CONCLUSION

   Just like with every other hardware encrypted drive that has found its way to the lab/office after trying several ways (mostly brute force related) to access the data inside the DL4 FE i was unable to (as expected really). Of course, I’m no hacker (which means that if you have a specific way, you’d like me to try feel free to ask) but at the same time i really see no reason for me to doubt all the certifications such models have so encryption is clearly a pass. Now what i didn’t like with the DL3 FE SSD (and i had discussed about this with DataLocker quite extensively) was its read and write performance. Well, the DL4 FE is over twice as fast and even though that’s nowhere near to what we see with regular USB 3.2 Gen2 or Gen2x2 portable SSDs it’s still quite on par with what the competition offers. Again, i do hope DataLocker takes things a step further and starts using M.2 NVMe drives with Gen 2x2 controllers (even Gen 2 would do fine however) for the extremely demanding users but as things stand i really have no problem with the performance of the DL4 FE SSD. As for the lack of a rubber bumber like with the DL3 FE model, well that's what the cloth cover/pouch is for so that's not really an issue.

   Retailing for USD613 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 554.28Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the DL4 FE 1TB USB 3.2 Gen 1 Hardware Encrypted Portable SSD by DataLocker is clearly far from what regular consumers would call affordable. Still, it’s really important to remember that hardware encrypted drives like the DL4 FE and many others like it are not targeted towards regular consumers, at least not primarily. So, leaving out the price factor the main question is whether or not one such drive delivers everything the manufacturer advertises it for and since the DL4 FE clearly does it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- PIN Authentication
- Security Measures (AES XTS & CBC 256-bit Hardware Encryption / Brute Force Protection / Auto Lock / Self Destruct / Silentkill / Remote Detonation / Read Only / Zeroing)
- Good Performance
- Color LCD Touch Screen
- Alphanumeric Rotating Keypad
- Available In 1/2/4/7.6/15.3TB SSD Capacities
- HDD & SSD Models
- SafeConsole Remote Administration
- 3 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Color LCD Screen Durability?