Final Thoughts on the SK Hynix Beetle X31
Almost all portable solid state drives are the same essentially. The are all going to offer right around the same transfer speed (depending on connection) so what sets them apart? I think the two biggest things are price and design. Let’s first start with design. The SK hynix Beetle X31 is a sleek little drive. So little that it will easily fit into your pocket. That makes it ideal for traveling or using as a drive you bring into work. I also really like that SK hynix did not plaster a logo on the top of the drive, you just have that sleek champagne gold color.
SK hynix is quite good on price when it comes to the Beetle X31 as well. The 512GB version that we reviewed is going for $49.99 with the 1TB being $89.99 and the 2TB being $169.99. These prices make it quite competitive against other USB 3.2 gen 2 portable solid state drives, many of which will not come with two cables or the protective case.
Being a USB 3.2 gen 2 drive means that you’ll see real-world speeds of around 1000 MB/s and in our testing we saw those speeds. There really is not much to not like about this drive, but some may want some sort of backup or encryption software, which you won’t get. The drive simply ships as a blank drive. And of course there are faster USB 3.2 gen 2×2 drives out there.
I think if you are looking for a small and compact portable solid state drive the SK hynix Beetle X31 is a solid choice. Overall ThinkComputers gives the SK hynix Beetle X31 portable solid state drive a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Performed right up to advertised speeds
– Available up to 2TB
– Small and compact
– Comes with 2 USB cables
– Price
Cons:
– No backup software
– No USB 3.2 gen 2×2 version
