Foundation Devices 'Passport Batch 2' hardware wallet review

[n0nce]

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⇨ Passport Batch 2 Review ⇦
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Outline

• Summary
  
• Review
  
• New features
  
• Misc
  
• Setup walkthrough
  
• Simulator instructions
  

​
Summary
Following my overall satisfaction with Foundation Devices' Passport Founders Edition hardware wallet, I also preordered their Passport Batch 2 device. To me, a 'batch' usually refers to a production run and not a broader overhaul / update of a device, so I sometimes called it 'version 2' or 'v2'.
However, a lot of things have actually stayed the same, both on the hardware and software side, and I was glad to hear that the passport2 firmware is supposed to be back-ported to Founders Edition. So it should not be obsoleted or superseded by Batch 2 after being around for just a year, which is good - especially at the price they charged for it. I'm not aware of the current status of this, though.

My intention is that new firmware versions for the two devices get released simultaneously.

I will sometimes abbreviate Founders Edition as FE and Batch 2 as B2 in this review.
To summarize, I will just write the major changes here in a TL;DR type-section - details are down in the next posts.

Firmware used: v2.0.4

Positive Changes compared to Founders Edition
There are some major changes that almost directly addressed my criticisms of the Founders Edition, and prompted me to put down another ~$200 USD (incl. shipping - price info later) for this device.

• Better screen: This one has very strong backlight, is made from glass, has no scratches and comes with a protective foil on it. It's slightly inset to further protect it as well, and overall exceeded my expectations. I personally think a good screen is an essential part of a hardware wallet, so this is good to see.
  
• Better battery: Batch 2 uses Nokia-style batteries, which are almost as easy to find as triple-A's, almost as secure (no way to get supply-chain attacked since they're not hardware-wallet or device-specific) and way longer lasting than the FE's non-rechargeable batteries.
  
• Slimmer body: It's still a thick device, but definitely more pocketable than Founders Edition, which due to its small size stands out more than if it was, say, a leather wallet of the same thickness. Meanwhile B2 generally succeeds better in disguising through a feature-phone-form factor.
  

Negative Changes compared to Founders Edition

• Worse keypad: I first thought I got a defective unit, but after checking online, it seems that the keypad is partly meant to feel like this and they partly have had manufacturing problems. The buttons just have very little travel and thus no big, firm 'bump' that you 'press through'. It doesn't even feel mushy, as there's basically not enough travel for them to 'even mush'. I hope I can sufficiently visualize the feel of this new keypad. It works flawlessly and accurately, it just doesn't feel as nice to use to me. It's worth noting that it did improve a bit over time, especially the most used (numbers and navigation) keys.
  
• Worse camera: I know, I know - on the hardware side, they use the exact same OVM7690-RYAA ... camera cube. However, it appears to take slightly longer to scan QR codes; more details below. Update @ block 773177: Since the latest update, the issue is fixed. link
  

​​​
Compared to last time, due to the fixed battery issue, much better screen and better form factor, I can definitely recommend the Passport Batch 2 as a daily-driver hardware wallet. It will work with your computer, phone, whatever you like, the battery life is long enough and it can just be recharged.
Price-wise, it costs less while being an overall better device with mostly just minor criticisms; as a Founders Edition customer I also got a nice discount, as described below under Pricing & Discounts.

[1714732351]

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[1714732351]

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[n0nce]

In-depth review

Delays
Sorry, Foundation, but I have to bring this point up first, before actually starting the review. I do understand that there is a pandemic going on and all sorts of issues around the world slow the supply chain down. However, most of these factors aren't new; so one could have predicted / calculated them into the ETA. I'm fully aware that this was a preorder without guaranteed shipping date.

But instead of offering highly optimistic dates and pushing them back repeatedly, I would have preferred a: 'Sorry, we got caught off-guard and need 8 more months until completion'. If they would have managed to ship in 3 months regardless, I don't think anyone would have complained..

The shipping itself (to EU) was extremely quick and only needed 1-2 days through UPS. I haven't tried shipping to a PO box, but didn't want to order to my home address either, so it took a bit longer to get my hands on it. Sorry for the long wait, everybody!

Version two

I am not even sure how to call their new device. Looks cool! It will ship in two months from now ^[emphasized] roughly and as I said, I preordered it for a bit over 150 bucks which I find a fair price for such a device.

