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A public clash has broken out between one of crypto's best-known hardware wallet makers and one of its most-followed on-chain investigators.
Danny Sanders, Chief Commercial Officer at Trezor, has pushed back against harsh comments from blockchain sleuth ZachXBT, who told his Telegram followers earlier this week that hardware wallets are essentially garbage and shouldn't be trusted for transaction signing or fund storage. ZachXBT instead recommended using a dedicated iPhone reserved solely for holding assets and signing transactions.
Sanders didn't dodge the criticism entirely. He conceded that firmware and software updates can occasionally get in the way of urgent or high-value transactions, and admitted the overall user experience of hardware devices can feel awkward at times. He also acknowledged that power users managing very large portfolios may need more than a single hardware device as their security setup.
But that's where the agreement ends. Sanders firmly rejected the idea that hardware wallets have no value, insisting they remain the strongest self-custody option available to regular crypto users. He also turned the tables on ZachXBT's iPhone suggestion, arguing that a smartphone's operating system and always-on connectivity actually expose users to a wider attack surface than a purpose-built offline signing device.
The exchange highlights an ongoing debate in crypto security circles: whether dedicated hardware still beats modern smartphone secure enclaves for protecting digital assets — a question with no one-size-fits-all answer, as the right setup ultimately depends on how much is at stake and how sophisticated the user is.
Sources: Comments reported via The Block and ChainCatcher.
