At IFA in Berlin earlier this month, Lexar unveiled what it is claims is the world’s thinnest portable SSD, designed to be the ultimate storage solution for recent iPhones and other phones or phone cases that support compatible magnetic accessory docking. Of course, as a USB-C drive, it should work with a wide range of PCs too.
The Lexar Muse measures 3.8mm at its thickest point and tapers to just 1mm – which is why the SSD doesn’t include a 2.4mm tall USB-C plug, as it wouldn’t fit on that tapered end! Instead, the Muse uses a magnetic pogo pin connection on its back, which allows it to attach to a low profile USB-C cable. It’s a neat solution, though it does lose the convenience of a USB-C drive that can work with more or less any modern USB-C data cable, albeit with the potential for reduced speeds.
The hardware engineering inside is also impressive, with a bespoke PCB and high-density NAND, permitting 512GB and 1TB sizes in what is an absolutely tiny form factor. I’d love to crack one open to have a look inside – I bet it would be pretty neat, even if it would be pretty much impossible to put it back together again!
I like the little leather case here. Click to enlarge.
Speeds are decent too, given the unique connection method and small size, with up to 1000MB/s reads and writes. That allows for ProRes 4K 120fps footage to be written directly to the drive, which makes the Muse quite attractive for iPhone filmmakers.
The Lexar Muse will be available in winter 2026, with no prices listed. At a push, bearing in mind the capacity and speeds we’re talking about, plus a bonus for the unique form factor, I would predict somewhere in the region of £175 to £225 for the 1TB model, and perhaps £100 to £150 for the 512GB size. However, this is just a loosely educated guess.
What do you make of the drive? Should we test it, despite its iPhone focus? Let me know in the comments below.
Will is website editor for Digital Foundry, specialising in PC hardware, sim racing and display technology.