Personally, I will be more careful with company timelines and try to avoid a wording like here; instead I should have said 'they try to ship it in two months from now'. I hope that nobody who bought Batch 2 after my review, got disappointed by my above statement not having held true. Personally, I'm never in a rush, but I felt responsible mentioning the delays, just because I repeated their optimistic 2-month timeline.

Unboxing / what's in the box?

In comparison to Founders Edition, you get the same SanDisk Industrial XI microSD HC 8GB card, however only a single one instead of two. Backups are encrypted, so I don't see a risk in keeping the single microSD with you on a daily basis (for updates and transactions on a device without camera), as long as you have the paper (or metal) backup stored in a secure location.
New this time, you get a double-sided USB-C cable (sadly no USB-A adapter included) to charge the device and two microSD adapters. One allows you to plug the microSD card into devices with USB-C, such as Androids or modern laptops. The other one is made for iOS devices with Lightning connector.
Even though transactions can be made simply through QR code communication, the inclusion of these adapters allows people to do complete firmware updates of the wallet from their phones (through the new Envoy app).

I believe this makes the device much more accessible since some people just don't have a proper computer.

You also get new Foundation Stickers, a set-up card that links to https://foundationdevices.com/setup/ and also a nice 24-word seed phrase backup card which I recommend to use and laminate. It also has a separate section for a 20-digit 'backup code' which encrypts / decrypts the microSD backups.
If you are using steel washers to back up your Passport (recommended!), this means 2 washers (if used double-sided) suffice to back-up that code.

A few short words about the unboxing. The device came in the same white box like Founders Edition with a simple, single security seal. The security model has not changed in this regard, so it makes sense. link 1, link 2.

The inner box is physically well packed and protected by adhesive bubble wrap and shrink wrap.

Design & materials
The classic white - gold - black color scheme was kept and even extended to the box, a detail I enjoyed. It received golden, metal navigation keys, which I planned to mod and black-out, since I assumed cheap spray-painted plastic, but this metal finish (anodization?) is actually really well made, so I'll keep it. The overall build is still solid, back cover comes off easily and snaps on firmly with the same magnet technique as before.
The only detail I'd criticize is the use of piano black plastic inside of the small lip around the screen. It's most visible below the screen and of course, known to stop looking good after a while.
Why do car companies use piano black plastic as an interior material?

Setup
Not a lot has changed from the Founders Edition setup procedure. In general, the whole GUI is mostly a colorful version of the FE GUI, with the addition of being able to use the sideways buttons to change between 'accounts' (different derivation paths) and a few smaller menu changes.

The advantage of the microSD backup (that I mentioned above) over a seed phrase backup is that it will keep all settings, such as multiple accounts, multisig setups, and now new: Casa & Postmix setups.

For anyone really interested in the setup and general GUI look & feel, I have a 'walkthrough' (photo gallery) of every single step down below as well as instructions for installing the simulator and trying it out interactively for yourselves.

Battery

The elephant in the room with the Founders Edition was the battery. I should mention that while a set of regular Alkaline AAA's went flat super fast, repeatedly, during my initial setup and review process, over the last year I haven't had to swap them a whole lot. The whole workflow for signing a transaction from turning the device on to turning it off, can be done in under half a minute, keeping power consumption low.
It makes the usage more 'stressful' in a way though, and in the rare occasion of running out of battery on a holiday, you can't buy new ones, while you can always recharge a Li-Ion pack.

The Batch 2 uses default Nokia BL-5C rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (you all know them). They have been around for almost 20 years and millions of these are available on the market, so I think we're pretty future-proof with this choice - regardless of whether Foundation Devices sells or doesn't sell replacements, stops production, or even goes bankrupt.

Over 250 million 1100s have been sold since its launch in late 2003
[...]
Battery: Nokia BL-5C

I can confirm that the device even works without a battery; just plugged into a USB-C power source.

While keeping in mind that Founders Edition is supposed to be used with special non-rechargeable AAA Lithium batteries, I just assume most won't (due to price and availability) so I measured the battery runtime on a set of new Alkalines and the fully charged BL-5C that came with the wallet. Both devices were set to 100% full brightness, although the B2 'full brightness' looks at least twice as bright as FE.

