Traveling content creators rejoice: Crucial has just stepped up its game with the introduction of the X10 Pro and X9 Pro portable SSD lineup, bringing high-speed transfer rates into an incredibly compact and durable form factor.
Build
Manufacturers are consistently looking to produce smaller and lighter SSDs―it keeps the market competitive and consumers happy. Crucial seemingly took this to heart when designing the X9 and the X10 because these are shockingly compact. Honestly, upon receiving these SSDs from Crucial, our team was stunned to see just how small these SSDs are. They may be the smallest high-speed SSDs we’ve seen, especially considering they have a top capacity of 4 terabytes. Both measure a miniscule 65 x 50mm (about 2.5 x 1.9 inches). They are also incredibly light. The X9 weighs less than 38 grams and the X10 weighs about 42 grams. These drives are encased in an anodized aluminum housing backed by a rubber underside, making it quite pleasant to the touch and resistant to damage from drops of up to 7.5 feet/2 meters, as well as IP55 water and dust resistant. The physical attributes of these drives become exceedingly impressive once we consider their performance capabilities.
Performance
The less expensive X9 Pro is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. When it comes to transfer rates, the read and write speeds are advertised as offering up to 1050 MB/s. In our limited testing of the X9, it clocked in at around a consistent 950 MB/s for the read and write speeds; while those aren’t exactly the maximum speeds advertised for this SSD, it’s certainly close and notably quick.
The X10 Pro, on the other hand, boasts a hair-raising advertised sequential read speed of up to 2100 MB/s and a write speed of up to 2000 MB/s, which would allow for incredibly quick transfer rates and phenomenal performance for users wishing to edit directly from the drive. For the size and price, you are getting considerable value with these kinds of transfer speeds. Keep in mind, however, that to utilize the full potential of this drive’s high speeds, you will need a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface. Anything older than this will not deliver those transfer rates. So, if you’re a PC user, you can expect to harness the power of this fun-sized SSD. Mac users may be better served by the X9 simply because Mac does not currently support the USB 3.2 2 x2 interface.
Additional Features
Aside from the slight weight difference, color, and transfer speeds, the two SSDs share similar features. They both ship in formatted to exFAT but they can be reformatted to NTFS, APFS, HFS, HFS+J and a few other formats. They’re Windows, Mac, Android, and iPad compatible. Both come with 256-bit AES hardware encryption and password protection, safeguarding any important stored data. With the purchase and registration of any X9 or X10, you will also get one month free on the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, complimentary from Crucial. Crucial also provides a 5-year limited warranty on both drives upon purchase.
Conclusion
It’s hard to miss the value of these SSDs from Crucial; they’re compact and durable, extremely fast, and they come with a bunch of other nifty features like safety protocols and several formatting options. Additionally, these drives sell for an extremely competitive price compared to the current contenders in the SSD market.
If you’re looking for your next tiny SSD that packs a punch, consider the X9 Pro or X10 Pro. If you really want to experience dazzling speeds, the X10 would be the way to go, but remember―you will only benefit from it if you have a 3.2 Gen 2x2 USB interface. For everyone else, the X9 still provides phenomenal bang for your buck.
What do you think of these two drives from Crucial? Do you see yourself making the switch to either of them and, if so, which one would you go for? Let us know below.
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