Trezor Model T vs Trezor One: Which Should You Choose?

The Trezor Model T and Trezor Model One are both great choices when it comes to securely storing your crypto assets. They both feature a robust security stack, work with desktop, internet browsers, Android, and iOS platforms, and support hundreds of coins and tokens. Due to a broader feature set, Trezor Model T could be a better choice for most users, albeit at a price premium.

There are significant differences between the two models, namely in terms of design, screen real estate and functionality, USB connectivity, and the number of supported cryptocurrencies.

In this article, we’ll compare the Trezor Model T vs Trezor One to help you decide which hardware wallet is a better choice for you. We’ll examine device functionality, hardware design, software, and security features. 

Trezor Model T vs Trezor One – Side-by-side comparison

If you want to compare the Trezor vs. One quickly, we’ve prepared a table of the most important features and characteristics for you to compare Trezor One vs. Model T at a glance.

Who should choose the Trezor Model T?

The Trezor Model T is the flagship offering in Trezor’s lineup of cryptocurrency hardware wallets, designed for crypto power users and those who prefer the ease of use a large touch screen color LCD can provide. If the following applies to you, then the Trezor Model T is the right choice for you:

• You want a crypto wallet with a large touchscreen
• You value having a strong processor for seamless wallet operations
• You invest in numerous cryptos and need a wallet that supports a large number of coins and tokens

Get a Trezor Model T

Who should choose the Trezor Model One?

The Trezor Model One is the budget offering in Trezor’s wallet lineup. First announced in 2012, the Model One has an excellent track record when it comes to long-term storage of digital assets. If the following describes you, then the Model One is the right pick for you:

• You don’t want to spend too much but still want to store your crypto more safely
• You don’t care about advanced features or a big display
• You prefer a slightly smaller and more lightweight design

Get a Trezor Model One

Price point

The Trezor Model T retails for $219, over three times the price tag of the older and less capable Model One. The extra cost will get you a 1.54” Touchscreen Color LCD, which makes the device much easier to handle and operate, not to mention that it gives a high-end look that the Model One lacks.

The Trezor Model One ships for $69. Significantly cheaper than the newer and more expensive Model T, the Model One comes is just as capable in terms of safeguarding your crypto assets. The main difference between the two models is the overall size of the device and the screen (which we’re going to cover in the next section.

Interestingly, the price discrepancy and feature disparity between the two models is reminiscent of Trezor’s main competitor Ledger and their wallet lineup, which consists of the more expensive Ledger Nano X and Nano S Plus, which sells for considerably less but lacks several features compared to the more expensive model.

Basic features 

Both the Trezor Model T and One excel in their primary task, that is, securing your cryptocurrencies. They are widely considered one of the best hardware wallets in the market in that regard, providing a level of security that is among the best among physical devices.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that all Trezor devices run on open-source code, which allows the community to audit the software and identify potential flaws. In addition, Trezor wallets don’t have batteries, instead, they are powered via USB when connected to a supported device. Since the user data and recovery phrases are stored on flash memory, Trezor can last for years and more on a single charge.

Both the Trezor Model T and One connect to Trezor Suite, a software platform that allows users to manage, send, and receive cryptocurrencies easily. We’ll discuss Trezor Suite in more detail later in the article.

From a design standpoint, the Trezor Model T and Model One feature a similar physical body factor. The former is a little bigger and heftier, measuring 2.52×1.54×0.39 inches and weighing 0.77 oz. The Model One is just a tad easier to handle, coming in at 2.4×1.2×0.2 inches and weighing 0.42 oz. 

The Trezor Model T is equipped with a large touchscreen display that allows users to easily enter the PIN code and set the passphrase right on the device. The cheaper Model One has a black and white OLED screen. Instead of operating the device with a touch screen, the Trezor Model One has two physical buttons for controlling the user interface. 

Security features and certifications

Trezor hardware wallet devices offer multiple layers of protection – at the hardware level, a highly secure random number generator generates unique seeds that are virtually impossible to guess using modern technology. By keeping these seeds offline at all times, they remain safe from online attacks.

On a physical level, or rather from a user level, a personal identification number (PIN) consisting of up to 50 characters prevents unauthorized use of the device. Additionally, several technical barriers are in place to thwart sophisticated attackers from extracting private keys. One particularly effective measure is the use of a passphrase, which encrypts the seed with a user-selected phrase.