On a fresh set of AAA LR03 batteries, at full brightness and mostly lying down doing nothing, the Founders Edition shut itself down after 27:25 minutes.
The Batch 2 managed to run for 4:33:03 hours on a full charge. I also did a lot of experimentation (for QR code scanning speed) for around an hour during that time.

Screen
My main criticism in terms of build quality on FE was the plastic screen; flush with the device, which came scratched (though it didn't pick up extra scratches that I noticed). B2 has a recessed glass screen, which is also much brighter and has colors. It is more pleasurable to use and harder to damage. Big improvement here, I really love it!

Only drawback from Founders Edition is that it appears to be a regular IPS LCD:
FD-KL-ASM-FG-DISPLAY-LCD-IPS-2-INCH instead of the security / auditability-focused Azumo/Sharp 12616-06_T3 monochrome display.
I may be wrong about this, but most regular IPS LCDs usually come with a black-box driver chip. Hopefully, Foundation Devices were able to avoid that here, but I couldn't find detailed information about it.

Camera
Like the screen, the camera was recessed, which should protect it from damages. Unlike the screen, the module used remained the same. I mentioned it in my summary, but unfortunately the new firmware appears to detect QR codes slower than FE. It works very well when the QR code's resolution is not too high (more codes, less data per code), but struggles with more complex images that the old device handles like a champ.

I hope that Foundation Devices @zherbert @FoundationKen look more into this; fast readout of PSBT is what makes or breaks the Passport, in my opinion; and I must say that it's more reliably fast to use the Founders Edition, especially when playing around with different wallets.

In general, my devices (PC, phone) are better at reading out QR codes from either Passport's screen when setting the QR code size to 'largest' (at the expense of scanning more of them), but such a setting is actually lacking in the different wallet software I tried.
So, while it would be great for both Passports to perform equally (given same hardware), improvements to host software would also be welcome. Foundation Devices' own software (Envoy) has a good QR code density though; more on it later.

[n0nce]

New firmware features
Multisig

Multisig wallets were supported by the Founders Edition when I wrote my first review, but I didn't try it; so it's only a 'new feature' for me.
I set up a 2-out-of-3 multisig in Sparrow using Econoalchemist's guide. Instead of a ColdCard, I used my two Passports and a local wallet as third keystore (like him). It worked like a charm and was super easy to set up and use. Highly recommend it.

Casa

It is now possible to use the Passport with Casa, which then shows up as an extra 'account' next to all your regular accounts.
In addition to the regular 3 options, there is a 'Health Check' and a 'Connect to Casa' option; I haven't tried those though, since I'm not a Casa customer / user. I don't think this option is very important / interesting for regular readers of the 'Development & Technical Discussion' section, anyway, but good to know that it's supported, in case you're looking for a device for a friend who's interested in the service Casa is offering.

CoinJoin Postmix (Whirlpool)
Similar to the Casa option, when activating the 'Postmix' account under 'Settings > Extensions > Postmix', you get a new account on the main page with a specific derivation path (m/84'/0'/2147483646'). Its specialty is that it allows to re-mix / join deposited coins with Whirlpool without paying fees over and over again.


Envoy App
Together with Passport Batch 2, Foundation Devices also released their Envoy host software, for Android and iOS.
It's mostly a bare-bones wallet without multisig support or any bells and whistles, but it's more than good enough to get started and the killer feature is the ability to update the Passports through it, using the included microSD adapters.
It was a necessity for me that it doesn't have push notifications or any other network calls except the ones going directly to the Electrum server - which can be specified by the user; including Tor support.
There is a section with their tutorial videos, but opening those shouldn't leak anything about your device, seed or addresses and it's obviously all open-source.

[n0nce]

Misc
3D-printable custom back cover anyone?
This is the original STEP file for the back cover. I'll actually try getting it resin-printed in black or maybe doing it myself with traditional FDM printing, to get a cleaner all-black look. The beauty that is open-source hardware!
https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport2-hardware/blob/main/mechanical/STEP%20Files/FD-KL-COVER-REAR-REV-D.stp

Privacy policy / data handling
The TOU and privacy policy haven't changed since my last review. I appreciated that they're relatively simple to read (content and webpage layout); however a few items in the privacy policy stood out to other Bitcointalk users.

