Kingston Technology has announced its first cable-free SSD. It will hope it has doubled the chances of its debut product getting a warm reception by fitting dual captive USB-A and –C connectors, one at either end of this high-performance memory stick. Kingston's Dual Portable SSD Storage Solution products are available right now. The firm’s handy USB 3.2 Gen 2 dual-interface SSD thumb drives are priced between $97 for a 512GB, and $239 for a whopping 2TB model. We might as well also mention, the Goldilocks 1TB model is $144. But, whichever you choose, they all boast “Up to 1,050MB/s read, 950MB/s write” speeds.
- Buy the 512GB Kingston Dual Portable SSD on Amazon
- Buy the 1TB Kingston Dual Portable SSD on Amazon
- Buy the 2TB Kingston Dual Portable SSD on Amazon
The recommended use case for these compact, flexibly interfaced drives is as an affordable, reliable, portable solution for data back-ups and transfers. Specifically, Kingston reckons the Dual Portable SSDs are a good choice “for large files, high-res photos and 4K videos.” It looks like a humble flash drive, albeit with a compact, durable metal casing, but this Kingston offers much better performance than a budget alternative might deliver.
“More and more consumers are looking to take their data into their own hands,” said Liny Cheliyan, Business Manager - Prosumer Flash and SSD Kingston EMEA. “Now with the convenience of Kingston’s Dual Portable SSD, users can do just that and easily transfer, share, or back up their important files across a variety of USB-A and USB-C devices.”
Capacity | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Construction | USB Type-A and USB Type-C ports, Metal and plastic case |
Performance | USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds up to 1,050 MB/s read, 950 MB/s write |
Dimensions | 71.85 x 21.1 x 8.6mm |
Weight | 13g |
Memory tech | 3D NAND |
Temperature stability | Operating: 0°C ~60°C, Storage: -20°C ~85°C |
Compatibility | Windows 11, macOS 12.7.6+, Linux 4.4x+, ChromeOS, Android, iOS/iPadOS 13+ |
In addition to the dual-interface flexibility, the broad OS support of the Kingston Dual Portable SSDs will be welcomed by those carting their precious data between systems, places, and platforms. Checking the official specs table data, above, you can see users can easily transfer data between diverse platforms - as long as they sport either a USB-A or USB-C connector (or have an adaptor).
These devices look pretty durable, too, which is desirable for easily portable objects that may find themselves rattling around in bags, pockets, or worse. We'd have liked to see some kind of water/dust resistance added to the specs, but the cold/heat durability is welcome.
Kingston is giving buyers of its class as a premium portable flash solution a five-year warranty with free tech support.
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