Freecom mSSD 256GB
A palm-sized portable SSD
Dimensions 80x35x9mm Weight 29g Ports 1x USB 3.0 (detachable cable provided) Capacity 256GB
For a while, manufacturers made SSDs that consisted of little more than a circuit board, on which the chips that store data were mounted. Trimming things down to only the essentials is what allows this drive to be so compact.
The mSSD feels more like holding a Zippo lighter than clutching a portable hard drive, and its aluminium body makes it very light. However, its female connector means you need to carry its USB 3.0 cable to be able to plug it in. Performance is weakest in random file transfers of 1MB and smaller, though median transfer rates of 167.5MB/sec when reading and 181.5MB/sec when writing are good.
When considering sequential transfers of small and large files, median read and write rates of 360.2MB/sec and 308.1MB/sec are strong. Excluding the small transfers from these figures’ calculation better reflects performance when copying large files such as video. Then, the medians rise and remain within 25MB/sec of the peak rates of 435.2MB/sec and 379.1MB/sec.
The mSSD offers excellent transfer rates, although that also depends on the drive you’re copying from. With SSD prices continuing to fall, the price per gigabyte isn’t good value – a 2.5-inch drive of double the capacity can be self-built for about the same price – but if 256GB is sufficient for you, the mSSD’s speed and physical size make the compromise on capacity appealing. Alan Stonebridge
An impressive SSD, especially in terms of its design and performance, but note its cost per gigabyte.