We got a reply on such a question by Zach Herbert below; he also mentions that they self-host a lot of services and delete data much faster than most other wallet manufacturers.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5382675.msg60928948#msg60928948

Pricing & Discounts
During the preorder phase, Batch 2 was priced at $199 (without VAT or shipping). As a Founders Edition owner, I got a 21% discount, bringing down the price to just $158 USD, which is why I immediately bought it. Basically half the price of Founders Edition.

Right now Batch 2 is listed for $259 USD, which is still less than FE, is supposed to ship very shortly (this same month) and is overall better in all aspects (except maybe the camera bug).
I believe you could get $10 off through a referral code, but I didn't want to look more into this (whether referrals still exist or not, how to do it...) and getting my own one, such that I won't be financially influenced in my review. In the rare case that you can't find such code, you can DM me and I'll have a look; would donate or otherwise give-away my reward, though.

Edit: I realized today that the following deal is still up. Foundation Devices gift cards with 10% discount.

We have officially teamed up with Coincards
Now you can buy a Passport #bitcoin wallet at a discount!
Simply purchase a Foundation gift card @CoinCards at 10% off and redeem on our site: foundationdevices.com

The other day, I came up with an idea: Since Founders Edition is still a very good device, the R&D has been completed and paid for, how about selling a low-cost (plastic) version of it at a lower price? Similar to the iPhone 5C back in the day (and similar instances) where a still relevant device gets re-released with lower material cost and lower price. Something like $150 would be very competitive in the current hardware wallet landscape.

Questions to Foundation Devices
In case @zherbert or @FoundationKen read this, I'd highly appreciate if they could answer these questions.
(1) Is the camera issue internally known / worked on already? I noticed big changes in the camera codebase, and highly suspect a software bug.
(2) Could you elaborate on your offline data storage solution and who can access it?

It would be interesting to learn more about their offline solution and how they deal with security. Who has access to the data, and decryption keys for example? If I was a pissed off Foundation employee and a scumbag looking to profit anyway possible, could I easily gain access to the offline system and copy what I need from it?  

(3) Are any discounts planned this year (e.g. for the black friday weekend)? ^{[Edit: 1. December 2022 - this is obsolete now. ]}

My improvement suggestions / requests

• Look into the slow QR code verification / check why FE did it better.
  
• Bring back seed phrase verification (having to type it back in, after writing it down) from FE.
  
• Show 'Security Words' at Login by default (like on FE).
  
• Don't reset 'Network' preference to 'mainnet' after a reboot.
• Release screen protectors and silicone protection cases (for everyday usage).
• Release a low-cost version (e.g. full plastic as described above) of Founders Edition.
  

[n0nce]

Detailed setup / walkthrough photo gallery

I was able to easily take these screenshots using the simulator from Foundation Devices' v2.x.x series of firmware for Passport repo that, should also be able to run on Founders Edition (mono parameter instead of color).

[n0nce]

Passport v2.x.x Firmware Simulator
The instructions for installing it on a fresh Ubuntu box are as follows (copied from my post here).

[1] Get Ubuntu 22.04.1 ISO and spin up the VM.
[2] Update all packages (after all, this is a fresh Ubuntu install).

Code:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

[3] Install git and dependencies

Code:

sudo apt install git autotools-dev automake libusb-1.0-0-dev libtool python3-virtualenv libsdl2-dev pkg-config curl gcc xterm

[4] Clone repository

Code:

git clone https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport2.git
cd passport2/simulator

[5] Install Rust & Cargo (never hurts ) to then install 'Just' (command runner).

Code:

curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh
cargo install just

[6] Create work and snapshots folders (not sure why they don't exist) Edit: added microsd folder which emulates an inserted microSD.

Code:

mkdir work snapshots
mkdir work/microsd

[7] Start simulator (this builds the firmware)

Code:

just sim color

To get the camera working (kinda needed for supply chain validation), install OBS with its virtual camera feature, as well.
[8] Install QT6 dependency and OBS itself.

Code:

sudo apt install qt6-base-dev qt6-wayland # may not be required; maybe try without and report back :)
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
sudo apt update
sudo apt install obs-studio

Then, start OBS, add an image of whatever QR code and make it nice and big. Images below. Lastly, restart the simulator.
If you want to reset the simulator, delete the work folder that you created earlier and re-create it (or delete all files within it).


