Kingston Dual Portable SSD review: Pocket-friendly performance

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Flash drives and memory cards are a compact and convenient way to store small amounts of data and files, but they typically offer lower performance than solid-state drives and more limited storage capacity. This means that flash drives are not ideal for handling large files or for regular Time Machine backups on your Mac. However, the new Kingston Dual Portable SSD offers the best of both worlds, combining the compact design of a flash drive with the speed and capacity of an SSD.

In fact, the Dual Portable SSD is so small that Kingston calls it an SSD “disguised as a flash drive.” It certainly looks the part, with its compact rectangular design measuring just 72mm long, 21mm wide and just 8.6mm thick. It's about the same size as the 64GB Kingston flash drive I often use for fast file transfers in the office, but it's much faster and has much more capacity. You can easily put it in your pocket while traveling, and it weighs only 13g, so you'll barely notice it when you're carrying it with you.

It's rugged, though, with a bright red metal body that feels durable enough to withstand life on the road. Kingston doesn't specify an IP rating for weatherproofing, so you should probably avoid getting it wet if possible, but the company is confident enough to offer a five-year warranty, and the drive should be more than durable enough to handle normal day-to-day use.

Kingston Technology

Double drive

Most SSDs use a regular USB cable to connect to computers or mobile devices, but like a flash drive, a dual portable SSD has a USB interface built right into the drive's body. Or to be precise, it has “dual” interfaces – hence the name – with USB-A on one end of the drive and USB-C on the other end.

This ensures compatibility with a wide range of computers and mobile devices, although when connected to the USB-C port on my MacBook Pro, the width of the drive meant it covered the adjacent USB-C port on the MacBook, which can be inconvenient if you have other USB devices like a keyboard or mouse that you also need to connect. We were also a little concerned about the small plastic covers that protect the USB connectors on the drive, as they come off right away and can easily get lost if you move around a lot.

However the drive works well. It doesn't support Thunderbolt, instead using USB 3.2 Gen 2, but Kingston claims 950MB/s write speeds and 1,050MB/s read speeds. Our tests with BlackMagic Disk Speed ​​Test showed write speeds of 950MB/s. Read speeds were a little slower at 920MB/s, but that should still be fast enough for everyday use when transferring files or for general Time Machine backups on your Mac.

Kingston Technology

However, the ultra-compact design comes at a price, and the dual portable SSD is a bit more expensive than other models. SSD drives that we've recently reviewed, including the slightly larger XS1000 from Kingston.

Prices start from $125.89/£87.41 for a 512GB drive, although we tested the 1TB version, which costs $143.99/£128.31. A 2TB variant is also available, priced at $238.99/£211.93. The drive also does not come with software. Kingston makes an app called SSD Manager that provides basic functionality for monitoring the drive's health and performance, but it's currently only available for Windows PCs. This is not a problem for Mac users, who can use Apple Disk Utility and Time Machine to provide diagnostic and backup functions. However, some users may want a disc with an application that password protects their files, as some of Kingston's competitors do.

Is it worth buying a dual portable SSD?

Professional users may prefer a faster Thunderbolt-enabled drive to ensure maximum performance for large graphics or video files, but the USB Dual Portable SSD's performance is more than enough for routine tasks like file transfers and Time Machine backups. Its compact and durable design also makes it an ideal option for people who need a backup drive that can be quickly tucked into their pocket while traveling.