What is Ellipal Titan?
Ellipal is not as popular as Ledger and Trezor wallets, but that does not mean it isn't an excellent choice. They have released an extremely sturdy and tamper-resistant hardware wallet called the Titan, that resembles a small smartphone, complete with touchscreen and rear camera. It ranks in our top 3 best crypto wallets in Australia, and has a lot going for it. The price tag of $139 USD makes it more affordable than the Ledger Nano X and the Trezor Model T.
My Overall Thoughts on the Ellipal Titan
The Ellipal Titan is an excellent choice of hardware wallet at a reasonable price point. It is not often considered as a cold wallet option, because Ledger and Trezor seem to dominate the market, but I think Ellipal Titan is a worthy contender. Here are the 3 main reasons why I suggest using Ellipal Titan to store your cryptocurrency safely.
1) Excellent security, 100% air-gapped: If you're researching crypto hardware wallets, you are clearly a dedicated crypto investor that is concerned about safety. As you already know, cold wallets are the safest option because they store your private keys offline, and therefore you cannot have your crypto stolen from you unless they access your physical device. The Ellipal Titan goes even further by ensuring that your wallet is never connected to any electronic device by Bluetooth, WiFi or USB cable. The only way you connect to it is by scanning the QR code on the screen, and also using the camera on the wallet to scan QR codes on your mobile. This means it is completely, 100% air-gapped, for ultimate security.
2) Tamper-resistant: Continuing on with security, the Ellipal Titan has a tamper-resistant strongly sealed metal case. It is impossible to open without permanently damaging the device, and will automatically delete private data once a physical breach is detected. This ensures that your private keys are still secure even if your device is stolen or lost. The Titan has an IP65 rating for dust-resistance and water-resistance, and is resistant to impact and crush.
3) Store over 10,000 different cryptocurrencies: The Ellipal Titan can store over 10,000 different tokens, which is almost twice the amount of compatible coins that the Ledger Nano X can hold. New coins are added each week, so the number of coins is continually growing. Of course, all the major coins you would expect such as BTC, ETH, ADA and BNB can be held safely, but there are thousands more that you have likely never even heard of before.
A drawback of the Ellipal Titan is that it is not compatible with desktop computers; it can only connect to mobile devices running on Android or iOS. However, I don't think this a big issue, since most users will have an Android or iPhone, and it is very simple to download the app. If you have a strong preference to using a crypto wallet that is compatible with desktop computers, then I suggest you take a look at the Ledger Nano X, which has functionality with Window, MacOS and Linux computers.
My Personal Experience with the Ellipal Titan
Unboxing the Ellipal Titan
I ordered the Ellipal Titan Bundle which comes with the Mnemonic Metal for an extra $20. The Mnemonic Metal is a strong metal case that is excellent for storing your recovery seed safely. I was excited to test the Ellipal Titan, because I am familiar with Ledger and Trezor wallets, but I hadn't tried out Ellipal's air-gapped wallet before. The boxes arrived covered in plastic wrap, and I couldn't wait to open them up.
After removing the plastic wrapping, the lid of the box slides off easily, there is no further sticker or seal to ensure the box is untampered with, as is present on Trezor's packaging. However, this is not an issue, since Ellipal Titan's are designed to be tamper-resistant. The robust aluminium alloy case is crush and impact resistant and cannot be opened without damaging the wallet beyond repair. In addition, having seals only provide a false sense of security since they are easy to counterfeit anyway.
I have spread out everything that was included in the box, as shown in the image below. There is the Titan device itself, security adapter plus, 16GB microSD memory card, instruction manual, charging cord, and 3 x mnemonic phrase cards.
Setting Up the Ellipal Titan
The first step in the instruction manual is to create an account. This was easy to do. Simply turn on the Ellipal Titan device, choose an account name and password, and then you will be given the 12-word recovery seed. This recovery seed (also known as the mnemonic phrase) is extremely important, because if your wallet is lost, stolen or broken, this is the only way to recover your funds. Triple check that you are writing down your words legibly and in the correct order. Pro tip: have at least one back-up written on another card, that you store in a completely separate location. You can store it at a family member's house, or in a bank safe. This ensures you have a lifeline in case the worst happens and your first copy is lost or becomes destroyed in a house fire. Do NOT ever take a photo of these words, or store them in any electronic form whatsoever.
If you purchased the Mnemonic Metal, you can use that to store your recovery seed as well. It is made of metal and is fireproof, waterproof, mould proof, insect proof, and can survive extreme conditions. It is small and lightweight so you can carry it with you if necessary, and you can even place a small lock on it.
