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Lexar

Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB 1TB External SSD

Model: LXES100-1TRNN

7.5/10
Capacity 1TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2
Form Factor External
Read Speed 950 MB/s
Write Speed 950 MB/s
Endurance (TBW) 600 TB
Warranty 3 Years

Overview

A 950 MB/s Gen 2 portable in a brushed-aluminum case the size of a credit card. The SL100 Pro is one of the smallest 1TB Gen 2 SSDs at retail — buy it for the form factor, not the rated speed (which undershoots the Gen 2 ceiling).

See how it stacks up against competitors in our USB-C External SSDs SSD comparison, or browse related SSD buying guides.

Where to Buy

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Pros

  • Brushed-aluminum case
  • 950 MB/s read
  • Tiny credit-card footprint
  • USB-C cable included

Cons

  • 950 MB/s — slower than full Gen 2
  • 3-year warranty
  • No IP rating
  • Premium pricing vs ADATA SE800

Everyday Storage Analysis

Reliable 1TB storage with 950 MB/s reads — the Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB is a practical, affordable choice for daily backups and file transport.

Reliable Daily Driver

At 950 MB/s reads and 950 MB/s writes, the Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB is not trying to set speed records — it is trying to be the drive you reach for every day. And it succeeds: fast enough for backups and file transfers, cheap enough to buy without thinking twice.

Simple, Affordable, Dependable

1TB of storage provides generous headroom for everyday files. The compact, lightweight design slips into any bag pocket. Rated at 600 TBW, this drive handles a solid mix of daily reads and writes. Backed by a 3-year warranty, this drive offers typical protection for its class.

Great for

  • School and office file transport between devices
  • Daily system backups (Time Machine, File History, or rsync)
  • Users who want AES 256-bit hardware encryption without paying pro-tier prices

950 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2 corresponds to roughly SATA SSD performance: fast for everyday use, but not built for 4K+ video editing directly from the drive.

In the speed hierarchy, the Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB sits above HDDs and below NVMe. Think of it as a SATA SSD in your pocket — fast enough for 95% of daily tasks at a fraction of the cost of the fastest USB drives.

Who Should Buy the Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB

The Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB is a solid all-around 1TB portable SSD for everyday use. If you need fast backups, reliable file transport between devices, or external storage for documents, photos, and media, the 950 MB/s reads deliver performance that makes daily tasks feel instant compared to an external hard drive.

The 1TB capacity covers most daily workflows comfortably: system backups, a working photo library, a dozen game installs, or a collection of documents and media. If you need more space, higher-capacity variants of the same product line are worth considering.

The USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface means the Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB hits full speed on virtually any modern USB-C or USB-A port — no special hardware required. Plug it into a laptop, desktop, game console, or tablet and you get the same 950 MB/s performance without compatibility concerns.

Real-World Performance

File Transfer Speeds

On paper, the Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB delivers 950 MB/s reads and 950 MB/s writes. In practice, a 50GB file — a typical 4K video project, a large game install, or a full photo shoot — transfers in ~53 seconds. A 100GB batch of raw files moves in ~2 minutes. For users who regularly shuttle large files, these transfer times are a meaningful productivity improvement over slower SATA-based externals that take 3-5x longer for the same tasks.

What "Speed" Actually Means for Daily Use

Sequential read and write speeds — the numbers manufacturers advertise — matter most when transferring single large files. For everyday tasks like opening documents, browsing photos, running applications from the drive, or loading games, random 4K performance is more relevant. All NVMe-based external SSDs deliver random IOPS in the same general range, so the $Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB feels similarly responsive to other fast portables for daily use. The real differentiator shows up during large file transfers, where the $950 MB/s read speed pulls noticeably ahead of slower SATA-based externals.

Endurance and Longevity

The $Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB is rated for $600 TBW (terabytes written) endurance. To put that in perspective: if you write 50GB per day — an aggressive daily workload for most users — the drive would take approximately $33 years to reach its endurance limit. For typical use patterns involving backups, file transfers, and game storage, the $600 TBW rating provides comfortable headroom well beyond the $3-year warranty period.

Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB vs Samsung T9 2TB

Spec Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB Samsung T9 2TB
Read Speed 950 MB/s 2,000 MB/s
Write Speed 950 MB/s 2,000 MB/s
Capacity 1TB 2TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
Endurance 600 TBW 1,200 TBW
Score 7.5/10 9.6/10

The Samsung T9 2TB scores higher in our evaluation (9.6 vs 7.5/10). It also delivers faster reads (2,000 vs 950 MB/s).

For a detailed head-to-head comparison, see our full Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB vs Samsung T9 2TB comparison.

How Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB 1TB Compares

Model Capacity Interface Read Write TBW
Lexar SL100 Pro 1TB 1TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 950 950 600
Samsung T9 2TB 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 2,000 2,000 1,200
Samsung T9 Portable SSD 1TB USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 2,000 1,950 600
Crucial X10 Pro 2TB 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 2,000 2,000 1,200

Specs shown for the closest USB-C External SSDs alternatives. Full comparison table available on the compare page.

Also available in Lexar SL100 Pro

The Lexar SL100 Pro comes in multiple capacities. Smaller sizes save money if you do not need the headroom; larger sizes drop the cost-per-TB for media libraries and Time Machine backups.

More Lexar SSDs

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Lexar

Lexar SL660 2TB

8.2/10
Capacity 2TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
Read Speed 2000 MB/s
See Price on Amazon →

Price as of Aug 3, 2026, 6:33 PM. Prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

View Full Specs →

Lexar

Lexar SL660 1TB

8.1/10
Capacity 1TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
Read Speed 2000 MB/s
See Price on Amazon →

Price as of Aug 3, 2026, 6:33 PM. Prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

View Full Specs →

Lexar

Lexar SL100 Pro 2TB

7.6/10
Capacity 2TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2
Read Speed 950 MB/s
See Price on Amazon →

Price as of Aug 3, 2026, 6:33 PM. Prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

View Full Specs →

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Quick Specs

Read Speed 950 MB/s
Write Speed 950 MB/s

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