Crucial X8 1TB External SSD Review

Rating: 8.0.

Crucial's first crack at the external SSD market is the X8, a drive offering some impressive transfer speeds thanks to its internal NVMe SSD and a 10Gb/s USB Type-C interface. Priced around the £160 mark, is this a compelling option if you want 1TB of external storage space?

At the time of writing this review, the X8 is available in just two capacities, 500GB and the flagship 1TB drive we are reviewing here. Inside the chassis sits a Crucial P1 NVMe M.2 drive so we are looking at an SSD that uses four bit per cell (QLC) NAND flash memory. Officially the drives are rated as up to 1,050MB/s for Sequential reads, but no information is given on write speeds.

Crucial state that the drive can survive a drop up to 2m on a carpeted floor without damaging the data on the drive and it can work with a variety of devices, including PCs, Macs, PS4s, XBOX Ones, iPad Pros, Chromebooks, and select Android devices.

Crucial back the drive with a three-year limited warranty.

Physical Specifications:

• Usable Capacities:  1TB.
• NAND Components: Micron 64-layer QLC NAND.
• Interface: USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gb/s).
• Form Factor: External.
• NAND Controller: Silicon Motion SM2263.
• Dimensions: 110 x 53 x 11.5mm.
• Drive Weight: 97g.

Firmware Version: P3CR013

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