Blockstream Jade explained: Classic, Core and Plus compared

We have been getting a lot of questions about Blockstream Jade lately. Part of it is that Blockstream has just reorganized the range into three devices, and nobody is quite sure how Classic, Core and Plus differ, or why the one they call the entry model costs more than the original.

The other part is the Coldcard news at the end of July. A firmware mistake dating back to 2021 left some recovery phrases guessable, and more than 1,800 BTC has been moved out since. We covered it in detail in our piece on the Coldcard hack if you have not read it yet.

When something like that happens, people start asking how they would even know whether the device in their drawer has the same kind of problem. That is why Jade keeps coming up: it is the one wallet here whose entire code is open to inspection.

Jade sits apart from the other brands we carry, because it supports Bitcoin and Liquid only and is open source throughout. Here is the whole range.

📊 The three, side by side

What does not differ is the part that matters most. All three run the same open source firmware, use the same security model and support the same assets. The differences are all hardware around the edges: the camera, the battery and the SD card slot.

🔐 Why Jade has no secure element, and whether that matters

If you open our comparison table, the security chip cell for all three Jades says nothing is stated. That is not an oversight. Jade genuinely does not have a separate secure element.

Blockstream uses an approach it calls Blind Oracle instead: encryption that simulates the protection a secure element gives, so that nobody can pull the keys off the device physically.

The reason they went that way is that almost every certified secure element is closed source. The chip vendor will not let anyone look inside. Put one of those in and you can no longer say the whole device is open. Leaving it out is a trade, not a corner cut.

The honest way to frame it: if you value being able to have every line of code checked by outsiders, Jade delivers that. If you want a chip carrying a CC EAL6+ certificate, another brand will suit you better. Both positions are reasonable.

📷 The camera is what separates Core from the other two

The Classic and the Plus both have a camera. The Core does not, and that is about far more than taking pictures.

The camera is what makes fully offline signing possible: no cable, no Bluetooth, just QR codes scanned back and forth between the device and your phone. The device connects to nothing at all.

The Core drops the camera and the battery and connects over USB-C or Bluetooth only. What you get back is a faster, simpler setup for someone moving coins off an exchange for the first time.

🟠 Bitcoin and Liquid only

All three support Bitcoin and Liquid, and nothing else. No Ethereum, no other coins. If you hold across several chains, Jade is not your answer and you want a multi-chain model instead.

But for someone holding only Bitcoin, a device with no other coins in it is a device with less code to trust. Plenty of people read that as a feature rather than a limit.

💡 Which one should you buy

Jade Classic is the best value of the three. Camera and battery both included, offline signing works, and unless you specifically need an SD card slot or an aluminum body, it is where most people should stop.

Jade Core suits someone just starting out who wants coins off an exchange quickly and does not want a learning curve, in exchange for giving up offline signing.

Jade Plus is for people who are serious about it. You get an SD card slot as another route for moving data, and a choice of aluminum bodies.

Blockstream

Blockstream Jade Classic

• Camera, so it signs offline
• Built-in battery
• Firmware fully open source

Add to cart

Adding: Black. Other colors on the product page.

Blockstream

Blockstream Jade Core

• Set up in five minutes
• 1.9-inch color screen, 320 x 170
• USB-C and Bluetooth

Add to cart

Out of stock right now — you can request an alert on the product page.

Blockstream

Blockstream Jade Plus

• Camera plus an SD card slot
• Aluminum bodies available
• Fully offline signing

Add to cart

Adding: Black (Plastic). Metal bodies cost more; choose on the product page.

❓ Common questions

Without a secure element, is it easier to hack? Blockstream designed the encryption to do the job the chip would do. And in practice, nearly every loss we hear about in Thailand comes from someone being talked into revealing their recovery phrase, not from an attack on the hardware.

Do all three use the same app? Yes, the same Blockstream app. Nothing new to learn if you switch between them.

Why buy from SIAMBC? We have been an authorized distributor in Thailand since 2016. Everything is new and factory sealed, and there is a real shop in Bangkok you can walk into before deciding.

🛒 Buying in Thailand

SIAMBC is an authorized Blockstream distributor in Thailand. Every device is new, factory sealed and sourced through official distribution, with free delivery nationwide and same-day delivery within Bangkok.

The shop is in Thawi Watthana and you are welcome to handle a device before deciding. You can also message us on LINE @siambc first; we answer in Thai and English.