Lexar SL500 review: A killer portable storage companion

The Lexar SL500 portable SSD is compact, fast, and essential for those who want to move libraries of games across systems, or need to move large files with rapid speeds.

The world of portable SSDs is extremely wide, with many brands looking to offer extra storage in compact form factors. Thanks to the popularity, and form factor of modern SSDs, these are now lighter than ever, and they can also pack in more capacity, without taking up space in your bag.

Lexar is the latest to enter the ring with the SL500, but does the credit-card-sized portable storage device manage to impress where it matters most? I’ve lived with the device for over a month to tell you if it’s worth picking up.

Key specs

• Capacity: 1TB, 2TB (Tested), 4TB
• Form factor: Portable USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2×2)
• Max sequential read: 2000 MB/s
• Max sequential write: 1800 MB/s
• Warranty: 5 years
• Price: $229.99 (2TB)

Pros	Cons
Tiny size	Requires the newest hardware to unlock full potential
Doesn’t throttle under load	Advertised speeds aren’t reflective of real-world use
Can be used with almost anything

Design

Right on the surface, you might mistake the Lexar SL500 for a credit card, as its form factor means that it’ll almost perfectly fit in any wallet, but with a slight bulge in the center of its matte-black, metal-finished body. It’s one of the smallest portable SSDs I have ever used. Thanks to the USB-C port up at the top of the device, you’ll likely have one in your bag whenever you need it.

This size makes it perfect for travel, or when you need to rapidly transfer huge files. Thanks to the USB-C interface built-in to the SL500, you’re not sacrificing speed either. Just remember that you will need a USB-C port equipped with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds to get the most out of the device, like a handheld game console that supports Thunderbolt 4.

During use, the metallic shell can get warm to the touch, but never worryingly hot, even during large sustained workloads, it’s likely that whatever heat dissipation inside is working well. It should be noted that you can’t easily shuck the drive out here either, as there are no visible screw holes to disassemble the device. So, bear in mind that whatever size you pick when purchasing the drive is what you are stuck with.

Performance

The Lexar SL500 makes full use of its USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, by claiming to have a maximum sequential read speed of 2000 MB/s, and a write speed of 1800 MB/s. When putting the drive through its paces in CrystalDiskMark, it tells a slightly different story.

Crystal Disk Mark results

• Max sequential read: 983 MB/s
• Max sequential writer: 979 MB/s

The results in CrystalDiskMark showcase lower numbers than the drive’s claimed speeds, but with the default setting of write-caching turned on, you should still expect performance that’s double the speed of a slower SATA-based drive. This isn’t a feature that many users will turn off, and in real-world terms, it barely mattered when it came to prime time.

Real-world use

I used the Lexar SL500 to move over our benchmarking suite between several laptops and systems for a feature, and a massive 150GB game took around three and a half minutes to transfer over, which is incredibly impressive. It managed to perform excellently while also running from an Ayaneo Air 1S and Steam Deck. Just note that you’ll have to jump through some Linux-related hoops for the drive to be recognized properly on Valve’s humble handheld.

But, thanks to its size, the Lexar SL500 managed to really impress with just how well it performed while retaining a tiny form factor, which may make it attractive to those working in creative jobs such as video editing, as the access speeds here are more than enough to accommodate creative workflows without any hiccups.

Should you buy it?

The Lexar SL500 is an impressive little portable SSD, and thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 tech, it can deliver rapid performance on the move. But make sure that your devices are equipped to make use of these capabilities. Macbooks and other devices might not make full use of all the bandwidth on offer.

It’s an impressive drive, which could come in handy if you find yourself recording high-bitrate footage on your smartphone, or if you need to carry around huge titles on things like your Steam Deck or similar handheld.

Verdict: 4/5

This portable SSD is so great primarily because it’s so small, getting a device in this form factor that you can take with you almost anywhere, while it weighs practically nothing with so much storage on offer is a massive reason you should pick one up. The only thing really holding the device back is how Lexar has marketed the product: Maximum speeds with caching off isn’t something most users will do, and can feel a bit disingenuous.

Otherwise, this is a fantastic portable storage option that just beats out many others in the same market thanks to its tiny form factor alone. Just make sure that your devices can actually make the most of it.

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