Keystone 3 Pro, the latest offering in Keystone’s series of hardware wallets, is here. Let’s explore what it brings to the table.
As we navigate the ever- evolving landscape of cryptocurrencies, the quest for the ultimate hardware crypto wallet becomes more crucial. Here, I bring you a review of the
Keystone 3 Pro – the latest product from Keystone. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong and the devices are manufactured in China.
My Keystone 3 Pro arrived for testing bundled with the Keystone Tablet – a metal cassette designed for the ironclad safeguarding of your seed words.
Packaging
The device came encased within a sleek, laminated cardboard exterior, holding a secondary, sturdier cardboard box inside. This box is also cleverly designed, capable of transforming into a practical pull-out drawer when attached under a table with the included double-sided sticker.
Keystone – package contents:
- The Device
- A USB-C to USB-C charging cable
- Instruction manual
- Assorted stickers
- Six blank cards for writing down your seed phrase
- A thank-you card, which includes a discount for your next purchase
Design and User Interface
The Keystone 3 Pro harks back to the design of early smartphones, featuring a 4-inch touchscreen on the front, along with a camera and fingerprint sensor on the back. Its layout includes a side button and a microSD card slot, while the bottom of the device houses a USB-C port. Holding the device, one can immediately appreciate its robust build quality. The display is crisp, with icons and text that are easily legible, ensuring effortless navigation through the menus. The 3 Pro boasts a newly developed operating system, moving away from its traditional Android-based predecessors, marking a significant leap forward in its security.
Battery
The new model features an integrated battery capable of lasting up to 200 hours on standby, while achieving a full charge requires only 3 hours.
Setting up and Getting Started
Right from the first start, the device prompts you to select a language. Then, it guides you to verify your device through the manufacturer’s website. The next step involves upgrading the firmware. You have the option to upgrade via a microSD card for those preferring to maintain air-gapped mode, or alternatively, through a USB cable.
Please note that the microSD card is not included with the device; you’ll need to use your own. Next comes the user account setup, where you can choose a seed phrase of 12, 18, or 24 words. For backups, there’s the option of the standard BIP 39 method or the more advanced Shamir method.
After these initial steps, you’ll need to create a PIN, name your user account, and complete other standard setup activities.
If you’ve created a new user account, remember to securely store your seed words outside of a computer or mobile phone, ideally in one of the metal containers provided. The menu also offers an option to verify that you’ve correctly noted down your seed words.
Fingerprint protection
For enhanced security, you can set up a password or fingerprint protection. Fingerprint scanning is particularly useful when using the device in public spaces where entering a password might not be secure.
The Keystone 3 PRO supports up to three distinct recovery phrases providing an additional layer of protection. In the event of a ‘$5 wrench attack,’ instead of entering your primary recovery phrase, you can input an alternate phrase to gain access to a decoy wallet.
After the initial setup, it is necessary to create a PIN, name your user account, and other usual activities. If you have created a new user account, be sure to store the seed words securely, outside of a computer or mobile phone, ideally in one of the metal containers.
In the menu, you will also find an option to check if you have correctly written down the seed words.
Pairing With Software Wallets and Sending Crypto
The Keystone 3 Pro does not rely on its own app but requires connection to online wallets, both desktop and mobile versions. It supports all major software wallets.
- Metamask
- Rabby
- Keplr
- OKX
- Zapper
- Sushiswap
- Blue wallet
- Sparrow
- XRP Toolkit
- Solflare
- Safe
- Ethernl
- BlockWallet
- Petra
- imToken
- Yearn
I connected it to Metamask and the Rabby wallet, which I have recently been using.
The connection process is straightforward, involving just the scanning of QR codes. Authenticating transactions and the overall experience of using the Keystone 3 Pro wallet appears to be simpler and easier compared to devices like Ledger. The completely air-gapped operation of the device provides additional peace of mind, thereby enhancing the user experience.
The Keystone 3 Pro offers support for over 5,500 tokens and coins across more than 200 blockchains, with its compatibility list being regularly updated.
