Trezor releases new hardware wallet and metal private key backup

Trezor, a major provider of hardware cryptocurrency wallets, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by releasing three self-custody products, including a new Trezor wallet, a proprietary private key backup solution and a Bitcoin (BTC)-only wallet.

The Czech Republic-based company officially announced the launch of Trezor Safe 3, its brand-new hardware wallet supporting more than 7,000 cryptocurrencies, on Oct. 12. The firm highlighted that the new wallet launch marks an important milestone in Trezor’s provision of entry-level hardware wallets.

The release of the Trezor Safe 3 wallet comes nearly five years after the hardware wallet firm rolled out the Trezor Model T in February 2018. Retailed for $79, Trezor Safe 3 is available in four colors: solar gold, stellar silver, galactic rose and cosmic black.

The new wallet device maintains Trezor’s commitment to open-source development, applying open-source principles in using the security component, the announcement notes. Trezor has chosen a third-party secure element vendor that allows it to publish any potential vulnerabilities it discovers.

In addition to the Trezor Safe 3, Trezor has also introduced its own physical private key storage solution, Trezor Keep Metal. As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the safety of a seed phrase or a private key is far more important than the safety of a hardware wallet device itself, as users can restore access to the wallet even if a hardware wallet is lost or damaged.

Trezor Keep Metal has much in common with similar physical backup solutions in the market, allowing users to keep their recovery safe under any conditions against fire, water, acids and impacts. The backup tool is made from corrosion-resistant stainless steel with a watertight seal.

According to Trezor CEO Matej Zak, Trezor Keep Metal is another important component of Trezor’s commitment to enhancing usability to boost global crypto adoption.

“It is very easy to use in the way that it is because all the other solutions usually have some kind of conversion so that you need some numbering system against the word,” Zak told Cointelegraph reporter Gareth Jenkinson in an interview.

“Whereas here, it’s very intuitive in a way that you just punch in the actual letter from the word onto the steel,” the CEO added.

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Available for $99, Trezor Keep Metal allows users to store 12-word and 24-word standard backups. The Trezor Keep Metal catering for three 20-word Shamir backups sells for $249.

Finally, Trezor’s Bitcoin-only hardware wallet was released to mark the company’s anniversary, featuring a limited-edition run of only 2,013 devices. In recognition of Bitcoin’s ability to empower individuals in underprivileged and marginalized communities, Trezor will donate $21 from each sale to support the Trezor Academy, a Bitcoin education initiative, the announcement notes.

Founded in 2013, Trezor is one of the largest global providers of hardware wallets, allowing users to store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Trezor’s first wallet, the Trezor One, was released in 2014 and is still for sale, offering the basic functionality of storing multiple coins long-term.

Additional reporting by Gareth Jenkinson.

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