Lexar

Lexar SL500

Ranked #13 in External SSDs

385 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

DriveVault's 'exceptionally well-rounded' verdict plus Digital Foundry coverage make it the best-rounded Gen 2x2 alternative on the board.

Consolidated from 16 independent outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

11 positive sources
5 mixed sources

See the sources

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Pros & cons

✓ Exceptionally well-rounded: slim, light, good-looking, fast, and broadly compatible
✓ Competitively priced
✓ 2 GB/s-class speeds
✓ ZDNet's pick for the best external drive on the market after hands-on testing
✓ Slim design

✗ Backed by a single-outlet crown rather than multi-source consensus

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 10 articles and 6 video reviews

11 positive sources

Newsshooter Matthew Allard · reviewer · Jun 2026

The 4TB SL500 USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 Portable SSD features read speeds of up to 2000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 1800 MB/s, which is fast enough to record 4K120 video directly from your iPhone, or 8K30 video from Samsung. Thanks to a unique thermal control design that quickly conducts heat, this drive will remain cool, even during heavy usage.

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Karl Conrad Karl Conrad · 1M subscribers · Sept 2024

The ONE Piece of Tech Gear You NEED: Lexar SL500 Portable SSD!

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PCWorld Gabriela Vatu · reviewer · May 2026

We reviewed the Lexar SL500 and gave it a near-perfect rating of 4.5 stars, mainly for its excellent 20Gbps performance and super-slim profile. With its USB-C 3.2 interface, speed is no problem—you can move large files around in a blink, and you can even record 4K video directly to it from your phone or camera.

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Огляд UA Огляд UA · 58.2K subscribers · Sept 2024

excellent performance high data transfer speed and extremely compact design

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Bhphotovideo Article

Fast read speeds of up to 2000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 1800 MB/s accelerate data transfers for more efficient work. Performance on Mac and other systems not supporting USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 may be lower.

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Jay Perillo Jay Perillo · 6.9K subscribers · Sept 2025

You'll see how the Go SSD lets you shoot straight to storage on your mobile phone, how the GoHub cleans up messy rigs, and how the SL500 can be your editing powerhouse. Basically, this is the setup that can finally take your workflow to the next level. What is up, good people? This is Jay. Now, let's get started. All right, let's start with the Lexar Professional Go SSD.

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AppleInsider Andrew O · reviewer · Aug 2026

The SL500 also has a cool trick where it can be inserted into a silicone sleeve to turn it into a MagSafe SSD for use with iPhone. It's a fantastic, ultra-slim drive.

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My Top list My Top list · 1.7K subscribers · Aug 2026

>> The Lexar 4TB SL500 portable SSD is designed for users who need a large amount of fast portable storage without relying on bulky external drives.

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Macworld Gabriela Vatu · reviewer · May 2026

Our friends at PCWorld gave this drive 4.5 stars when they reviewed it, praising its performance, profile, and 5-year warranty.

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DriveVault Article Read B

Belfasttelegraph Article

Tech review: Lexar SL500 Portable SSD packs huge storage into tiny powerhouse

Read

5 mixed sources

Digital Foundry Article Read T

Truthify Truthify · 1.4K subscribers · Jul 2026

However, the biggest limitation is that you need the right hardware to take advantage of its speed. Many computers only support slower USB connections, meaning the drive will still work, but may perform closer to standard portable SSD speeds instead of reaching its maximum potential. Another thing to consider is durability.

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Digital Camera World Article · Nov 2022

You might not get the advertised speeds

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Gadget Vault Pro Gadget Vault Pro · 12 subscribers · May 2025

Unfortunately, not all computers come equipped with this port, which can limit the drive's performance when plugged into more common USB 3.2 2 Gen 2 ports. This isn't a deal breakaker, but it's something to keep in mind if you want to take full advantage of the drive's capabilities. Even without that, the SL500 offers solid speeds typical of external SSDs in its class.

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ZDNET Adrian Kingsley-Hughes · reviewer · May 2026