Security
Alongside operational convenience, security stands as the most crucial feature of this wallet. As previously mentioned, it operates as an air-gapped wallet, authenticating transactions through QR codes. To ensure complete transparency regarding the information transmitted via these codes, Keystone has taken an extra step. They offer users detailed insights into the formation and contents of the QR codes. For more information, you can find out more here.
The Keystone 3 Pro stands out as the only hardware wallet equipped with three security chips that meet Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards, ensuring data safety.
Keystone Chip Keystone Hardware Anti-Tamper Protection
The wallet also boasts innovative protection against unauthorized access through an anti-tamper mechanism. If the device is opened or disassembled without authorization, all data stored on it will be automatically and irreversibly destroyed. However, this does not mean your crypto assets will be lost; you can recover your account on any other device supporting the BIP 39 method using your seed words.
Open Source
Keystone has announced that next month (December 2023), all its lines of code, along with firmware revisions conducted by SlowMist and Keylabs, will be made public. This move to publish these documents will significantly distinguish the company from its competitors. Recently, the crypto community has seen the impact of negative public reactions provoked by Ledger’s introduction of a recovery function, underscoring the importance of Open Source in the security of crypto wallets.
Blind Signing
The Keystone 3 Pro’s large 4-inch screen not only ensures comfortable operation but also enhances security by allowing users to see exactly what they are signing, eliminating blind signing. Additionally, the device includes pre-entered addresses of commonly used smart contracts as an extra layer of protection. For instance, if you’re swapping ETH for USDT via Uniswap and the USDT address doesn’t match the authentic one, Keystone will highlight the suspicious address in red, alerting you to potential danger
Price and Availability of Keystone 3 Pro Hardware Wallet
The Keystone 3 Pro is available for purchase on the manufacturer’s website at a price of $129.00, with VAT and shipping costs varying according to your country. For those concerned about privacy, purchasing it in a retail shop with cash is advisable. Alternatively, you can request Keystone via email to delete your personal data from their database after the purchase.
By making a purchase through the link below, you will receive a 10% discount.
Support
If you require assistance, a chat service is available on their website. Furthermore, you can reach out to them for help via their social media platforms:
X (Twitter)
Discord,
Reddit
Telegram
Additional Features
The Keystone 3 Pro offers several additional features, including:
- Setting up NFTs on the lock screen
- Support for ENS domains.
- Decoding DeFi transactions and presenting human-readable information.
Keystone Tablet
Along with the wallet, I received the Keystone Tablet for testing purposes. This device is essentially a metal cassette designed for securely storing up to 24 seed words.
The set comes equipped with a screwdriver, extra screws, and three metal plates with engraved numbers and letters. Crafted from durable 304 stainless steel, the cassette includes a hole for securing it with a padlock and bears resemblance to similar products I had previously tested. There’s no doubt that the Keystone Tablet offers excellent protection for your data against fire, flood, corrosion, and other external elements.
It’s priced at $39.00.
Conclusion
The Keystone 3 Pro stands as a top-tier hardware crypto wallet, offering good operational comfort and setting new benchmarks in security. It distinguishes itself from the two most popular crypto wallets with its large screen, which not only enhances usability but also bolsters security.
Featuring three separate chips, a custom-developed operating system, verifiable QR codes, and an anti-tampering mechanism with fingerprint unlocking, the Keystone 3 Pro demonstrates meticulous attention to security details, increasingly crucial in the world of cryptocurrency.
It is an ideal choice for any crypto user who prioritizes safety.
At the time of writing, we are anticipating Keystone’s commitment to transparency by publishing all software lines of code, transitioning it to a fully open-source platform.
Overall, this wallet has exceeded my expectations in every aspect and I believe it will satisfy even the most demanding users.
Edit 06.01.2024:
All Keystone codes are now available on the link blow:
https://github.com/KeystoneHQ/keystone3-firmware
Vedran Mijatovic