Crypto News
DCENT S, the latest card-shaped hardware wallet from South Korea's IOTRUST, ships in every box with a dedicated R3covery Card that can restore a lost primary card but cannot sign transactions on its own. Tangem, the Swiss-made NFC cold wallet that has been on the market longer, instead sells sets of two or three identical cards (or a ring variant), each of which holds a copy of the same private key and can sign independently. Both devices use EAL6+ certified secure elements, the same chip class used in biometric passports, and both are battery-free, drawing power from the phone's NFC field only when a transaction is being signed.
Why it matters
The two backup philosophies encode opposite assumptions about what a self-custody user worries about most. Tangem's model assumes loss is the dominant failure mode and prioritises instant redundancy, but every duplicate is also a live signing key, so a stolen backup plus a guessed PIN is a total compromise. DCENT S's model instead assumes theft and physical coercion are the dominant threats and segments the keys: even a thief holding the R3covery Card cannot move funds without also holding the primary card and the PIN. The form factor, secure element, and mobile-only workflow are nearly identical, which makes the backup architecture the only material design decision a buyer is actually making.
Market impact
Asset coverage is comparable in practice: DCENT S lists support for 100+ chains and roughly 4,900 tokens with deep XRP Ledger integration (Trust Lines, dApps, swaps), while Tangem lists 90+ chains and over 14,000 tokens driven by a more mature app with built-in staking, swapping, and dApp connectivity. DCENT S is the newer entrant and has not yet published the equivalent of Tangem's 2018 Kudelski Security and 2023 Riscure firmware audits, a gap that institutional buyers and security-focused holders will read as a transparency discount. For most retail users choosing between two NFC card wallets, the real question is whether they want segmented keys with a non-signing backup, or immediate multi-card redundancy, and that is now the axis the rest of the card-wallet category will be measured against.
Frequently asked questions
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What is the main difference between DCENT S and Tangem?
The backup model. DCENT S ships a R3covery Card that can restore a wallet but cannot sign transactions, while Tangem sells sets of two or three identical cards (or a ring) that each hold a copy of the same signing key.
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Do both wallets use the same secure element certification?
Yes. Both DCENT S and Tangem use EAL6+ certified secure elements, the same chip class used in biometric passports and EMV payment cards, and both generate the private key on-device with the key never leaving the chip.
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How many tokens and chains does each wallet support?
DCENT S lists support for 100+ blockchain networks and roughly 4,900 tokens, with deep XRP Ledger integration. Tangem lists 90+ networks and over 14,000 tokens, backed by a more mature mobile app with built-in staking, swaps, and dApp connectivity.
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Has either wallet published independent firmware security audits?
Tangem has had its firmware independently audited by Kudelski Security in 2018 and by Riscure in 2023. DCENT S is newer to the market and has not yet published equivalent third-party audit results at this stage.
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Which wallet is better for XRP users?
DCENT S. IOTRUST has worked with the XRP Ledger since 2018 and ships full XRPL functionality including Trust Lines, dApps, swaps, and standard send/receive. Tangem supports XRP but does not position it as a central feature.
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