Left: OBS setup steps; Right: How it should look like with everything set up correctly. Notice the QR code rather big and the Virtual Camera running.


Left: Camera view of Passport simulator. The QR code is a bit too large, therefore no successful scan. Right: As soon as I resized it a bit, such that it fits inside the camera view, it is scanned and the words are shown (I believe always the same hardcoded words in the simulator during Supply Chain Validation, since it doesn't obviously contain the actual secret).
Decoding addresses and transactions should work correctly, though.

[Pmalek]

Excellent review. I loved reading it!

Too bad there is only one paper card for the seed and backup codes. The competition includes 2 or 3. The microSD backup doesn't back up the seed as well, does it?
The change of batteries to rechargeable ones with over 4 hours of stand-by life is a welcome edition.

I have some questions.
You mentioned that Batch 2 uses a screen with a closed-source driver chip. What's the worst case scenario there?
Doesn't Batch 2 have any type of seed verification after the initial onboarding process?

[n0nce]

Excellent review. I loved reading it!

Thanks for your quick feedback.

Too bad there is only one paper card for the seed and backup codes. The competition includes 2 or 3. The microSD backup doesn't back up the seed as well, does it?
The change of batteries to rechargeable ones with over 4 hours of stand-by life is a welcome edition.

Good point; compared to microSD cards, it should be super cheap to ship one more paper backup card. The microSD backup does include the seed phrase, although encrypted with a 20-digit numerical code.

I have some questions.
You mentioned that Batch 2 uses a screen with a closed-source driver chip. What's the worst case scenario there?
Doesn't Batch 2 have any type of seed verification after the initial onboarding process?

I'm not sure that they use such a chip; it would be great to hear what LCD they use exactly and how it's driven.
The idea with the Sharp display on the Founders Edition is similar to what https://betrusted.io/ are doing; where there's just no 'trusted' component. Also makes it easier to do a hardware implant attack (e.g. chip replacement) when a driver chip exists. Otherwise, what are you going to replace, right?

Unfortunately, you are not asked to input back the seed, which is why I mentioned it as an improvement request.
It doesn't look like an oversight (e.g. 'commented it out during testing'), since the SeedCheckUX file is missing completely from the new repo.

[m2017]

A very detailed review containing important clarifications, which certainly deserves praise. Reviews of this level and quality are rare and only in those cases when the user is really passionate about this device, like a Passport. Great job n0nce.

Undoubtedly, Passport turned out to be successful and has many advantages over hardware wallets from other manufacturers. One of which, in my opinion, is a removable battery that can be replaced if the battery is suddenly dead and immediately used, which makes the device autonomous. Therefore, you can immediately buy another BL-5C battery (or pick up from your old Nokia phone) and keep it on hand for such cases.

Thanks to n0nce's reviews, I have been watching passport for a long time, which I also like (not as a user). I hope this project will develop further and improve its devices for the benefit of the crypto community.

[RickDeckard]

I was looking forward for this review for quite some time n0nce, it's awesome to be able to finally read it! As for the device, FE2 improved in the topics that I hoped (mostly battery + screen), but it's sad to hear that the keyboard has a "bland" touch. Granted, for sure it's great that they improved the other two areas, but I was hoping that the keyboard and camera would still be left untouched regarding quality and "feeling", but it seems that isn't the case. The positive news that I can take from this is that this mostly can be solved by a future software update (or at least I hope so). This particular paragraph activated my "paranoid" sense:

It's worth noting that it did improve a bit over time, especially the most used (numbers and navigation) keys.

I know that the odds are very, very slim, but assuming that someone got a hold of the device, could they extrapolate, based on the "used keys" on the keyboard, your PIN code? I know the odds are slim, but this idea just came to my mind ...

I still think that one downside of the device is the premium price - If I were to purchase one I would be looking at 330 € (Model T would be around 270 € with support to multiple cryptocurrencies) - but I reckon that the only way to deal with the high price would be to have a manufacturing unit somewhere in Europe and for sure that isn't the plan in the short term. Like you said n0nce, the best option would be a FE2A option (similar to the Pixel A line) where they would go down on the materials to the bare minimum to try and still deliver a sustainable device.

Once again, thank you for the superb review!

PS: @zachherbert is quite active on Twitter so it would be really awesome to see him reply (or even promote!) your thread over there. Let's hope he manages to come here!

