Hardware
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5
Rugged Thunderbolt 5 solid-state drive
£459.99 (2TB, as tested), £1,199.99 (4TB) FROM FEATURES Full-speed Thunderbolt 5, 3 and USB4 with recent Macs, IP68, 9.8x6.5x1.7cm, Thunderbolt 5 cable seagate.com
You’ll find the waterproof USB-C port on one of the long sides of the rugged rubber-covered case.
The Pro 5’s peak read speed of 6GB/sec makes it the fastest external SSD we’ve tested
Thunderbolt 5 is coming of age, and not just for the few who can afford the latest high-end Macs. LaCie’s new go-anywhere SSD claims compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 on Intel Macs, USB4 on most Apple silicon models, and Thunderbolt 5 on the elite with M4 Pro or Max chips. Is it the best performer, or just a compromise?