Lexar unveils a slew of external SSDs in an attempt to grab a bigger share of the professional portable SSD market – too bad none come with USB4 or Thunderbolt 4
Lexar has unveiled two new portable SSDs (Solid-State Drives) as part of a strategic partnership with Silicon Motion. The collaboration, unveiled at CES 2024, aims to increase the competitiveness of Lexar’s portable solutions by combining its proprietary storage products with Silicon Motion’s controller chips.
The first product to emerge from this collaboration is the Lexar SL500 portable SSD.
With read and write speeds of up to 2000 MB/s and 1800 MB/s respectively, the SL500 is powered by Silicon Motion’s portable SSD controllers. It can be used with a variety of devices including laptops, cameras and mobile devices. Notably, it supports Apple Log video recording in 4K 60FPS ProRes format on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The second product is the Lexar ARMOR 700. It has storage capacities ranging from 1TB to 4TB, with read and write speeds of up to 2000MB/s. Protected by a rugged rubber exterior and an IP66 rating against dust and water damage, the ARMOR 700 is designed to be highly durable. It also offers a drop resistance of 3 meters, ensuring the safety of files even in unexpected situations.
And there is more
Both new devices use Silicon Motion’s single-chip portable SSD controller solution, which combines integrated hardware, software and data security features. They are equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface and four NAND channels.
In addition, the company also made the Professional SL600 portable SSD (in 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities), and SL660 BLAZE Gaming Portable SSD (in 512 GB and 1 TB capacities). These are both already listed on Lexar’s site.
Despite the impressive features, it’s a shame that none of Lexar’s new devices come with USB4 or Thunderbolt 4. This could be a missed opportunity for Lexar in its bid to capture a larger share of the professional portable SSD market .
Currently, there’s no word on pricing or availability, but Lexar plans to launch these products in the first quarter of 2024.