Trezor wallets can also serve as two-factor authentication (U2F) tokens, providing convenient and secure login for services like Twitter, Google, Github, and others. They also offer the ability to sign and verify messages, which can be useful for proving ownership of a specific address.

The Trezor Model T comes with Shamir Backup, a new security standard that allows users to create multiple unique recovery shares to back up their private keys. “You can specify a set number (referred to as the threshold) of these unique shares that must be collected and used in order to recover your wallet,” explains Trezor. The Model One lacks this feature.

It is worth noting that Trezor doesn’t feature any type of passphrase cloud storage and advocates against users storing their recovery phrases online. This comes in stark contrast to Ledger, which recently decided they would be rolling out a feature that allows users to access their recovery phrase from a cloud, which does increase user-friendliness, albeit at the expense of security. For additional information about the differences between the two leading crypto wallet brands, check our in-depth comparison between Trezor and Ledger.

Connectivity with mobile devices

Recently, Trezor released native mobile applications for both Android and iOS devices, called Trezor Suite Lite. They allow users to keep track of their crypto accounts and transactions. The company aims to upgrade the app with additional features in the near future. However, the app cannot be used to verify transactions.

At this point in time, verifying blockchain transactions using an Android device can be a bit cumbersome. First, you need to connect to Trezor Suite with a desktop browser and connect your device with a USB cable. Then you have to navigate to https://suite.trezor.io/web/ and follow the instructions to unlock your device. Currently, the functionality is limited to Android devices and is not available on iOS.

However, you don’t have to use the first-party solution to make crypto payments on the go. Trazor recommends using Mycelium, Sentinel, or Walleth mobile wallets until the official Trezor Suite app rolls out to all supported devices.

Supported software wallets

The native software wallet for Trezor devices is called Trezor Suite. It boasts a broad feature set, allowing you to send, receive, and trade cryptocurrencies. In addition, the app has a user-friendly interface that is useful for keeping track of your crypto portfolio with charts showing inflows and outflows. 

Trezor Suite features hidden wallets. These wallets can be protected with a special passphrase that serves as an additional layer of protection.

In addition, Trezor Suite supports Coinjoin, which can anonymize blockchain transactions. Moreover, using the open-source Tor software, your activity can be additionally anonymized and make it a lot more difficult for third parties to track your internet activity.

Supported cryptocurrencies

Both Model T and Model One support numerous cryptocurrencies – the former supports 1456 coins and tokens, whereas the latter supports a fewer but still very commendable 1289. 

Combined with Trezor Suite, the wallets support several layer 1 blockchains natively, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and others. Here’s the full list of supported cryptocurrencies:

• Bitcoin
• Litecoin
• Ethereum (including ERC-20 tokens)
• Ethereum Classic
• XRP
• Bitcoin Cash
• Bitcoin Gold
• Dash
• DigiByte
• Dogecoin
• Namecoin
• Vertcoin
• Zcash
• Cardano

In addition, Trezor wallets can be used to access several testnet networks as well, including Bitcoin testnet, Ethereum Ropsten and Goerli testnets, XRP testnet, and Cardano testnet.

The bottom line: The Trezor Model T is more feature-packed, but the Model One is still a very good choice for most crypto users

It’s hard to argue that the Trezor Model T is not a better choice for crypto power users. It features a touch screen that makes it easier to handle the device, supports Shamir Backup for additional recovery phrase security, and supports a broader range of coins and tokens.

However, the Trezor Model One, despite its age, is still a very good option for most cryptocurrency users. If you don’t plan on using your crypto wallet very frequently, and instead planning on primarily holding your crypto assets for longer periods of time, then the lack of features on the Model One shouldn’t be an issue for you.

Ultimately, the decision of which device to use depends on your personal use case. No matter which wallet you pick, the security provided by both cold storage wallets in combination with the Trezor Suite software should be more than sufficient for most users.

Buy a Trezor Hardware Wallet

If you want to ensure an additional layer of security for your recovery passphrase, we suggest you buy a purpose-made metal device that’s resistant to physical damage. For more information, check our comparison of the 12 best metal devices for seed phrase storage.