Ledger Nano Gen5 vs Nano X vs Nano S Plus: which one should you buy?

📊 The three side by side

Before the detail, here is everything in one table. Every figure comes from Ledger's own spec pages.

Three rows do most of the work: Works with iPhone, Certification and Recovery Key. Between them they will decide it for almost everyone. The rest is supporting detail.

📱 The question that settles it

If an iPhone is your main device, this is over in one line. The Ledger Nano S Plus does not work with iOS. That is not our inference — Ledger writes it on the product page itself: "does not work with iOS devices."

The reason is the connection. The Nano S Plus has USB-C and nothing else: no Bluetooth, no NFC. iOS does not let an app talk to a device like this over the cable. It is a restriction in iOS, not a fault in the wallet.

The Nano X and Gen5 both have Bluetooth, so both genuinely work with an iPhone. The Nano X needs iOS 14 or later, the Gen5 iOS 15 or later.

This is worth labouring, because it is the number one reason a customer buys the wrong model and comes back to swap it. At ฿2,060 the Nano S Plus is tempting enough that people order first and discover the iPhone problem afterwards. If you are mainly on Android or a computer, none of this affects you.

We have written up which models work with an iPhone in our guide to hardware wallets and the iPhone.

🔐 Chips and certification, where most people guess wrong

This is where most people guess wrong. The assumption is that more expensive means safer, and across these three Ledgers that does not hold.

The Nano S Plus at ฿2,060 uses the ST33K1M5 chip, certified CC EAL6+. The Nano X at ฿4,200 uses the ST33J2M0, certified CC EAL5+. That is not a typo: the model costing half as much carries the higher certification.

CC EAL stands for Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level. It describes how rigorously the chip was evaluated. A higher number means a harder audit, not proportionally more resistance to attack — but it is a real, comparable figure rather than marketing.

So what does the extra money buy? Bluetooth and iPhone support. Not a higher security tier. That is worth saying plainly, because it is the kind of fact that actually changes a decision.

The Gen5 at ฿7,540 goes back to the ST33K1M5 at CC EAL6+ — the same as the Nano S Plus, and the same as the Flex and Stax. So on the chip alone, the Gen5 is not ahead of the Nano S Plus at all. What is ahead is everything around the chip.

🖥️ The price difference is in the screen

The Nano S Plus and Nano X share a monochrome OLED, 128 x 64 pixels, driven by two buttons. Checking a destination address before you approve means scrolling through it a chunk at a time.

The Gen5 replaces all of that with a 2.8-inch E Ink touchscreen at 300 x 400 pixels, behind scratch-resistant glass with an anti-glare coating. A long address fits on the screen in one go.

Treat that as a security feature rather than a styling one. The most important step in sending crypto is reading the destination address on the device's own screen, not on your computer or phone. Malware can change what a computer displays; it cannot change what the hardware wallet displays.

An address that is easy to read is an address people actually read, instead of clicking through. That is where the price difference goes.

The Gen5 also adds NFC, which is what the Recovery Key and the Security Key use — one tap rather than a cable.

🔑 The Recovery Key in the Gen5 box

The Ledger Recovery Key is a card that holds your recovery phrase on an NFC chip. When you need to restore a device, you tap the card instead of typing the words back in one at a time.

The Gen5 includes one in the box. Across Ledger's range only three models work with it — the Flex, the Stax and the Gen5. The Nano X and Nano S Plus cannot use it, because neither has NFC.

The upside is real: no mistyping, and the phrase never gets typed anywhere again. One warning though. That card IS your recovery phrase in another form. Whoever holds it holds the coins. Store it the way you store the phrase, not the way you store a credit card.

And whichever model you pick, the words written on paper still have to be kept safe. We go into that properly in our seed phrase guide.

🎯 So which one is for you

Mainly on Android or a computer, and watching the budget? Take the Nano S Plus. At ฿2,060 you get the same chip and certification tier as the top of the range. What you give up is convenience, not security.

On an iPhone, and want something sensible? Take the Nano X at ฿4,200. Bluetooth is what makes an iPhone work, and the trade is one certification step down.

Sending often, moving larger amounts, or want it all in one box? Take the Gen5 at ฿7,540: a touchscreen that shows a whole address, CC EAL6+, NFC, and a Recovery Key included.

And the Gen5 against the Flex? Same chip, same certification, both with Bluetooth and NFC, both with a Recovery Key. The Flex has a 16-greyscale screen behind Gorilla Glass and an aluminum frame; the Gen5 is monochrome in a plastic frame, and costs less. If that end of the range interests you, we compared it in our Flex versus Stax comparison.

One last thing. Whichever you choose, what actually protects your coins is the recovery phrase, not the device. A lost device can be replaced. A lost phrase cannot.

Ledger

Ledger Nano S Plus

฿2,060

• USB-C only, no Bluetooth
• ST33K1M5 chip, certified CC EAL6+
• Does not work with iPhone

Add to cart

Ten colors on the product page

Ledger

Ledger Nano X

฿4,200

• Bluetooth, works with iPhone on iOS 14 or later
• ST33J2M0 chip, certified CC EAL5+
• Built-in battery, charges over USB-C

Add to cart

Six colors on the product page

Ledger

Ledger Nano Gen5

฿7,540

• 2.8-inch E Ink touchscreen, 300 x 400
• ST33K1M5 chip at CC EAL6+, same as Flex and Stax
• Ledger Recovery Key included in the box

Add to cart

Four colors on the product page

❓ Common questions

Moving to a new model — do I have to transfer the coins?

No. All three use the same BIP39 standard, so entering your existing phrase into the new device brings every balance back — the coins live on the blockchain, not in the device. The exception is if anyone has ever seen that phrase: then generate a new one and transfer instead.

The Nano S Plus is half the price with a higher certification. Is it simply better?

On the chip, yes. But the certification measures the chip, not how usable the device is. If you own an iPhone, the Nano S Plus does not work at all, and a higher certification on a device you cannot use is worth nothing. Pick by the device you actually own, then look at specs.

Do I need to use the Recovery Key?

No. It is an optional convenience that makes restoring easier, not a requirement. Even with the card you should still keep the words written down separately, because a card can be lost or damaged like anything else.

How is buying from SIAMBC different from ordering from abroad?

Stock is here, delivery is fast, and there is a shop where you can see the device before deciding. If you get stuck during setup you can just ask. More importantly, a hardware wallet is not something to buy from an unknown middleman — how to check whether a device has been opened is covered in our guide to spotting a tampered device.

🚨 One rule to remember

Anyone who asks for your recovery phrase is a scammer. No exceptions.

Neither SIAMBC nor Ledger will ever ask for it, whatever reason is given — warranty claims, identity verification, system updates or account recovery. Those words are the key to your funds. Whoever has them owns your crypto, and it can never be recovered.

SIAMBC is Thailand's authorized Ledger distributor and has specialised in hardware wallets since 2016, with a physical store in Bangkok where you can see the devices in person and ask before you decide. Support in Thai and English.