Lexar’s Muse is an ultra-slim portable SSD that’s less than 4mm thick
Lexar has unveiled the Muse, an ultra-slim portable SSD measuring less than 4mm thick, offering 512GB or 1TB capacities with fast read/write speeds.
Intelligence analysis by Gemini 2.5 Flash
The Lexar Muse achieves its extreme thinness through advanced internal architecture but sacrifices a standard USB-C port for a proprietary magnetic SnapLink cable. While it boasts impressive speeds suitable for high-resolution video recording, its unique connectivity and the need for an additional sleeve for phone mounting present trade-offs for users prioritizing portability and univ…
Imagine a super-duper thin digital notebook, thinner than a few credit cards stacked together, that can hold tons of your photos and videos. It's called the Lexar Muse. But instead of plugging it in with a normal phone charger cable, it has a special magnetic cable that only fits it. This makes it super tiny, but if you lose that special cable, you can't use it until you get another one just like it.
Analysis
Lexar Muse
Lexar's new Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD represents a significant step in miniaturizing external storage devices. Measuring just 3.8mm at its thickest point and tapering to a mere 1mm at the edges, it is positioned as one of the slimmest portable SSDs available. This achievement is attributed to high-density NAND stacking and a custom ultra-thin PCB architecture, allowing for capacities of 512GB and 1TB within its compact form factor.
Beyond its physical dimensions, the Muse maintains robust performance, offering read speeds up to 1,050MB/s and write speeds maxing out at 1,000MB/s. These speeds are competitive within the portable SSD market, ensuring that the device is not just thin but also capable of handling demanding data transfer tasks efficiently. The combination of extreme portability and high performance aims to appeal to users who require fast, compact storage on the go.
SnapLink Cable
The pursuit of extreme slimness in the Lexar Muse comes with a notable design compromise: the absence of a standard USB-C port. Instead, the drive relies on a proprietary SnapLink cable that magnetically attaches to a pogo-pin connector on the side of the device. This design choice, while enabling the ultra-thin profile, introduces potential inconveniences for users.
The proprietary nature of the SnapLink cable means that if it is lost or damaged, a standard USB-C cable cannot be used as a replacement, potentially rendering the drive unusable until a specific Lexar replacement is acquired. Furthermore, the magnetic attachment, while convenient for quick connections, carries an increased risk of accidental disconnection during file transfers, which could lead to data corruption or interrupted workflows. This trade-off between form factor and universal connectivity is a critical consideration for potential buyers.
4K Apple ProRes
One of the highlighted applications for the Lexar Muse is its capability to record 4K Apple ProRes video at up to 120fps when connected to a compatible iPhone. This specific use case underscores the drive's high-performance capabilities, as recording uncompressed or lightly compressed professional video formats requires sustained high write speeds. The Muse's stated performance metrics make it a viable option for content creators and videographers who need to offload large video files directly from their mobile devices.
However, leveraging the Muse for phone-based video recording introduces another practical consideration. To mount the drive securely to the back of a device, users are required to slip it into an included magnetic sleeve. While this sleeve facilitates the connection and mounting, it inherently adds a significant amount of thickness to the overall setup. This somewhat negates the primary advantage of the drive's ultra-slim design when used in this specific, high-demand mobile scenario, presenting a paradox for users seeking the thinnest possible solution.
Key points
- Lexar's Muse SSD is less than 4mm thick, tapering to 1mm at the edges.
- It offers 512GB and 1TB capacities with read speeds up to 1,050MB/s and write speeds up to 1,000MB/s.
- The drive uses a proprietary magnetic SnapLink cable and pogo-pin connector instead of a standard USB-C port.
- It can record 4K Apple ProRes video at 120fps when connected to a compatible iPhone.
- A magnetic sleeve is required to mount the drive to a phone, adding thickness to the setup.
The Lexar Muse could set a new standard for portable storage design, offering unparalleled slimness that makes it incredibly easy to carry. Its high speeds will benefit professionals needing compact, fast storage for tasks like 4K video recording on the go, enhancing mobile workflows significantly.
The reliance on a proprietary SnapLink cable poses a significant risk, as losing or damaging it would render the drive unusable without a specific replacement. Furthermore, the magnetic connection could lead to accidental disconnections during critical file transfers, potentially causing data loss or workflow interruptions.