[n0nce]

I was hoping that the keyboard and camera would still be left untouched regarding quality and "feeling", but it seems that isn't the case.

To be honest, I wouldn't even necessarily say that the quality of the keypad got worse; the buttons even feel more durable, it's just a different type of actuator probably.
Camera is untouched, so the differences should be down to firmware.

This particular paragraph activated my "paranoid" sense:

It's worth noting that it did improve a bit over time, especially the most used (numbers and navigation) keys.

I know that the odds are very, very slim, but assuming that someone got a hold of the device, could they extrapolate, based on the "used keys" on the keyboard, your PIN code? I know the odds are slim, but this idea just came to my mind ...

Good question, didn't cross my mind. From my experience, the difference in key feel is not nearly as drastic that you could tell which keys were pressed more often. Maybe the navigation keys also just feel better since they are separate from the keypad. Nothing to be concerned about, though.. I probably also got used to it a bit.

I still think that one downside of the device is the premium price - If I were to purchase one I would be looking at 330 € (Model T would be around 270 € with support to multiple cryptocurrencies)

Agreed; the price is definitely high. Surprisingly, it's hard to find hardware wallets with open-source firmware and hardware, plus QR air-gap and all of the other Passport features. No real competition except the Passport Founders Edition. I suppose that manufacturing in the US is also costly, but that also increases my personal confidence in the device.
You do feel that these devices are no China products; the premium price tag reflects in a premium build quality. My FE looks just like it arrived roughly a year ago.

If you can live with a closed-source hardware platform though, I believe that Keystone would give you a lot of wallet, for under $200, even under $100 with current discounts. I may actually try it out myself; not sure.

I would definitely appreciate a 'lite' version or a kind of mass-produceable (injection molding for all parts) version of either Passport at a lower price point. Keep in mind both of these have a metal interior piece that gives it structure and heft, which could be replaced. Maybe a monochrome LCD would be cheaper as well, and the device could even be offered without battery, in case you already have some BL-5C kicking around. I believe shipping devices with batteries is also more expensive, so another area to potentially cut some costs.

[ABCbits]

The Batch 2 uses default Nokia BL-5C rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (you all know them). They have been around for almost 20 years and millions of these are available on the market, so I think we're pretty future-proof with this choice - regardless of whether Foundation Devices sells or doesn't sell replacements, stops production, or even goes bankrupt.

This is first time i've heard type of this battery. While this battery is indeed popular (based on search result on local online shop/marketplace), i have few small concern about obtaining replacement battery. For example,
1. Which seller sell good quality battery? I know i should avoid battery which cost less than $1, but expensive doesn't always mean better since it could be overpriced battery.
2. Which brand should i pick? Battery with brand "Nokia" (i use double quote since i don't know whether it's bootleg or not) or third-party brand (vizz, xtrikeme, sailsway, hk, etc.).

I don't have electronics/electrical engineering so i can't simply seek batch 2's schematic and check whether it has strong protection against defective battery.

New firmware features
CoinJoin Postmix
Similar to the Casa option, when activating the 'Postmix' account under 'Settings > Extensions > Postmix', you get a new account on the main page with a specific derivation path. Its specialty is that it allows to re-mix / join without paying fees over and over again.

Does this feature refer to mixing on Whirlpool protocol/Sparrow wallet?

[n0nce]

The Batch 2 uses default Nokia BL-5C rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (you all know them). They have been around for almost 20 years and millions of these are available on the market, so I think we're pretty future-proof with this choice - regardless of whether Foundation Devices sells or doesn't sell replacements, stops production, or even goes bankrupt.

This is first time i've heard type of this battery. While this battery is indeed popular (based on search result on local online shop/marketplace), i have few small concern about obtaining replacement battery. For example,
1. Which seller sell good quality battery? I know i should avoid battery which cost less than $1, but expensive doesn't always mean better since it could be overpriced battery.
2. Which brand should i pick? Battery with brand "Nokia" (i use double quote since i don't know whether it's bootleg or not) or third-party brand (vizz, xtrikeme, sailsway, hk, etc.).

I don't have electronics/electrical engineering so i can't simply seek batch 2's schematic and check whether it has strong protection against defective battery.

