INTRODUCTION

   The main concept behind portable storage media has literally been the same for as long as i can remember. So, performance aside whether it's a flash drive, portable hard disk or solid state drive or even a memory card the entire idea is to carry enough storage space with you to fit data, regardless of type. What has changed slightly is the ways one can secure that data and even though to that end most people use software based encryption hardware based models are not only far more secure but they are also available in various types (keypad, touch screen, bluetooth and RFID) and i can't help but to point out that they look a lot cooler as well. Kingston is the latest storage media brand to release a touch screen model, the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES the 480GB variant of which i have here with me today.

   Kingston Technology Europe Co LLP and Kingston Technology Company, Inc., are part of the same corporate group (“Kingston”). Kingston is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world’s largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com.

   Kingston currently has the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES line (OS independent) available in 3 different capacities (480/960/1920GB) all of which feature a color touch-screen (all drive properties are adjusted from here so there's basically no need to even read the instructions), are based on SATA III/600 solid state drives and follow the USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard (up to 250MB/s read/write). As with other secure portable SSD models today the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES sports FIPS 197 certified XTS AES 256-bit encryption together with a common criteria EAL5+ certified controller thus safeguarding your sensitive data against BadUSB and brute force attacks (data is erased after a user specified number of failed PIN attempts). Of course, the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES also comes ready with secondary security features like multi-password support (admin access recovery), auto timeout (drive lock), touch screen layout randomizer, secure-erase, and read-only protection. In terms of warranty Kingston covers the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES line with a 3-year limited one.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As expected, the front of the box inside which Kingston ships the Vault Privacy 80ES has a large product picture at the front alongside their logo and the main features.

The bundle contents are listed on the left side.

A quick product description is placed at the rear of the box in 10 languages.

The drive is protected by both a formed piece of cardboard and the soft travel/storage case.

Along with the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES and its soft travel/storage case inside the box you’ll also find a USB-A to USB-C cable, USB-C cable and the quick start guide.

THE IRONKEY VAULT PRIVACY 80ES 480GB

The plastic and zinc enclosure of the Vault Privacy 80ES measures 122.5mm in length, 84.2mm in width, 18.5mm in thickness.

Here you can see how the Vault Privacy 80ES compares to other encrypted portable SSDs including the DL4 FE and DL3 FE by DataLocker, the SECUREDRIVE KP 2TB by SECUREDATA and the DiskAshur PRO2 4TB by iStorage.

The color touch screen is quite large and almost identical to that of the DL4 model by DataLocker (an activity LED is placed right over it).

Kingston has placed the USB-C port at the front of the enclosure as seen above.

A sticker at the rear of the enclosure contains information about the drive such as its capacity, serial number, barcode and several certifications.

MENUS

The first screen allows you to choose the menu language and set a password.

You can set a password from 6 to 64 characters.

From the main menu every time you plug the Vault Privacy 80ES you can choose between connect (full read and write) and read-only.

Once connected the display indicates the encryption and of course also allows you to lock and disconnect the drive.

From inside the options, you can set the password, change between user accounts, enable read-only mode, set rules and length for passwords, set the password counter, enable/disable the screen randomizer feature, adjust auto-lock and screen brightness, change the language, use the secure-erase function, perform a screen calibration and enable/disable touch sounds.

The menus can be displayed in English, French, Deutsch and Spanish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Solid state drives are basically the same as USB flash drives and so we’re using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record achieved read & write performance numbers in our charts*. The benchmark suites used are HD Tach RW (Read Speeds / Long Bench 32mb Zone Testing), HD Tune Pro (Read / Write speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Titanium 2020 (Read / Write speeds), AIDA64 Engineer Edition (Average Linear / Random Read & Write speeds), Crystal Disk Mark 6.0.2 (2GB Read / Write speeds) and finally ATTO 4.00.0F2 (Max Read / Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average performance numbers are recorded into our charts (0 = we were unable to complete that test).

   All tests are performed with our main rig running Microsoft Windows 10 Pro installation on a CORSAIR MP510 960GB NVME SSD* with all updates installed up to the day tests started.

* Since August 2019 for portable SSD tests I started using the primary test rig.
** To make a direct comparison easier as of June 2021 I placed all hardware encrypted portable SSDs in their very own charts.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA TITANIUM / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

CONCLUSION

   Because of their on-the-fly hardware encryption secure portable drives always fall behind in terms of performance to regular models so topping out at 250MB/s in both reads and writes was not unexpected for the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES (did surpass that number however, alas not by much). That being said I can’t figure out why Kingston didn’t choose a faster M.2 PCIe drive to at least offer even speeds of up to 1000MB/s for people who may want the best transfer rates. On top of that aside the DL3 FE model by DataLocker which already counts many years in the market the Vault Privacy also falls behind every other model in my charts (comes very close to the very similar DL4 FE however). That being said I am well aware that performance is not the first thing people look when out to get a secure drive and in terms of encryption the IronKey Vault Privacy 80ES offers pretty much what you’d expect from such a product. Again, I am no hacker so I can only use specific software to try and gain access to secure drives (so basically if you have any recommendations of another test feel free to reach out). The color touch screen is also a nice touch, yes It may not be as durable as regular keys but it looks great and also allows you to control the drive and its features wish ease.

   Currently retailing for USD264.29 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 349.89Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the IronKey Vault Privacy 480GB model is certainly quite expensive, at least on this side of the Atlantic. Price aside however this model has pretty much everything from great hardware encryption and an zinc alloy enclosure to an touch screen input and numerous screen controlled features and that’s why it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- PIN Authentication
- Security Measures (FIPS 197 XTS AES 256-bit Hardware Encryption / Brute Force Protection / Auto Lock / Read Only / Secure Erase / BadUSB Protection)
- Good Performance
- Color LCD Touch Screen
- Alphanumeric Rotating Keypad
- 3 Year Limited Warranty
- Price (EU)

CONS

- Price (USA)
- Color LCD Screen Durability?