The article compares Tangem's Mobile Wallet and Hardware Wallet, highlighting the convenience and accessibility of the app-based mobile option versus the superior long-term security of the card-based hardware wallet. Users can seamlessly start with the mobile wallet and later upgrade to the hardware wallet without transferring funds or changing addresses, ensuring both flexibility and maximum protection for their cryptocurrency. The hardware wallet is recommended for those seeking the highest security, as it keeps private keys completely offline and eliminates risks associated with seed phrases and internet-connected devices.
Should you choose the convenience of an app-based wallet on your phone or the ultimate peace of mind offered by a dedicated hardware wallet? Tangem provides both options: a Mobile Wallet, which is an app-based crypto wallet, and a Hardware Wallet, which is a card-based device for storing your crypto.
Both wallets belong to the same ecosystem, allowing your crypto journey to start as light and mobile as you like and then transition smoothly to maximum protection when you need it.
Let’s explain how both Tangem Wallets work, why the hardware wallet provides stronger long-term security, and how you can easily upgrade from the mobile wallet without any hassle.
How Tangem Mobile Wallet Works
The Tangem Mobile Wallet lives inside the Tangem App on your smartphone. It leverages your phone’s built-in Secure Enclave (on iOS) or Android Keystore.
Here’s what happens behind the scenes: when you create a Mobile Wallet, the app generates a seed phrase (entropy) and the user chooses a passphrase. Together, these are the components that make up your private key. Instead of exposing sensitive data, the wallet encrypts it with an AES encryption key and stores it inside the secure hardware of your phone. When you need to sign a transaction, the app retrieves the AES key, decrypts the data just in time to reconstruct the private key, uses it to sign the transaction, and then immediately erases it from memory. The result is that your private key never sits around in the system, where malware could grab it. You can trigger this signing process only when you enable a passcode or biometric authentication.
The Mobile Wallet is designed for speed. You don’t have to write down a recovery phrase; you can start managing crypto within minutes.
How Tangem Hardware Wallet Works
The Tangem hardware Wallet takes security a step further by moving your private keys completely off your phone and into a dedicated Tangem device with an EAL6+ secure element chip. When you create a wallet with a Tangem card, the private key is generated inside the chip and never leaves it. No one can extract it, not even Tangem.
Unlike a smartphone, which is a connected and complex device exposed to potential malware, a Tangem card has one job: safeguard your keys and perform cryptographic operations when authorized. It is completely offline, has no operating system to hack, and requires its physical presence for authorizing transactions. This makes it vastly more secure for managing cryptocurrency.
Another significant advantage of the hardware wallet is that it eliminates the risks of recovery phrases. You don’t need to write down 12 or 24 words and hide them somewhere, hoping they won’t be lost or stolen. Your multiple Tangem cards themselves are the recovery option. If one is lost, the others still provide full access.
Feature
Tangem Mobile Wallet
Tangem Cold Wallet
Where encrypted keys live
Inside smartphone Secure Enclave (iOS) or Keystore (Android)
Inside the secure element chip on the Tangem device.
Seed phrase
Yes.
None. Private keys are permanently locked in the cards.
Security level
Medium
Maximum (offline signing, no OS threats, no internet connection)
Accessibility
Always at hand on your phone
Convenient form factor makes it equally accessible always.
Recovery
Seedphrase + passphrase
Use multiple Tangem cards/rings.
Why the hardware wallet is more secure
Both Tangem Mobile and Tangem hardware Wallets give you self-custody, but the hardware Wallet provides the highest possible level of protection. On your phone, even with Secure Enclave or StrongBox, private key material exists temporarily in memory during signing. While this is very secure, it still depends on a general-purpose device that’s connected to the internet.
In contrast, the hardware wallet is a dedicated secure element. When you initiate a transaction, the unsigned transaction is passed to the wallet via NFC. The device then signs it internally, and only the signed transaction is sent back to the app. If you’re in crypto for the long run, this is your safest choice.
How to upgrade from a mobile to a hardware wallet
You can start with the Mobile Wallet for accessibility and later quickly upgrade to a hardware Wallet without migrating funds or changing wallet addresses.
Here’s how it’s done:
Open the Tangem app on your phone.
Go to Wallet settings.
Tap Backup.
Select Hardware Wallet.
Enter your access code or biometrics.
Tap Scan and place the Tangem card/ring on your smartphone’s NFC area.
Tap Start upgrade.
Scan the tangem card/ring again,
Tap Link another card or ring and scan the second card.
Scan the first card/ring once more.
Tap Finish.
Once the backup process is complete, your Mobile Wallet is upgraded into a hardware Wallet. Your funds remain exactly where they are; no transfers are required, and there are no new addresses to worry about. From then on, your private keys are secured by the Tangem card, giving you the best of both worlds: simplicity and maximum protection.
Which one should you choose?
If you are serious about protecting significant funds in the long term, the Tangem hardware wallet is the better choice. Its security architecture ensures that your keys never touch a connected device, protecting you against hackers and even human error. Without a visible seed phrase or private key, you can’t easily fall victim to phishing attempts.
The real beauty of Tangem is that you don’t need to pick only one. You can start with the Mobile Wallet and grow into the hardware Wallet when you’re ready, all within the same ecosystem, all without migration headaches.
