INTRODUCTION

    Portable SSDs may lag behind internal M.2 PCIe models in terms of read & write performance, but they still represent a much faster and larger capacity option compared to the majority of USB flash drives out in the market today. Yes, portable SSDs might be larger compared to regular USB flash drives but with speeds and capacities many times over. the somewhat small difference in size shouldn't really matter that much for most people out there. In late 2021 KIOXIA unveiled their EXCERIA PLUS Portable SSD line and even though it's now 2024 some of you did ask for me to test it out and well, I did.

    KIOXIA Europe GmbH (formerly Toshiba Memory Europe GmbH) is the European based subsidiary of KIOXIA Corporation, a leading worldwide supplier of flash memory and solid state drives (SSDs). From the invention of flash memory to today's breakthrough BiCS FLASH 3D technology, KIOXIA continues to pioneer cutting-edge memory solutions and services that enrich people's lives and expand society's horizons. The company's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, SSDs, automotive and data centers.

    The EXCERIA PLUS 1TB portable SSD by KIOXIA is currently available in 3 capacities (500GB/1TB/2TB) and features a shock-resistant (MIL-STD-810H 516.8 procedure IV compliant) aluminum enclosure. Inside the thick aluminum enclosure of the EXCERIA PLUS we find the EXCERIA M.2 PCIe 3x4 model (also released back in 2021) which is based on a customized version of the quad-channel (16 CE) PHISON PS5012-E12C controller which KIOXIA has paired with their very own 96-layer BiCS 3D TLC NAND and a 1GB DDR4 module. The PS5012-E12C NAND controller by PHISON comes ready technologies such as SLC caching, StrongECC, SmartRefresh, SmartFlush, low density parity check, end-to-end data protection, thermal monitoring, AES-256 encryption and support for ONFi 2.3/3.0/3.2/4.0 and TCG Pyrite/OPAL. KIOXIA covers the EXCERIA PLUS line of portable SSDs with a 3-year limited warranty and offers password protection for your sensitive data via their SSD utility software.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

KIOXIA uses a small white and blue box the front of which is taken by their logo, product capacity and name and a product picture.

Performance numbers, system compatibility, warranty and bundle contents are all printed on the left side.

A picture showcasing the thickness of the drive is placed on the right side of the box.

The serial number and barcode along with several certifications and company information are all printed at the rear.

Along with the EXCERIA PLUS portable SSD inside the box KIOXIA has placed an USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A cable and the user manual.

THE EXCERIA PLUS 1TB

Measuring 105mm in length, 45mm in width and 14.7mm in thickness the EXCERIA PLUS is a medium sized portable SSD.

To showcase just how large the EXCERIA PLUS is i placed it right next to the Crucial X8, Mushkin CarbonX, Lexar Blaze SL660, Sabrent Rocket-XTRMQ and Rocket Nano Rugged.

Several certifications are printed at the base of the enclosure right next to the drive capacity and a 2D barcode.

The USB-C port along with an activity LED are placed on the far left side.

After removing the 6 screws holding the enclosure together, we can see the EXCERIA M.2 NVMe 1.3 PCIe 3.0 1TB SSD and what is probably the PCIe to USB bridge chip.

SSD UTILITY

The initial tab of the SSD utility allows you to check the current state of the drive (capacity empty/used, health and temperatures) and the interface of the port it's connected to.

Second tab allows you to check for firmware updates.

Third tab is the smart reading one so this could come in handy to some people as may the SSD details tab.

From the security tab you can use a password to protect your sensitive data whereas from the secure erase tab you can scrub all drive contents.

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 we started tests.

* Since August 2019 for portable SSD tests I started using the X299 test rig.
** For USB 3.2 Gen2x2 portable SSDs I’ll be using the Z590 DARK based test rig.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA TITANIUM / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

CONCLUSION

    KIOXIA actually send their EXCERIA PLUS portable SSD several months ago but due to some regional schedules my review was on hold until today. Only reason I am even mentioning this is because my Z590 DARK test rig was dismantled several months ago so even though you can clearly see this is what I used for this review it will not be used again in the future. That being said the EXCERIA PLUS did very well in all my tests, yes, it’s not an USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 portable SSD so it can only climb to around 1000MB/s, but this should be more than enough for most consumers out there. Size could be a slight issue for some people, but the drive did run cooler compared to other portable SSDs so it’s a lose/win situation (also looks nice).

    Currently the EXCERIA PLUS 1TB portable SSD by KIOXIA retails for €102.94 inside the EU (Amazon.de) and for £79.31 inside the UK (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is more or less alright. At the end of the day the EXCERIA PLUS may not impress with its performance and it’s somewhat larger than what we’ve gotten used to lately, but it does look nice and should still be fast enough for most consumers so if you’re out in the market for a new portable SSD I do strongly suggest giving it a chance.

PROS

- Overall Performance
- Build Quality
- Design
- SSD Utility (Password Protection)
- Price (UK)

CONS

- Size (For Some)
- Price (EU)
- Available Capacities (Only Up To 2TB)