Sony plans to relese two new external SSD drives, the high-performance SL-M series and the standard compact SL-C series.

These external SSD drivesboast toughness, high-speed, hardware encryption and new utility software features.

Both new models feature an one-piece aluminium body with an omni-directional shockproof construction. With an IP67 rating, both series are dustproof and waterproof and feature a USB Type-C port that is waterproof even without a sealing cap. Data is also protected even if dropped in water up to a metre deep for up to 30 minutes. These external SSD drives can also withstand pressure of up to 6000kgf and bending of up to 2000kgf. Additionally, the SL-M series and SL-C series are impact proof, withstanding drops from up to 3 metres.

Both models also feature a LED, as well as rubber bands to hold ID labels in place and label stickers to identify different drives.

The SL-M series has a read and write speed of up to 1000MB/s, while the standard compact SL-C series has a 540MB/s read speed and 520MB/s write speed. Both series also feature a USB 3.1 Gen 2 (USB Type-C interface and the SL-M series is able to achieve igh speeds with NVMe SSD technology. Sony says that thanks to the latest SSD controller for both models, users can expect constant high speed even when working with extremely large data files that are copied or overwritten many times.

With password protection, data can be secured with hardware encryption providing AES256-bit encryption without any speed decline. In addition, dual password protection is supported on the SSD Utility app which is free to download. The owner (administrator) can share the locked drive with other users using just the user password, without having to reveal the administrator password. Plus, with cross platform compatibility, users can set a password to lock from a Mac then open from Windows PCs or Android smartphones, and vice versa.

The Lifetime Checker, also available on the SSD Utility app, helps check the condition of the storage drive so the user can be prepared when they’re reaching their limit. Through the SSD Utility app, updates or upgrades can be applied. Finally, file rescue software reduces fears over losing precious data - accidentally deleted files including RAW or high-resolution videos can be recovered.

Both models will be available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB storage capacities when they will launch in autumn 2019.