Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 1TB SSD review: A baseline drive for your M.2 2242 needs

The Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 represents the first drive of this form factor to hit our testbed. M.2 2230 form factor SSDs have become all the rage thanks to the immense popularity of Valve’s Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED, as well as other handheld gaming systems like the Asus Ally and MSI Claw. Gamers have been quick to 'fix' the storage capacity problem (and avoid the price premiums) by doing their own upgrades. However, some devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and a few laptops need something a little different. The uncommon in-between M.2 2242 form factor that they use takes up less board space than 2280 but has the advantage of supporting drives that are able to fit twice as many flash packages as 2230. Surely this should be the best of both worlds!

Unfortunately, most drives in this form factor are OEM specific models that use older, less efficient hardware. This isn’t ideal if you want maximum performance and battery life with a reliable retail warranty. That’s where the Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 comes into play. It’s longer but still single-sided like the Rocket 2230, and it's fully compatible with even PCIe 3.0 M.2 2242 host slots. The drive comes with newer hardware, relative to most existing options, delivering fast and efficient performance, minimizing load times and maximizing battery life. It’s a simple drop-in upgrade for systems that have less than 1TB stock or have an extra M.2 2242 slot on-board.

That brings us quickly to perhaps the biggest downside of the Rocket Nano 2242 right now, as it currently only comes in a 1TB capacity. The M.2 2242 form factor allows for up to two NAND packages for a single-sided drive, so 2TB or even 4TB should be possible, and that will likely come in the future — if not from Sabrent, then from some other manufacturer.

The other notable drawback is the use of a Phison E21T controller. This has been popular on M.2 2230 drives, but it's now being replaced by its faster and newer Phison E27T sibling. Sabrent might be waiting on larger capacity options for the updated controller in order to maximize drive potential. Either way, the Rocket Nano 2242 is not deficient in any way that would preclude its use, unless you really want to push the most amount of bandwidth possible.

If you need 2TB today, you could go for an M.2 2230 solution like the Rocket Q4 2230 and extend the drive via an adapter. If TLC flash is desired, the WD SN740, Black SN770M, and Corsair MP600 Mini E27T are options — we've only tested the latter in 1TB trim, but the 2TB variant should now be available. (Sabrent also has an older Rocket 2232 NVMe that's available in 2TB, but that's a double-sided PCIe 3.0 drive using an even older Phison E13 controller.) A native PCIe 4.0 M.2 2242 drive like the Rocket Nano 2242 is a simpler solution, and additionally has more room for components that can help better spread out any generated heat.

These are factors to keep in mind when reading the review. Another point of interest is that the Rocket Nano 2242 uses different flash than the original Rocket 2230 — and all other tested M.2 2230 drives, for that matter — which yields some interesting results that are worth a closer look.

 Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242  Specifications

The Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242, hereafter the Rocket 2242 for short, is only available at 1TB at present. This is the most popular capacity and is less challenging than fitting in 2TB, particularly if it avoids the QLC flash penalty. Sabrent may opt for a 2TB SKU later with TLC flash, or possibly a refresh with a different controller and/or flash as we witnessed with the Corsair MP600 Mini (E27T). Currently the drive costs $99.99, which puts it in the ballpark of Corsair’s similar MP600 Micro. There are other options, but those are OEM drives that generally don't come with a warranty, and they use older hardware in most cases.

The Rocket 2242 can reach up to 5,100 / 4,800 MB/s and up to 780K / 940K IOPS, given its hardware, which is respectable but not record-breaking. This is plenty of performance for any PCIe 3.0 host system and for the most part is enough for any 4.0 like the Lenovo Legion Go as well. There aren't too many opportunities to fully max out that much bandwidth. As for warranty, Sabrent offers a five-year, 600 TBW guarantee, which is standard.

 Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 Software and Accessories

Sabrent’s typical SSD package includes an OEM version of Acronis True Image and an in-house SSD toolbox for Rocket products. The former is suitable for imaging, cloning, and backing up your data for migration. The latter gives basic health details about the drive and checks for firmware updates. You can get by with the free Clonezilla and CrystalDiskInfo applications, though, assuming no serious firmware updates are ever required.

 Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 : A  Closer Look

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The Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 arrives in very nice packaging, which also protects the drive in transit. This isn’t your typical bubble-wrapped OEM drive off eBay. No M.2 screw is included, but this should come with your host device.

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The Rocket 2242 looks like you’d expect: It's basically a slightly longer Rocket 2230. The M.2 2242 form factor is designed for specific devices, including many laptops, particularly from Lenovo. The drive can be extended, if necessary, but should not be forced into an M.2 2230 slot. The drive is also single-sided, unlike the original Rocket 2242 NVMe, which makes it compatible with a wider range of devices.

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Sabrent uses the standard Phison E21T controller, which can be found on a wide range of M.2 2230 drives, including Sabrent's own Rocket 2230, plus drives from Corsair, Inland, WD, and more. It's also found on some popular 2280 drives such as the Teamgroup MP44L. This is a solid controller that offers enough performance for pretty much any system or situation. It's now being replaced on newer models by the E27T, used in Corsair’s MP600 Mini (E27T) as well as the MP600 Elite, though it will take time before the E21T fully rides off into the sunset. It remains plenty powerful and efficient in its own right and you’re not missing out on too much by upgrading now.

The flash is labeled HABHG95AXA, which tells us that it's 176-Layer TLC flash from SK hynix. This flash is used on the SK hynix Platinum P41, Solidigm P44 Pro, and more recently the Klevv CRAS C930. It’s more common to see Micron’s 176-Layer TLC flash with this controller, but SK hynix NAND has the advantage of being available in a denser die if necessary. That opens the door to larger drives and SKUs. The M.2 2242 length also makes it possible to fit two packages instead of the one package commonly seen on single-sided 2230 drives, which also hints at the potential for higher capacities. We've already seen both QLC and TLC 2230 drives with up to 2TB of capacity, meaning it's possible to make up to a 4TB 2242 SSD using the right NAND.

Sabrent goes after the perhaps most common 1TB capacity with the Nano 2242, but it's not a very exciting upgrade path these days. It's mostly about providing an inexpensive option right now, though the prospect of 2TB and 4TB options down the road is nice. These should perform similarly to the 1TB Rocket 2242 with this controller, but the E27T needs flash with a higher I/O speed to make the most of the PCIe 4.0 interface. As such, the Rocket 2242 is a good baseline, especially as it should easily surpass any older M.2 2242 drives.

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