China has introduced a new external storage solution called the Mini SSD, which boasts impressive performance claims while being smaller than traditional microSD Express cards. The tiny SSD, measuring just 15x17mm, can install AAA games on an external card slot, rivaling the microSD Express used by Nintendo for the Switch 2.
According to Biwin, a storage manufacturer, the Mini SSD has a theoretical maximum sequential read speed of 3.7 GB/s and write speed of 3.4 GB/s, connecting via PCIe 4.0 x2. The current models offer 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities.
Compared to microSD Express, which has a maximum transfer speed of up to 985 MB/s, the Mini SSD is significantly faster. However, full-sized SD Express cards can reach 3,940 MB/s speeds, making them marginally faster than the Mini SSD.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was the first device to use the microSD Express standard, and now handheld gaming consoles like GPD’s Win 5 are also incorporating this new technology. The upcoming OneXPlayer Super X will feature a similar slot for fast storage expansion on tiny devices.
Biwin claims that the Mini SSD is compatible with laptops, phones, tablets, cameras, and other devices with card slots, while also featuring an IP68 protection rating. However, it remains to be seen if this technology will become widely adopted globally due to its non-JEDEC standard status.
The pricing for these cards and their compatible readers is not yet available, but the Mini SSD offers a compact package with fast read and write speeds that could make it appealing to consumers in the future.
Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/china-introduces-up-to-2tb-mini-ssd-thats-3x-faster-than-the-microsd-express-used-in-the-switch-2-but-smaller-tiny-1517-ssd-is-just-15x17mm-and-boasts-impressive-performance-claims