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async” src=”https://www.pcworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PC-ED-CHOICE.png” alt=”Editors’ Choice” loading=”lazy”/>Image: Jon L. Jacobi
< img decoding="async" src="https://www.pcworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PC-ED-CHOICE.png" alt="Editors'Choice" loading="lazy"/ > At a glimpse
Specialist’s Rating Pros
- Exceptional 20Gbps efficiency
- Super-slim, trim profile
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- Slower composing 48GB of files and folders than its SL600 cousin.
Our Verdict
If what you look for is a quickly, attractive USB SSD that moves into your pocket nearly imperceptibly, or installs quickly to the back of your mobile phone, then Lexar’s SL500 is most likely what you’re trying to find.
Physically, Lexar’s SL500 portable USB 3.2 × 2 SSD makes its SL600 and SL660 stablemates appear like chunky monkeys. Really, determining a simple 0.3-inches thick (less than 0.2 at the edges), by 2.1-inches broad, by 3.3-inches long, the SL500 make almost all external SSDs appear chunky.
As it’s likewise beautifully styled, and weighs a simple 1.5 ounces, let’s simply state the SL500 is a very design amongst external SSDs.
Additional reading: See our roundup of the very best external drives to find out about contending items.
What are the SL500’s functions?
The SL500 is a super-slim, USB 3.2 × 2 (20Gbps) external SSD that is available in 2TB, and quickly, 4TB tastes. It ships with a brief Type-C to Type-C cable television and is warrantied for 5 years. That’s a restricted guarantee that no doubt presumes that you will not strike it with a sledgehammer, or compose numerous petabytes of information to it.
The drive ships formatted to exFAT, so it’s understandable and writable on both Windows and macOS (Linux too, naturally) right out of package.
Lexar includes its DataShield software application for both running systems, which permits you to protect the SL500 with a password. If you choose to utilize a password, you’ll require to set up the app on any computer system you wish to access the protected drive from.
Just how much does the Lexar SL500 expense?
The 2TB variation of the SL500 is being launched on March 20 at a sale price of $230. That’s approximately foregone conclusion for a name-brand USB 3.2 × 2 20Gbps system, though you can get name-brand 10Gbps 2TB SSDs and no-name 20Gbps 2TB SSDs for a fair bit less. (Our preferred 10Gbps external SSD, the Crucial X9 Pro, for instance, costs simply $95 for 2TB.) A 4TB variation of the SL500 will be readily available later on in the year at a concealed cost.
The 2TB Lexar SL500 retail box.
The 2TB Lexar SL500 retail box.
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The 2TB Lexar SL500 retail box.
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How quick is the Lexar SL500?
The 2TB SL500 we evaluated fared rather well versus the similarity the Samsung T9 and Crucial X10 Pro. Its artificial standard outcomes were so close (somewhat much better) to the formerly evaluated SL600, I confirmed to see that I had not got the incorrect file. I had not.
The outcomes were well within analytical variation and the fraternal triumph was so close,