Using the Mnemonic Metal
The Mnemonic Metal is easy to use. You just need to unscrew the metal plate with the screwdriver, and then pop out the letters you need to record your recovery phrase. Note that for each word, it only stores 4 letters, but if you store the first four letters of the word, it will be enough to determine the word when you are recovering your wallet. The letters pop out of the metal frame with a bit of force when you push from behind, or you can bend the whole sheet to make it easier to remove. I would highly recommend getting the Ellipal Titan Bundle as you get the Mnemonic Metal for only $20 extra, when it usually sells for $49 individually, and it gives you peace of mind that your recovery seed is extra protected.
Downloading Ellipal App
After my recovery seed was recorded safely both on paper and in the Mnemonic Metal, it was time to move on and download the Ellipal app on my phone. There is a QR code on the instruction guide which you can scan to download the app, or you simply go to the Google Play store or Apple store and search for Ellipal. Once the app is installed, it was easy to connect to the wallet by following the instructions in the manual. I just needed to use my phone's camera to scan the QR code displayed on the Ellipal Titan. It was very easy, and there was no need for cables or Bluetooth connection.
Sending Crypto to Ellipal Titan
Now that my phone was connected to the Ellipal Titan, it was time to see how easy it was to send some cryptocurrency across. I signed into my Digital Surge app because I had some DOT on there that I hadn't yet transferred to a cold wallet. Then on my wallet, I scrolled down to DOT, and clicked 'Receive'. My wallet address appears on the screen, with a QR code. Then in my Digital Surge app, I just had to click Send in my DOT wallet, and then scan the QR code on the Ellipal Titan. After confirming the transfer, it was sent over within a few minutes. It was extremely easy to do, and completely air-gapped. No Bluetooth, no WiFi, no USB cables.
You are not able to see your balance from the Ellipal Titan device itself, but you can easily check it in the Ellipal app on your phone. In just a few minutes, I checked and there was a balance updated next to DOT.
Key Features of Ellipal Titan
The Ellipal Titan is an excellent choice as a hardware wallet, with completely air-gapped design, and a simple-to-use large touchscreen. Here are the main features that make Ellipal Titan such a great wallet.
Negatives and Disadvantages of Ellipal Titan
The Ellipal Titan is one of the best cryptocurrency wallets, but there are a couple of minor issues that I don't like about it, as listed below.
Advantages of Using Ellipal Titan?
The Ellipal Titan is one of my top suggestions for crypto cold wallets and here are the top advantages if you decide to use it.
Support for over 10,000 different coins: Ellipal Titan can store over 10,000 different coins, which is almost twice as many as what the Ledger Nano X can support, and almost 10 times the number of Trezor Model T. The range is so big, it is unlikely you will find a coin that you cannot store on your Ellipal.
Connects with iOS and Android: The Ellipal Titan connects easily to Android phones and iPhones with their respective apps. There is no need to connect using cables or even Bluetooth or WiFi. All you need to do is scan the QR code with your mobile, and you are on your way. This is a big advantage over Trezor wallets, that do not support iPhone compatibility; they only support Androids.
Large touchscreen for ease of use: The Ellipal Titan has a 3.97" LCD touchscreen. This makes it easier to use in comparison to Ledger and Trezor with their tiny screens. You don't need to conduct all your operations using just two buttons like on the aforementioned devices. With Ellipal, you can easily scroll and tap on whatever you need to access on the screen.
100% air-gapped - protected against remote attacks: The Ellipal Titan keeps remote attacks at bay with the use of air-gapped technology, giving it complete network isolation, and true offline cold storage. It does not containing any online components or ports, so it can never be connected to the internet or any other device. This gives users complete peace of mind, as there is absolute protection against remote and online attacks. The private keys stored on the device will never touch the internet.
Tamper-resistant design: The Ellipal Titan is made with a very sturdy aluminium alloy body and it cannot be disassembled without leaving serious damages, thus preventing supply chain attacks. The glass touchscreen cannot be removed, even after applying heat to it. It is impossible to open the device without breaking it, and when the Titan detects a brute force attack, the chip will automatically delete all the data, keeping your information secure even if your wallet is stolen. Check out this anti-tamper video, where an unsuccessful attempt to open the device is shown.
Resistant to natural elements: Not only is the Ellipal Titan resistant against attempts to break it open, it also id protected against the natural elements, with IP65 rating for water and dust resistance. It is also crush and impact resistant, so you never have to worry about accidentally breaking your wallet, even if you carry it around with you everywhere.
Additional passphrase support - protects your mnemonics: Another security feature of the Ellipal Titan is you can add an optional passphrase to protect your wallet being restored by someone who finds your 12-word recovery seed. If you turn on this setting, even if someone has your recovery mnemonics, they will not be able to restore your wallet, because they don't have the passphrase. This is a great extra level of security, but you need to ensure that you never forget this passphrase. There is no way of recovering your cryptocurrency if you lose your wallet and you don't know your passphrase, even if you have the mnemonic phrase.
What I Don't Like About Ellipal Titan
Not compatible with desktop computers - only supports mobile devices: The Ellipal Titan is great when paired with your phone, but unfortunately it does not support compatibility with desktop computers. This shouldn't be an issue for most people, as more people have a smartphone than a desktop these days. However, if you are extra concerned about security and would rather have your Ellipal app on a desktop than have it in your pocket on your phone wherever you go, this is a downside. Maybe in the future Ellipal can implement connectivity with computers.
Touchscreen is not as accurate as modern phones - can make mistakes when typing passwords: The Ellipal Titan's touchscreen is reminiscent of the first touchscreen phones that were released. The screen is not as responsive and also not as accurate. When I was typing in my password, I kept hitting the wrong keys, and I already have relatively small fingers. I can imagine for people with larger fingers, it would be extremely frustrating. In their next model of wallet, I hope Ellipal improves the touchscreen functionality.
Ellipal Titan vs Ledger Nano X
How does the Ellipal Titan compare to the best crypto wallet on the market, the Ledger Nano X? We'll look at several aspects to see how they fare.
Screen
The Ellipal Titan has a 3.97" color LCD touchscreen, whereas the Ledger Nano X has a 128 x 64px OLED screen. The Ellipal has a huge advantage over the Ledger because the touchscreen makes it much easier to use, and it is easier to read any info required. Of course, it also allows QR codes to be displayed and scanned by your mobile. With the Ledger Nano X, you need to use the two buttons to scroll through options, and makes it time-consuming to enter a PIN.
Supported Coins
The Ellipal Titan has over 10,000 different coins, while the Ledger Nano X has support for over 5,500 different coins. The Titan can support almost twice the number of coins that the Ledger can.
Connectivity
The Ellipal Titan can connect to Android and iOS devices using QR code scanning, but there is no compatibility with desktop devices.
The Ledger Nano X has connectivity to Windows, Mac and Linux computers through USB-C cable, and connection to Android phones and iPhones via Bluetooth.
Security
Ellipal Titan's security is extremely high, with completely air-gapped connections. It ensures complete network isolation, with no online components or ports, so it can't connect to the internet or any other device. You can rest easy with your cryptocurrency stored in the Titan due to the absolute protection it provides against remote and online attacks. The private keys stored on the device will never touch the internet and are never transmitted through the QR code. The device itself is extremely sturdy and is dust resistant, water resistant, crush resistant and impact resistant. It is impossible to open the device without destroying it, and the chip has a self-destruct feature that wipes all of the data when it detects brute force.
Ledger's devices are built to the highest standard of security, and the Nano X is no different. The private keys never leave the wallet, and the device uses a double chip base, with the second chip being a bank-grade secure element chip. This provides additional security against hardware-based attacks. Ledger Nano X supports BIP39 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposals) passphrases.
Price
The Ellipal Titan is priced at $139 USD plus shipping.
The Ledger Nano X is priced at $149 USD (price may vary based on your location), and includes shipping.
Verdict
Both the Ellipal Titan and the Ledger Nano X are excellent choices and which one you choose comes down to personal preference. The Ellipal has completely air-gapped cold storage, but unfortunately is not compatible with desktop devices. The Ledger Nano is also extremely secure, and can connect to phones and desktops, but has a small screen that is not as user-friendly. However, the Ledger is smaller and easy to keep on a keyring or hide in a pocket. Both are great options, you won't be disappointed with either of these wallets.
Pros and Cons of Ellipal Titan
- Over 10,000+ coins supported
- Completely air-gapped hardware wallet
- Tamper-resistant with self-destruct chip
- Water, dust, impact, and crush resistant
- Large touchscreen for ease of use
- No compatibility to desktop computers
- Touchscreen is not very accurate
Summary
The Ellipal Titan is one of the best crypto hardware wallets currently on the market. Storage of over 10,000 coins, compatible with Android and iOS devices with 100% air-gapped connectivity, and a strong device that is resistant to tampering as well as the elements. It is even priced at a reasonable $139 USD, making it more affordable than the main competitors. This is definitely a wallet you want to consider if you have a substantial amount of crypto that you want to store securely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the Ellipal Titan is an excellent wallet. It is extremely robust and tamper-resistant, and it is completely air-gapped, using QR code scanning only, so there is no connectivity to the internet or any other device.
Yes, the Ellipal Titan is a very secure crypto hardware wallet. It is 100% air-gapped so there is no connection to the internet or other devices. It is also extremely well-built, with a tamper-resistant aluminium alloy case, and self-destruction of data if a physical breach is detected.
The Ellipal Titan can hold over 10,000+ different coins, and they continually add new coins to their supported list.
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