Crucial X10 Pro 1TB Portable SSD, Up to 2100MB/s Read, 2000MB/s Write, 3.2 USB-C, External Solid State Drive, Durable Storage for PC & Mac, for Professional Creators, Black - ‎CT1000X10PROSSD902

Why it's worth it

The X10 Pro is rated for 2,100 MB/s read and 2,000 MB/s write, and it's about the size of a stack of credit cards. If pocketability is your priority and you're willing to accept a slightly patchier reliability record, it's the one to get.

It's genuinely tiny. At roughly 2.6 by 2 inches and under an ounce and a half, the X10 Pro is meaningfully smaller than the T9, and owners who've owned both say so first. For a photographer clipping a drive to a bag strap or a student who wants a backup that lives in a laptop sleeve, that size difference is the whole argument.

The speed rating is real, with the same port caveat as the T9. Crucial rates it at 2,100 MB/s read and 2,000 MB/s write over USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, and owners with a matching 20Gbps port describe multi-gigabyte transfers finishing in seconds. On a plain 10Gbps port it settles near 1,000 MB/s. StorageReview's testing of the related X9 Pro landed within 5% of its rated spec, which suggests Crucial's numbers are honest rather than optimistic.

From our review of 8 portable external ssds, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +It's genuinely tiny. At roughly 2.6 by 2 inches and under an ounce and a half, the X10 Pro is meaningfully smaller than the T9,…
• +The speed rating is real, with the same port caveat as the T9
• +Compatibility is unusually broad
• +It's IP55 rated and drop resistant to about 7.5 feet

What to know

• –Owner feedback on the X10 Pro is more mixed than on our top pick, with a noticeable cluster of reports about drives failing or…
• –Some owners with the largest capacities report speeds below the advertised figure, and a few describe capacity limits when…
• –Crucial's customer support draws more complaints than the drive itself