Kingston XS1000R 2TB External SSD Review

Building on the success of the all-black XS1000, Kingston has introduced a new colorway for those customers looking to stand out and express themselves through color. With the addition of XS1000 Red, they now have more options for external storage and can expand their digital library with an award-winning design.

Just like the black XS1000 we have reviewed a few months ago, the XS1000R is the red version of the same SSD.

With the brand-new bold colour, the SSD is still based on the high performance XS1000 external SSD with USB 3.2 Gen 2 protocol support.

What’s in the box?

What you get inside the package is the XS1000 SSD and a USB-A to USB-C cable. They have also provided a USB-A to C adapter.

Design

The enclosure is made of plastic and metal – the middle plastic frame is sandwiched in between two pieces of metal enclosures. The main highlight? The metallic red aluminium chassis.

The SSD has a USB-C port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 at 10Gbps speed.

Benchmark Test

Crystal Disk Mark USB 3.2 Gen 2

Since the XS1000R supports up to USB 3.2 Gen 2 protocol, you will have to make sure the computer supports the aforementioned protocol to make full use of the speed.

File Copy Test – Read From SSD

File Copy Test – Write To SSD

File Copy Test – Duplicate Files On SSD

Conclusion

The Kingston XS1000R is a remarkable SSD for those who are looking to upgrade from their existing storage options. At 1000MB/s, you can expect this SSD to outperform ALL of your existing HDDs. Those who prefer bold and striking colours will also find this Red colour SSD to be eye-catching.

This is also an excellent external storage for your smartphones and tablets. Since Apple has upgraded their iPhone 15 and 16 series with USB-C ports, you can basically use the drive as an OTG drive for backups.