Freecom Tablet Mini SSD – Hardware Review
The last few years SSDs have been on the rise, especially for gamers who want to achieve the fastest experience as possible. While these drives are often a tad more expensive than their slower counterparts the HDDs, they offer a much quicker experience. While we could present you with a rather typical review of a standard SSD, we decided to do something else and talk about the external Tablet Mini SSD that Freecom unleashed on the market. This tiny device should offer the same experience, albeit without having to embed the device inside your PC and it also works for mobile products. Curious? We were too.
Design
As expected, the design is rather simple as you’ll be treated to a small dark grey box, with a black rubber-ish border that runs around it. In the border you’ll see that both cables are embedded, but overall it looks rather seamless. Simply put, for what the device does and what the functions are, it looks simple, yet elegant enough to be a rather attractive piece of hardware.
Comfort
Comfort wise, this item speaks for itself. As the device aims itself at tablet users, it’s a key selling point that it has to be compact and light and in both cases Freecom has done a great job. With the device only weighing around 60 grams and its little dimensions (9.2 x 1.5 x 5.8cm) you’ll easily be able to take the Tablet Mini SSD along for all your travels. Seeing the device is even a lot smaller than your smartphone, it should perfectly fit the designated smartphone pockets of your backpack, shoulder bag or for the ladies, their purses.
Only one thing is a bit annoying to work with, namely the embedded cables in the frame are made of a rather inflexible rubber, which makes it quite hard to whip out the cables and plug in the device. Only a small inconvenience, but a noticeable one nonetheless.
Specs
- Capacity: 128GB
- Drive type: mSSD SATA
- USB 3.0/2.0
- Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.5 x 5.8 cm
- Weight: 58 g
Overview
It’s clear that this device is aimed at tablet users, so it’s clear that potential buyers might not be concerned about whether the device reaches top speeds or not. In many ways the device is pretty much a slightly bigger USB stick that serves both PC and tablet users. While there are still devices that aren’t on the compatibility list, the device works as it should, in a plug and play kind of fashion. Nonetheless, for mobile users it’s possible you’ll have to change the writing platform in the settings first, especially when you’re planning on downloading items with your smartphone or tablet, but don’t have sufficient space.
Depending on what files you’re transferring, the claimed USB 3.0 transfer speed of 5Gbit/s and the USB 2.0 speed of 480Mbit/s aren’t that far off. While this is probably a fun fact to know that the device is indeed speedy, it’s also one that probably matters less for those who will use it on many mobile devices, seeing it will depend on the speed of the device itself. Fast is fun, but if you don’t reach the claimed speeds at all times, you probably won’t even notice it.
Conclusion
Freecom’s Tablet Mini SSD might not come that cheap, but it’s a valuable tool when you’re working with many different mobile devices, or if you’re on the road a lot. The compact and light device offers a solid performance and you’ll have ample space for your mobile devices. PC users will also find their merits in this device, but as the name states, it truly is a device for mobile users.
Freecom Tablet Mini SSD - Hardware Review,
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