1. Western Digital has introduced the updated WD Blue SN5000 series SSDs, adding a 4TB model to its budget NVMe SSD lineup. 2. The new series features an in-house WD controller, supports PCIe 4.0 x4, and uses a mix of BiCS 5 TLC and BiCS 6 QLC NAND depending on the model. 3. Despite using QLC NAND, the 4TB model is touted to offer better performance and endurance than the lower capacity models.

1. Samsung hasn't released a full Gen5 SSD yet, but has filed for two new trademarks that could be Gen5 SSDs. 2. The trademarks are for the 990 EVO Plus and 9100 PRO SSDs, which might offer speeds over 14GB/sec (14,000MB/sec) like current Gen5 SSDs on the market. 3. Samsung's last SSD release was the 990 PRO, a Gen4 SSD with speeds up to 7.45GB/sec (7450MB/sec), featuring an RGB-lit heatsink.

1. Lexar's NM1090 Gen5 SSD now available for purchase; 2. Offers 12GB/sec+ read speeds and 11GB/sec+ write speeds; 3. Features a new cooling design with a dedicated heatsink and thermal silicone sheets; 4. Utilizes 4GB of SLC dynamic cache and 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory chips; 5. Available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities with competitive pricing.

1. The Adata 4TB XPG Gammix S70 Blade SSD is available at a low price of $234. 2. This price equates to just 5 cents per GB, making it an attractive deal amidst rising SSD prices.

Sabrent tends to get into news when it launches ultra-high-performance SSDs for enthusiast-grade desktops, but this week the company introduced a completely different type of product: a small form-factor M.2-2242 SSD aimed at Lenovo's Legion Go handheld and ultra-thin laptops that don't accomodate M.2-2280 drives. And even though it's not an enthusiast-grade drive, the Rocket Nano still boasts with quite decent performance and capacity. The Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 (SB-2142) drive is based on the Phison E27T platform, a PCIe 4.0 x4 controller that is that is designed for mainstream DRAM-less SSDs, and in the case of the Rocket Nano, is paired with 3D TLC memory. The SSD is available in a single 1TB configuration, and is rated for read speeds up to 5 GB/s. Interestingly, the Phison E27T controller itself is rated for read speeds up to 7 GB/s, so it appears that the petite Rocket Nano isn't making full use of the controller's performance. Sabrent positions its Rocket Nano 2242 SSD as drives for upgrading Lenovo's Legion Go portable game console, select Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, and other M.2-2242-sized PCs that can't accomodate larger 2280 drives. Keeping in mind that most devices shipping with M.2-2242 SSDscome with pretty slow stock drives, Sabrent solution seems to be a viable product for such upgrades. All the while, Sabrent's Rocket Nano 2242 will also work in systems with a PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, so the market for these drives is pretty wide. Sabrent's Rocket Nano 2242 SSD 1 TB (SB-2142-1TB) SSD has a recommended price of $99.99, which is more or less in line with other 1 TB drives in the same form-factor and offering comparable performance. The SSD is currently available at Amazon for $101. Sources: Tom's Hardware, Sabrent

Lexar has a long history of serving the flash-based consumer storage market in the form of SSDs, memory cards, and USB flash drives. After having started out as a Micron brand, the company was acquired by Longsys which has diversified its product lineup with regular introduction of new products. Recently, the company announced a number of portable SSDs targeting different market segments. The Lexar SL500 Portable SSD is one of the moderately priced 20 Gbps PSSDs in that set.

The SL500 is able to achieve its price point thanks to the use of a native USB flash controller - the Silicon Motion SM2320. The unique aspect is the use of YMTC 3D TLC NAND (compared to the usual Micron or BiCS NAND that we have seen in previous SM2320-based PSSDs). Read on for a detailed look at the SL500, including an analysis of its internals and evaluation of its performance consistency, power consumption, and thermal profile.