2TB Kingston XS1000R Review – Built on Value
Unboxing
Specifications
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Speed | Up to 1,050MB/s read, 1,000MB/s write |
| NAND | 3D |
| Capacities | 1TB, 2TB |
| Dimensions | 69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5 mm |
| Weight | 28.7 g |
| Casing Material | Metal + Plastic |
| Includes | 12-inch USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable USB Type-A to USB Type-C adapter |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C ~ 40°C |
| Storage Temperature | -20°C ~ 85°C |
| Warranty | Limited 5-year warranty with free technical support |
| Compatibility | Windows 11, 10, macOS |
Overview
The Kingston XS1000R is a portable SSD with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface (USB-C). The speeds promoted on this storage device is up to 1,050MB/s read and 1,000MBs write. It’s essentially the same product as the older XS1000, with the exception of the red color as it was previously available in black. The “R” in XS1000R is meant to signify the color.
It’s literally the same device with the same hardware and the same package, just “facelifted” if anything. It’s worth noting that it now proudly carries the 2024 Red Dot Award Product Design badge, due to its light weight (29g) and having the size of a car’s key fob. It’s actually kind of crazy to think such a small gadget can hold 2TBs worth of data but hey, welcome to the modern era.
As you will need a cable to connect this to a device, it’s best to stick to the included cable for optimized speeds. It can still work with any other USB-C cable but if your cable is primarily meant for charging, you’ll be seeing USB 2.0 speeds which is a huge downgrade from what it’s truly capable of.
By default, it is formatted in exFAT file system, making it compatible with both Windows and Mac. From my own use, it seems to also work well with Android, iOS, and iPadOS as well, though Kingston has never mentioned this in an official capacity. You can reformat it into NTFS but keep in mind that it will make the Kingston XS1000R incompatible with anything outside of Windows OS.
Performance
On CrystalDiskMark, we can see that Kingston’s advertised speeds are pretty accurate as we got close to 1,050MB/s for read speed and close to 1,000MB/s for write speeds at best. The numbers do decrease significantly as the workload becomes more intensive so don’t always expect it to perform at mach speed most of the time. The latter two are realistic expectations of speed if there are a lot of smaller files being transferred in.
The scores do seem a little worse on AS SSD as compared to the previous benchmark but it’s still within expected range. What’s particularly interesting here is the access time being well below 1ms for both read and write. This is considering the fact that the Kingston XS1000R is an external SSD that’s reliant on a USB protocol. On an overall level, these are healthy speeds for what it is, especially since it’s still a big step up from HDDs.
Lastly on ATTO Disk Benchmark, we can see the speeds start peaking at about the 256KB mark, which is a clear indication that it gets its best performance when dealing with files that are at least 256KB in size. Anything lesser will result in slower speeds, which may seem meaningless if you’re transferring one or two files but it really starts to add up if there are tens or hundreds of them. The results here are more on par with what we got in AS SSD, and it’s shaped up to be a solid performer.
Just to prove my point from earlier, the above speeds are from the Kingston XS1000R when using a generic USB-C charging cable. Those are practically USB 2.0 speeds and if you’re okay with these, you’re better off buying a portable HDD. You don’t have to stick to the included cable, especially given how short it is, but make sure you get a cable that can support faster data transfer speeds.
Should You Buy the Kingston XS1000R?
The Kingston XS1000R is a great portable SSD to have. It’s small, ultraportable, and pretty fast. Is the fastest one around? Far from it but given that you only need to pay around RM700 for 2TB of high speed portable storage, it’s more than acceptable. If that’s still too much to bear, the 1TB version is available for around RM400.
If you’re looking to buy an external storage for storing videos, photos, music, or documents, you might be better off with an external HDD or a plain ol’ flash drive from a cost perspective but if you’re looking for something for large backups, large file transfers at any given time, or for more complex workflows like video production-related projects in a compact fashion, the Kingston XS1000R gives excellent value with reliable performance to boot.
PriceShop Rating
Best Giler!
✅ Ultra-compact, like a car’s key fob but lighter
✅ Fast and reliable speeds
✅ Excellent value-for-money for what it is
✅ Comes with USB-C to USB-A adapter
❌ Literally the same portable SSD from 2023, just with a fresh coat of paint
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