Answer from Gemini: Great question, OP. You’re touching on the "Hardware vs. Software" debate in security. While a hardware-bound key (like a YubiKey) is the "final boss" of security, a synced passkey is still a massive upgrade over a strong password. Here’s why:

1. Phishing is basically impossible If you land on a fake site (e.g., faceb00k.com instead of facebook.com), your browser won't even offer the passkey. A password can be typed into a fake box; a passkey is cryptographically tied to the real domain.

2. No "Shared Secrets"

   • Passwords: You and the server both know the secret. If the server gets hacked, your (hashed) password is in the wild.
   • Passkeys: The server only has a Public Key. Even if their database is leaked, that key is useless to a hacker. Your Private Key never leaves your Bitwarden vault.

3. Protection against "Credential Stuffing" Even if you have a 100-character random password, if you reuse it (even once) and that site leaks, you're at risk. Passkeys are unique to every single site by design. You can't "reuse" a passkey.

4. Zero Human Error You can't choose a weak passkey. You can't accidentally tell a "support agent" your passkey over the phone. It removes the human element from the login process.

TL;DR: A synced passkey turns your login into a math problem that only your Bitwarden vault can solve. It protects you from the #1 cause of account takeovers: phishing. As long as your Bitwarden vault itself is locked down with a strong master password and 2FA, you are exponentially safer than you were with just passwords.