SK Hynix is a well-established manufacturer of memory products, and their Platinum P41 SSD received positive marks for reliability in our previous review. In this review, we’re taking a look at the SK Hynix Beetle X31 1TB SSD, a portable solid-state drive designed for users who value portability, style, and performance.
Specifications
| Model | Beetle X31 |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
| Speed | 1,050MB/s read, 1,000MB/s write |
| Capacities | 512GB, 1TB |
| Dimensions | 74 x 46 x 14.8mm |
| Weight | 53g |
| Operating temperature | 0°C~40°C |
| Storage temperature | -40°C~60°C |
| Warranty/Support | 3-year warranty |
Unboxing
Inside the box, you’ll find the SSD, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, and the clear silicone case for extra protection for the SSD. Measuring just 74 x 46 x 14.8mm and weighing only 53g, it easily fits inside most pockets and tiny compartments in a bag, which is ideal for a portable SSD.
The Beetle X31 comes available in two different capacities for now: 512GB and 1TB. According to SK Hynix during our visit to their booth at Computex, the 2TB variant will be available in 2024 Q4.
A silver color design will be available later in 2024 Q4 as well if the gold accent is not your thing. On the specs, the Beetle X31 sports sequential read/write speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s respectively, which is standard for most portable SSDs nowadays.
Benchmarks
For the benchmark, we tested the Beetle X31 using the following specifications to eliminate any potential bottlenecks:
| CPU | Intel Core i9-14900K |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 APEX ENCORE |
| Memory | Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 RGB@7200MHz CL32 (24GB x2) |
| Graphics Card | Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming OC 16G |
| Power Supply | Cooler Master M2000 Platinum |
| Primary Storage | Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler MasterLiquid PL360 Flux |
| Chassis | Streacom Open Benchtable BC1 V2 |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro 64-bit 22H2 |
We’ve gathered the performance data using commonly used tools like CrystalDiskMark, ATTO Disk Benchmark, and AS SSD Benchmark for the base performance numbers as shown below:
The synthetic benchmark results are not quite what we expected – while the test with CrystalDiskMark shows performance close to what has been advertised, the tests with the ATTO Disk benchmark and AS SSD benchmark are somewhat lowered. The 4K random read and write performance, however, is still pretty impressive.
Moving on to the sustained write performance, the Beetle X31 displayed a rather impressive performance throughout the process. While it’s a tad bit slower than the advertised 1,000 MB/s sequential write performance, the write operation remains consistent throughout the test, giving us an average write performance of 950 MB/s.
Another impressive thing about the Beetle X31 is the temperature of the enclosure throughout the entire benchmark process. Not only it did not show any signs of thermal throttle during our test, but the the enclosure didn’t feel hot to the touch even during the linear write test.
Final Thoughts
The Beetle X31 1TB is retailed at $99, which is on the slightly higher side if we look at other options from the competitors that can go lower than $80, value-conscious users or those who require top-tier performance or a smaller capacity might find better options elsewhere. For users who prioritize portability alongside decent performance, however, the Beetle X31 is still a solid choice if you’re willing to fork out a bit more for it.
Performance-wise, the Beetle X31 1TB is one of the best-performing portable SSDs we’ve tested so far. While the current highest capacity for the Beetle X31 is only at 1TB, SK Hynix has confirmed that it’s rolling out the 2TB variant later this year in 2024 Q4.