Good question; I'd probably use a generic BL-5C, probably from a local seller so at least it has to have CE compliance.
I'd really recommend Foundation Devices to start offering 'accessories' in their shop; it's a good way to keep revenue flowing in, after a user bought your product. Especially for premium products (like Passport) that customers don't want to replace every year.
I'm talking: replacement BL-5C batteries, industrial microSD cards, replacement Lithium AAA's (for FE), replacement back-covers in different colors (customization), screen protectors and protective cases for everyday usage.

New firmware features
CoinJoin Postmix
Similar to the Casa option, when activating the 'Postmix' account under 'Settings > Extensions > Postmix', you get a new account on the main page with a specific derivation path. Its specialty is that it allows to re-mix / join without paying fees over and over again.

Does this feature refer to mixing on Whirlpool protocol/Sparrow wallet?

Yes, exactly! I should specify that more clearly, thanks.

[SFR10]

The buttons just have very little travel and thus no big, firm 'bump' that you 'press through'.

As someone who is currently using a keyboard with a short travel distance, I would've included it in the category of positive changes ^{[it comes down to personal preference]}.

However, it appears to take slightly longer to scan QR codes; more details below.  

but unfortunately the new firmware appears to detect QR codes slower than FE.

The "latest firmware" was supposed to improve QR code scanning, so are you implying that ^{[apart from the better performance on FE]} you didn't notice any improvement from the previous firmware ^[v2.0.3] or it became worse?
^{- Out of curiosity, is there an option to downgrade it (directly or through the Envoy app)?}
BTW, this is hands down one of the best HW reviews in this sub-board ^{[I salute you]}.

[n0nce]

The buttons just have very little travel and thus no big, firm 'bump' that you 'press through'.

As someone who is currently using a keyboard with a short travel distance, I would've included it in the category of positive changes ^{[it comes down to personal preference]}.

True; to me it was negative, but I may need to reclassify it as 'Neutral'. Do keep in mind that the travel distance of any such small devices' buttons is always way smaller than even what you find on low-keytravel laptop keyboards.
I guess if that's really important to someone, they could check out one of the various Bitcoin conferences that Foundation Devices participate in, to try it in person before buying.

However, it appears to take slightly longer to scan QR codes; more details below.  

but unfortunately the new firmware appears to detect QR codes slower than FE.

The "latest firmware" was supposed to improve QR code scanning, so are you implying that ^{[apart from the better performance on FE]} you didn't notice any improvement from the previous firmware ^[v2.0.3] or it became worse?

Yes, 2.0.4 improved it a little bit; I actually used the 2.0.4 beta from upstream GitHub (using the 'upload developer public key' feature), very early on, so this review is completely based on v2.0.4 already.
Downgrading works; at least from 2.0.4 beta to 2.0.3 (release) worked without issues.

^{- Out of curiosity, is there an option to downgrade it (directly or through the Envoy app)?}

Since you mention: 'directly or through the Envoy app' - the upgrade process is always the same, there is no or. Either you download the new firmware with a PC and copy it to the microSD card, or use the Envoy app for that, which does the exact same thing. After inserting the microSD into Passport, it finds the file, verifies it and upgrades to it.

BTW, this is hands down one of the best HW reviews in this sub-board ^{[I salute you]}.

Thanks.

[dkbit98]

@n0nce  this was well written amazing review of Passport batch2 hardware wallet, and it took me some time to read everything.
Hands down I think this is currently one of the best open source Bitcoin hardware wallets available in market.
Some people could complain about lack of support for shitcoins, but this is only positive thing for me.
Compared to it's older brother Coldcard, this is big step in right direction in every way, and solid improvement from Foundation edition.
I can't wait to see what device is Foundation going to release next.

I'd really recommend Foundation Devices to start offering 'accessories' in their shop; it's a good way to keep revenue flowing in, after a user bought your product. Especially for premium products (like Passport) that customers don't want to replace every year.

For sure they need to offer cases for devices, in same way like most people use cases for their phones.
Same thing with batteries, and they could even earn extra sats for selling this, just look what Trezor is doing.

[meerabhai]

Great review, thanks for that.

Also got my Passport 2 a few days ago and really like it.

One very positive thing that stuck out to me:

This is the first hardware wallet with which it's not a complete pain to type in words like seed etc. Even though it has a number pad just like the coldcard, it uses a different system and it's very fast, like typing text on an old nokia phone.

