Best Portable Ssds · head-to-head

SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD vs LaCie Rugged SSD Pro

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD is cheaper at $60. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD or LaCie Rugged SSD Pro?

The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro wins 3 of the 4 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 1. The SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD is the cheaper at $60. Get the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro for the stronger spec sheet, the SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD to spend less.

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Key specs, head to head

The numbers that decide it, drawn to scale — longer bar wins, the accent bar is the stronger figure.

Capacity (GB)
SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 512
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 1000
Read (Mbps)
SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 1050
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 2800
Write (Mbps)
SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 1000
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 2300

Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD LaCie Rugged SSD Pro
US price $60 $200
BrandSK HynixLaCie
Released20222019
Capacity (GB) 512 1000
Read (Mbps) 1050 2800
Write (Mbps) 1000 2300
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C
Encryption
IP rating IP67
Weight (g) 53 100
Release 2022 2019

Sources — SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD: ssd.skhynix.com (verified 2026-06-15). LaCie Rugged SSD Pro: seagate.com (verified 2026-06-15).

What's the difference between the SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD and LaCie Rugged SSD Pro?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (5 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Capacity (GB): SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 512 vs LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 1000
  • Read (Mbps): SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 1050 vs LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 2800
  • Write (Mbps): SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 1000 vs LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 2300
  • Interface: SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) vs LaCie Rugged SSD Pro Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C
  • Weight (g): SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD 53 vs LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 100

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

SK Hynix Beetle X31 Portable SSD

Solid but not class-leading. Three testers benchmarked it hands-on — PCWorld (July 2023) and StorageReview (February 2024) on 1TB, Tom's Hardware (December 2024) on 2TB. All three measured sequential throughput at or near the practical ~1,000 MB/s ceiling of the 10 Gbps interface, and all three note the compact rounded shell with non-slip feet. The two outlets that ran long continuous writes both hit a cache cliff. Pricing is contested rather than agreed: two outlets call it expensive, one calls it market-rate. (3 sourced reviews, 3 lab-tested.)

Praised: Sequential throughput lands at or near the ~1,000 MB/s practical ceiling of the 10 Gbps interface; Compact, rounded pebble-shaped body with non-slip feet on the bottom; Metal shell feels rugged and solid in the hand.

Flagged: Sustained write collapses once the secondary cache is exhausted on large continuous transfers; Priced above competitors that are equally fast or faster; Middling PCMark 10 result — lands in the lower half of the 2024 comparison set.

LaCie Rugged SSD Pro

Only one whitelisted outlet (Tom's Hardware) has a hands-on, benchmarked review of this exact Thunderbolt 3 model. It rates the drive fast and cool-running with a rugged IP67 build, but flags a small SLC write cache, a steep price (about twice a typical 10 Gbps SSD), and the lack of AES hardware encryption found on the cheaper non-Pro Rugged SSD. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)

Praised: Competitive Thunderbolt 3 speed: ATTO ~2,450/2,130 MB/s read/write, peaking near 2.8/2.4 GB/s in iometer; Runs cool and avoids thermal throttling under sustained load, unlike the Samsung X5; Rugged IP67 build (3m drop, car-crush rated) with 5-year warranty plus Rescue data-recovery service.

Flagged: Small SLC write cache: sustained writes fall from ~2.1 GB/s to ~1.1 GB/s after roughly 25GB; Very expensive, about twice the cost of most 10 Gbps portable SSDs; Lacks 256-bit AES hardware encryption that the cheaper non-Pro Rugged SSD includes.

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