Crucial has a long tradition in the storage area, with the release of both internal and external storage solutions for all user categories. While getting an internal SSD and putting it into an external case looks like a good solution, custom solutions that are based upon NVME technology with small dimensions and increased performance/price is a necessity for power users, who wish to transfer big amount of data between systems. Today we will test the Crucial X8 4TB external drive that promises not only very high storage capacity but also reading/writing speeds up to 1GB/sec with the use of USB 3.2Gen high-speed port(s). The Crucial X8 while introduced around 3 years ago, and the 4TB variant was released last year, so we can say it's the newest possible technology that Crucial offers for its flagship drive for on-the-road storage warriors.

Fast, easy storage for your PC and Mac

Quickly and easily add storage to your PC and Mac with the Crucial X8 Portable SSD. Just plug it in — no reformatting required. Back up important photos, videos, and documents with up to 1TB capacity. Encrypt your drive and protect your data using Windows Bitlocker to Go or Apple’s FileVault. Crucial X8 also works with popular endpoint protection services from brands like Symantec and McAfee.

Supercharge your PS4 and Xbox One storage

Plug the Crucial X8 Portable SSD into your PS4 or Xbox One and expand your gaming world³. With up to 1TB of storage, you'll spend less time deleting files and more time in the game.

Expand Android storage for all your movies and shows4

Download your Netflix or Amazon videos to the Crucial X8, allowing you to save LTE data and enjoy high-fidelity video while in transit or offline.  Store up to 1TB of photos and videos on your Android smartphone or tablet. Works with popular photo-editing software like Adobe Photoshop Express on Android.

More capacity for your creativity on iPad Pro [2018 USB-C model]5

Unleash your creative energy in the field with the Crucial X8 portable SSD and Apple’s iPad Pro. Add up to 1TB of capacity to your tablet instantly. Curate, edit, and export multi-stream video without your computer or an internet connection. Seamlessly works with popular video-editing software like LumaFusion.

Phenomenal Speed

Wherever you are, access your games, photos, and videos quickly — even offline. With read speeds up to 1050MB/s, you can load files up to 1.8x faster than most portable SSDs, 7.5x faster than portable hard drives, and 100x faster than USB flash drives.1

Works with a Broad Range of Devices

Increase storage capacity for nearly any computer, tablet, phone, or console. Works with Windows, Mac, iPad Pro, Chromebook, Android, Linux, PS4, and Xbox. Connect with a USB-C 3.2 Gen2 interface or use our included adapters for USB-C or USB-A connections.

Built for the Toughest Conditions

Indoors or outdoors, at home or off the grid, the X8 is manufactured to be durable, rugged, and compact. Tested against extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, and even a 7.5-foot drop, you can trust that your drive will withstand the elements.6

Sleek Style, Innovative Design

Form meets function with the Crucial X8. Built with a unibody core of anodized aluminum, the case not only looks and feels great, but dissipates heat efficiently to maximize performance.

Complete Data Protection

Store your photos, videos, and files with confidence. You can use Windows Backup, macOS Time Machine, Windows Bitlocker to Go, and Apple FileVault, along with third-party endpoint-protection software suites like Symantec and McAfee.

A Reputation for Reliability

When you need ultimate peace of mind, trust the expert quality and engineering innovation of Crucial, a brand of Micron®, one of the leading flash storage manufacturers in the world. The Crucial X8 Portable SSD is backed by a 3-year limited warranty worldwide. Enjoy comprehensive support materials, such as operating instructions for various platforms and articles on maximizing your drive’s performance.

- Specifications

• Interface USB 3.2 Gen-2 (10Gb/s)
• Capacity 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
• Form Factor: Exernal Portable
• Sequential Speed (Read): 1.050Mb/sec
• Warranty: Limited-3 year (or writing the maximum total bytes written (TBW) as published in the product datasheet and as measured in the product’s SMART data, whichever comes first.)

- The Package/Overview

The Crucial X8 4TB can be found at a price of ~$220.00 at Crucial's website, which is a great price, for example, a similar product like the SAMSUNG T7 Shield 4TB costs ~260 over Amazon.com.

The retail box is rather typical for a Crucial product and has all the logos for users to identify it.

Inside the retail box, everything is protected via a plastic shell and you will find

• The X8 4TB External SSD drive
• An USB 3.2 Gen 2 cable with a USB-A adapter
• A quick start guide

The product has very small dimensions, 110mm X 53mm X 11.43mm, while it weighs around 95.25gr. The building material is aluminum at the front/back to help dispass produced internal heat, while the front and button are rubberized to help out with drops. At the front you won't find much, only the Crucial logo. According to other reviewers, this drive includes an ASMedia Chipset, while the product houses Crucial's QLC-based stacked Vertical Nand (64-layers). 

At the back, you will find the product code (Crucial X8 4TB Portable SSD) and various certifications.

- Installation

Not much to be said here, just get the drive and the system will be able to recognize it. The drive is pre-formatted in exFAT file format so it can be used either at PC/MAC/Android/PlayStation consoles without any problem. Xbox series S or X users should ask Crucial if this product is compatible with their gaming console, even other users have reported it isn't so be warned. The real usable capacity is 3.63TB of free space.

The drive comes with three links to various Internet websites

Acronis has a special build for Crucial users

Mylio Photos also offers a 20% discount when registering the software, through the Crucial link

while the third link guides you to the X8 support website.

Installing the latest Crucial Storage Executive software, we can get some information about the drive and its firmware revision. No newer firmware was available for this model

Here are the SMART features of the drive after the initial run.

The drive supports Momentum Cache (RAM Cache) that can further help its reading/writing performance

CrystalDisk Info also gives us more details about the drive.

The drive when connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port will work at the SuperSpeedPlus as the USB Drive Info v5.5.8 software reports