INTRODUCTION

   Since their debut in the market roughly 7 years ago portable SSDs have set new standards, not just thanks to their performance but also their size/capacity ratio. Yes, 2.5" portable HDDs are not exactly large and exist in capacities of up to 5TB whereas USB flash drives have even touched 2TB but portable SSDs are available at up to 4TB and clearly sit right between the two in terms of size. On top of that performance is a crucial element when people (especially professionals) are out to get a new portable drive and that's something portable SSDs are second best to none. Crucial released their X6 line of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSDs in mid-2020 and even though i did have the chance to test the 2TB model (review here) since they did expand the line with a faster 4TB variant last year i really wanted to check it out.

   Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc. Crucial solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory (DRAM) upgrades are compatible with over 100,000 new and old desktops, laptops, workstations and servers. Crucial Ballistix memory delivers a performance edge to gamers, enthusiasts and power users. Available worldwide at leading retail and e-tail stores, commercial resellers and system integrators, Crucial products enhance system performance and user productivity. Learn more at crucial.com.

   Currently the X6 line USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSDs is available in 500GB/1TB/2TB/4TB capacities and under the hood of the X6 4TB enclosure (made out of plastic as with all X6 models) we find the DRAM-less Phison PS2251-17 NAND flash controller (native USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 - no bridge chip required) which always according to the manufacturer can achieve speeds of up to 1000-800MB/s in sequential reads and writes respectively (800MB/s for the 4TB model - 500GB/1TB/2TB models only go up to 540MB/s). Just like with previous models for their X6 4TB portable SSD Crucial has paired the PS2251-17 NAND flash controller with Micron's 96-layer 3D QLC NAND Flash (4 modules). Needless to say, the X6 4TB supports both SMART and TRIM technologies and just like its predecessors is covered by a 3-year limited warranty.