Perhaps it’s too basic a thing to review, considering portable data transfer solutions have massively improved over the past 10 years, as PCs with large storage capacities have dropped in price and as cloud apps like Google Drive and iCloud have taken hold, but an external SSD is still something important to many people (as are internal SSDs). Such offline storage solutions are commonly used among photographers, content creators, videographers, and other professionals who require easy offline data transfers in a pinch. For me, though, I’m an odds-and-ends user – I need something like the Kingston XS1000 for quick transfers between my computers or for storing my photos somewhere offline.
There’s not a lot we can really say about a portable hard drive, so here are some quick thoughts on the device.
Who needs the cloud?
The Kingston XS1000 is a neat little device that’s perfect for an on-the-go data transfer. In the box, you’ll get the small SSD (available with either 1TB or 2TB storage) with a USB-C-to-USB-A cable and a maximum transfer speed of 1,000MB/s. It’s a small device, housed in a plastic chassis with dimensions of 69.54L x 32.58W x 13.5H mm. Size-wise it’s probably best comparable to a thick lighter. It only weighs 28.7 grams and Kingston offers a five-year warranty with the device.
One of the coolest things about the device is its read/write speed – capping out at 1,050 and 1,000MB/s respectively. Competitors to this device typically offer maximum speeds of between 300MB/s and 800MB/s (though Toshiba offers a similarly fast device for a cheaper price), so it’s difficult to fault the Kingston XS1000 on a speed front. For most files, say for snaps and smaller videos, this speed won’t really matter – it’s only when you’re transferring larger files, such as high-definition videos, games, and movies, that this speed matters – when we’re talking about files best measured in gigabytes (GB).
During my time with the Kingston XS1000, it was most useful for moving games from one PC to another. Through a USB3 port, I was able to transfer the entirety of Starfield (116GB) from my laptop to the SSD in about three minutes (capping out at 640MB/s). Transferring over USB2, I was able to transfer the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077 (58GB) in about four minutes (capping out at 320MB/s).
High speeds are likely possible, but you’ll need to have a USB-C 3.2 port on your PC, which you might not have on an older device, but this obviously doesn’t render the portable SSD useless – it’s still great, but that’s what you need for those impressive speeds. Those 1,000MB/s speeds are maximum theoretical speeds, but you may not encounter these speeds in real-world use.
The marvel is really the size. I can just drop this thing in my laptop bag and go. It doesn’t come with a protective case or sleeve, so please still be conscious of impact damage, but with such a small size, it’ll fit into most pockets.
Should you buy the Kingston XS1000?
The Kingston XS1000 could be valuable if you need a well-priced portable SSD, with a small form factor and fast speeds, and it’d be a great storage solution for precious digital photos and games that you don’t want to keep redownloading. I recommend it to space-conscious content creators and to people who would rather rely on offline storage over cloud storage.
Where to buy the Kingston XS1000?
Note that 1TB and 2TB models are available (prices below reflect the 1TB model).
JW ($109) | Scorptec ($109) | PLE Computers ($109)
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia