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If you're looking for a super-fast portable drive, there's now a new and possibly excellent option. Crucial, the memory and storage brand of Micron, announced today its first mobile storage device, the Crucial X8 Portable SSD.
Update: The full review of the Crucial X8 is available here.
Crucial X8: A formidable contender
As the name suggests, the new device is SSD-based, meaning it houses a solid-state drive inside and not a hard drive. Even better, it's one of a few that uses an M.2 NVMe internal drive, likely the Crucial P1, and not a standard 2.5-inch SSD.
| Crucial X8 Portable SSD | |
| Capacity | 500GB / 1TB |
| Part Number | CT500X8SSD9 / CT1000X8SSD9 |
| UPC | 649528822406 / 649528822413 |
| Memory Type | Micron 3D NAND |
| Product Color | Black |
| Dimensions | 5.01 x 3.64 x 0.944 (127.5 x 92.5 x 24 mm) |
| Weight | 5.22 oz (148 g) |
| Copy Speed | Up to 1050 MB/s |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10Gb/s) |
| Backward Compatiblity | USB 3.2 Gen1 (formerly USB 3.0) (5Gb/s), USB 2.0 |
| Non-operating Shock Resistance | Exposure up to 1500 G/s for 0.5ms |
| Drop Resistance | Up to 7.5 ft (2 m) on carpet surface |
| Power Usage | USB Bus Powered (minimum 5V 1.5A required) |
| Package Content | Crucial X8 Portable SSD, USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A adapter, Quick-Start guide |
| Warranty | 3-year limited warranty |
Featuring USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps), the X8 is somewhat the USB-C counterpart of the Samsung X5, which only works with Thunderbolt 3. The drive does work with a Thunderbolt 3 port but at a slower speed compared to the Samsung.
Crucial says the new portable drive can deliver a copy speed of 1050 MB/s and is compatible with computers, tablets, smartphones, and game consoles. It's also rugged, capable of surviving drops from up to 7.5 feet (2.3 m) on to a carpeted floor. The drive is also shock- and vibration-proof.
Availability and pricing
The Crucial X8 comes in two capacities of 500GB and 1TB and has the suggested price of $119.99 and $$189.99, respectively. You'll be able to get your own on November 26.
Hopefully it won’t have issues with sustained writes like all of the large USB drive keys do. The ones that brag about their speed are referring to their read speed. Most seem slow and the write speeds seem to fall off quickly as they get hot.
We’ll find out when I get my review unit.:)