The Transcend MTS800, an M.2 (80mm) SSD, uses the extremely thin M.2 form factor known as 2280. That means it will fit in the thinnest laptops, but it’s not small on storage. It comes in sizes ranging from 32GB all the way up to 1TB.
Using MLC NAND, this drive should be very stable, and Transcend says the SATA III compatible drive is “capable of delivering sequential read/write performance of up to 560MB/s and 460MB/s respectively.” That’s around average for a mid-range SSD, but is pretty impressive in a drive this thin.
A statement from Transcend outlined the features of the drive, which include:
- Error Correction Code (ECC), which detects and corrects transfer errors.
- Device Sleep Mode, which reduced power consumption and helps laptops wake up from sleep quicker
- S.M.A.R.T., the standard way of monitoring hard drive health.
- Intel Smart Response Technology, which enables an SSD to act as a buffer between a laptop and a mechanical hard drive. In this mode the SSD stores only the most frequently used programs and files, ensuring that they quickly.
- Global Wear-leveling and Advanced Garbage Collection, to keep the drive running well and free of clutter.
No price was included with the announcement, though at these speeds and at this form factor the drive likely won’t be cheap. A 512 GB version of the MTS800 currently costs $189 on Amazon. A 1TB version would likely cost more than double that. It’s not unusual for 1TB drives in much larger form factors to cost upwards of $400. Don’t expect to see this drive in any discount laptops soon.
Transcend’s solid state drives come with a three year warranty, as is the industry standard for storage.
The announcement also stated that Transcends MTS400 and MTS600 drives will be offered with storage space up to 512GB.
