and scrutinized by a global team of security experts and researchers, achieving greater protection thanks to our open-source ethos.
• Advanced distributed backup
  Use Shamir backup, developed by SatoshiLabs, to split your recovery seed into multiple shares that must be combined to access the device.

Where to buy