[REVIEW] Kingston XS2000 USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Portable SSD

Kingston XS2000

Kingston XS2000 is a compact SSD that delivers up to 2,000MB/s of sequential read and write with the native USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port that supports 20Gbps speeds. This is a perfect solution for those who need fast and reliable storage on the go.

Which is also the reason I didn’t splurge the extra RM 1,600 on my Mac mini M1 to opt for 1TB storage, instead I have the Kingston XS2000 as storage as well as a scratch disk for all my content creations be it Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro. In this video, I explained why I got the base model Mac Mini M1 featuring Kingston XS2000.

Design

The design of this external SSD is pretty simple, measured at 69.5 x 32.6 x 13.5mm and weight less than 30grams. A USB C connector with blue activity LED indicator on the side. Made out of aluminum with a plastic frame, bearing a Kingston name on the top.

Comes with a 30 cm USB C to C cable and a removable protective rubber sleeve for extra protection.

Performance

In order to achieve the highest transfer speeds of 2,000MB/s, it must be connected to a computer with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. It’s fully backward-compatible with the single lane USB 3.2 Gen 2 as well as USB 3.2, USB 3.1, and USB 3.0.

There’s a caveat, not all modern laptops have native support for USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, and most of the new one supports either single-lane USB 3.2 Gen 2 or skip straight to ThunderBolt 4 / USB 4.0. Here’s the problem, the ThunderBolt 4 or USB 4.0 doesn’t go backward specifically to USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds instead it dropped to USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps).

AFAIK, it’s only available on higher-end desktop mainboards or PCI Express expansion cards for desktops.

Personally, I do not have any bench test mainboard with support of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, the speed test was done on the HUAWEI MateBook 14s and Apple Mac mini M1 with ThunderBolt 4 but capped at USB 3.2 10Gbps speed.

We may notice some differences in terms of file transfer but having it to run your productivity applications and even games, it’s more than enough.

Reliability

Kingston XS2000 is an IP55 ingress protection rating, it’s water-dust resistant and shockproof. It also supports TRIM, S.M.A.R.T. data reporting, and UASP. It’s also backed with an industry-leading 5-year warranty

Should You Buy?

If you have a compatible system, the Kingston XS2000 offers a pretty good bang for your bucks by offering a high-speed performance, high reliability with IP rating protection, and a long warranty. If you want to get a Thunderbolt 4 or USB 4.0 speeds portable drive, at the moment you can only build it yourself with a USB 4.0 enclosure plus an NVMe SSD which would cost higher than what Kingston XS2000 has to offer.

Where to buy

Facebook Comments