Trezor has been the openness benchmark since 2013, and for years it carried a real weakness: older models stored keys in a general microcontroller, and researchers demonstrated physical extraction with lab equipment. The Safe line fixes that with a certified secure element while keeping every line of firmware open to inspection.
What the screen buys you
Blind signing is how most experienced users lose money, and screen size is directly connected to it. The Safe 5's colour touchscreen renders contract interactions and addresses at a size where checking them is realistic rather than nominal. On a small monochrome display, people scroll past what they should be reading.
Backup options
Standard BIP39 seed, plus Shamir backup, which splits recovery into multiple shares of which a threshold is required. For anyone distributing backups across locations or trustees, Shamir is a meaningful improvement over a single phrase that is either intact or lost.
The company's record
In 2022 a third-party support vendor breach exposed Trezor customer contact details, which were subsequently used in phishing campaigns — a failure of vendor management rather than of the devices. Trezor's own firmware and hardware record remains strong, and its disclosure practice is good.
Who should use it
Users who want maximum verifiability with modern hardware and a screen that supports careful signing. Cost-sensitive buyers should take the Safe 3, which has the same security model with a smaller display.