Every 90s kid will remember the rise of external hard drives. While they have large capacities, they were clunky, slow and heavy. Enter external SSDs, which are lightweight, fast and pocketable.
Kingston has sent us the XS2000 external SSD for review, which uses USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 with read /write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s, hence the moniker.
Kingston XS2000 Specifications
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
| Speed | 2,000MB/s read, 2,000MB/s write |
| Capacities | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Dimensions | 69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5mm |
| Weight | 28.9g |
| Casing Material | Metal + plastic |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C~40°C |
| Storage Temperature | -20°C~85°C |
| Warranty/Support | Limited 5-year warranty with free technical support |
| Compatibility | Windows 11, 10, 8.1, macOS (v.10.14.x +), Linux (v. 2.6.x +), Chrome OS |
What’s In The Box?
- Kingston XS2000 External SSD
- USB-C to USB-C data cable
- Rubber sleeve
- Documentation
Design
Our review sample came with 1TB of storage, of which 954GB is usable. If you need larger capacities, you can get up to 4TB of storage.
The design is pretty barebones — the shell is made of a plastic enclosure sandwiched by two pieces of metal. To offer your SSD some protection, Kingston has included a rubber sleeve too. There is an indicator light beside the USB-C connector that lights up when it is connected to a device.
For size comparison, I have my pocket knife and car fob placed side by side as reference. While it is not as small as modern thumb drives, it is still quite pocketable.
Performance
To test the claims of up to 2,000MB/s read and write speeds, I connected the XS2000 to my PC’s USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port, and ran CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 three times.
The results fell short and only achieved 983MB/s sequential read speed, and 939 sequential write. Random speeds tanked to under 200MB/s for read, and 230MB/s for write. I ran the same test on my laptop’s USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port, and got similar results. However, my test scenario is not at the most ideal conditions, so your mileage may vary by a bit.
In terms of real world use, the XS2000 is fast enough for most users. Unless you write a lot of files often, you will barely notice the difference.
Final Verdict
While the Kingston XS2000 is by no means the fastest 20Gbps SSD in the market, it is one of the more affordable ones. Most users want an external SSD that is fast enough and has lots of storage for their money, and Kingston delivered just that.
For more information about the Kingston XS2000, please visit the Kingston official website.
