This little device looks more like a receiver for a USB mouse or a small flash drive than a fast SSD, but that’s exactly what Buffalo will launch in November.
Priced at approximately $125 (based on a retail price of 18,800 yen), the SSD-PST1.0U3-BA sets new standards for the smallest SSDs. It measures just 14.6 x 28 x 8mm (extends just 17mm when connected to a device) and weighs 4.5g, which according to the manufacturer also makes it the lightest in the world – so even though it might accidentally eat may be inconvenient, these dimensions make it dangerously easy to lose.
The SSD is compatible with the USB-A 3.1 port, from which it draws power, and is sold in 1TB models, as well as 500GB and 250GB models, which according to PC watch. Unfortunately, none of these devices are available outside of East Asia.
The smallest SSD in the world, but how fast is it?
Buffalo’s small SSD offers read speeds of 600 MB/s and write speeds of 500 MB/s, according to CrystalDiskMark (CDM) testing by Buffalo. This means that it is nowhere near the speeds recorded by the fastest external SSDs out there, but it does exceed the speeds that some of the fastest external hard drives.
When it comes to SSDs, the 2TB model is the SanDisk Professional PRO-G40 SSDfor example, is the fastest we’ve tested at the time of writing, reaching speeds of over 3,150 MB/s for reads and 2,700 MB/s for writes.
The smallest SSD we tested that you can buy today, the Kingston XS2000, achieved speeds of 1,062 MB/s reading and 999 MB/s writing via CDM testing. In contrast, this weighs almost five times as much as the Buffalo device and measures 13 x 32 x 67mm.
As for hard drives, the SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE desktopfor example, can reach speeds of up to 280 MB/s.
The minuscule size is perhaps more attractive than the data transfer speeds and 1TB storage capacity. This means that it is undoubtedly a shout to be one of the best portable SSDs you can buy today. That is, if you live in the right part of the world.