A few things I would like to see:

Seed XOR and BIP 85

Also, is there any reason there has to be a ten account limit?

[n0nce]

@n0nce  this was well written amazing review of Passport batch2 hardware wallet, and it took me some time to read everything.
Hands down I think this is currently one of the best open source Bitcoin hardware wallets available in market.
Some people could complain about lack of support for shitcoins, but this is only positive thing for me.
Compared to it's older brother Coldcard, this is big step in right direction in every way, and solid improvement from Foundation edition.
I can't wait to see what device is Foundation going to release next.

Agree with everything! Alone the fact that it has no 'integration with centralized exchange X' or even an overly complex host software at all, should give users confidence that they didn't waste time and developer attention into such features and instead focused on making a secure Bitcoin storage and signing device.
I'd still like to see them get external security audits done; not sure if they've done anything like that. It's usually quite expensive and with FE only having sold 1000 units total, I don't know that you can afford that at such small scale. But this is a security device so it should be a very high priority, now that they (hopefully) sell lots more devices with Batch 2 and onwards.

I'd really recommend Foundation Devices to start offering 'accessories' in their shop; it's a good way to keep revenue flowing in, after a user bought your product. Especially for premium products (like Passport) that customers don't want to replace every year.

For sure they need to offer cases for devices, in same way like most people use cases for their phones.
Same thing with batteries, and they could even earn extra sats for selling this, just look what Trezor is doing.

Exactly; it's a win-win situation. I'm suggesting it for both making users more comfortable carrying such a device with them, and basically replacing the need for storing keys on their insecure mobile devices (phones / laptops). And at the same time it would keep cash flow coming after Foundation sold someone the device, which is always good for the company. I'd really like to see them succeed long-term. Other manufacturers like ShiftCrypto (BitBox), for instance sell backup cards, sealed bags and small goodies which I can definitely see people buying little by little, the more they dive into Bitcoin, secure storage, secure backups and multisig.

Also got my Passport 2 a few days ago and really like it.

That's good to know! One more Bitcointalk user to potentially discuss new features or issues as we keep using this device..

One very positive thing that stuck out to me:
This is the first hardware wallet with which it's not a complete pain to type in words like seed etc. Even though it has a number pad just like the coldcard, it uses a different system and it's very fast, like typing text on an old nokia phone.

Good point! I believe I mentioned it in my Founders Edition review; I totally agree with that. I'm way more comfortable using a more complex device password and more complex passphrase on this, due to being so comfortable and quick to enter them.

A few things I would like to see:
Seed XOR and BIP 85

Do you know whether they're working on that yet? I'll have to check if they have a blog or Twitter post about that.

Also, is there any reason there has to be a ten account limit?

There is? I haven't tried creating more than 10 accounts; good to know, though.

[meerabhai]

Do you know whether they're working on that yet? I'll have to check if they have a blog or Twitter post about that.

Not that I know of, this is just something from coldcard and that's what I've been primarily comparing it to. I really like the "feature rich" approach of coldcard.

Passport tries to be simpler and succeeds at that but they could include some more advanced features safely tucked away in the "danger zone".

What it also really misses even more are pin options, like "duress pin" etc.

There is? I haven't tried creating more than 10 accounts; good to know, though.

Yes, interestingly Sparrow wallet has the same ten account limit. At least Passport allows any derivation path whereas on Sparrow you're stuck with 0 to 9.

[n0nce]

I really like the "feature rich" approach of coldcard.
Passport tries to be simpler and succeeds at that but they could include some more advanced features safely tucked away in the "danger zone".
What it also really misses even more are pin options, like "duress pin" etc.

While it is definitely simple to set up and use, it also has 'advanced features' that CC doesn't have. For instance the (very convenient) QR code communication feature and CoinJoin postmix with Whirlpool.
I'm not sure that the lack of 'duress pin' or self-destruction pin are left out for simplicity, but rather because they think it's a bad idea to have / use one.

There is? I haven't tried creating more than 10 accounts; good to know, though.

Yes, interestingly Sparrow wallet has the same ten account limit. At least Passport allows any derivation path whereas on Sparrow you're stuck with 0 to 9.

So you can create derivation path 0', 1000', 6969' on Passport, but only 10 of them in total, while in Sparrow you can only go up to 9'. Good to know (though I'm not sure why someone would need that).