For Windows users, Muse is not yet a conventional portable SSD choice with a proven set of measurements. The announced read and write figures are fast on paper, but they are manufacturer ratings. More importantly, its physical design makes the supplied cable a critical part of ownership rather than an inexpensive, widely interchangeable accessory.
What Lexar has announced
Lexar announced the Muse at IFA Berlin on September 4, 2026, during the show’s September 4–8 run. The SSD has an 80 × 48 mm footprint and a precision-machined unibody metal enclosure. Lexar attributes the thin chassis to a custom ultra-thin circuit board and high-density NAND stacking.
The key dimensions need careful reading. Muse is approximately 3.8 mm at its thickest point; the 1 mm figure applies to the tapered edge, not the entire body. It is still remarkably slim by the standards of external storage, especially when compared with the thicker, more conventional enclosures that accommodate a USB-C port. But the maximum thickness is the meaningful number when judging clearance in a bag, a pocket, or behind a handset.
Lexar plans 512 GB and 1 TB models, with availability beginning in Q4 2026 subject to regional availability and market-specific specifications. It has not announced a firm sale date, official MSRP, or regional pricing.
A report from the IFA show floor says Lexar representatives were aiming for roughly $230 for 512 GB and $380 for 1 TB. Those are preliminary targets, not confirmed retail prices. Prospective buyers should therefore avoid treating them as a final pricing promise, particularly outside the US market.
The thinness claim needs qualification
Lexar markets Muse as the world’s thinnest portable SSD. It is reasonable to report that as the company’s marketing position, but it should not be repeated as a settled all-time record.
An independent 2009 review described the Clickfree Traveler SSD as having a 3.5 mm-thick aluminium case. That documented measurement is below Muse’s stated 3.8 mm maximum thickness. The available evidence does not establish a complete present-day market comparison, and the products may differ substantially in capacity, architecture and intended use. Still, it clearly prevents an unqualified claim that Muse is definitively the thinnest portable SSD ever made.
The more defensible conclusion is narrower: Muse is an extremely thin modern portable SSD by Lexar’s stated measurements. Whether it leads a defined category—such as currently sold drives at particular capacities—would require a disclosed comparison methodology that is not available here.
That distinction is more than wording. Buyers should not let a disputed record claim obscure the practical question: what compromises were required to reach the 3.8 mm profile, and are those compromises acceptable for their workflow?
No USB-C port on the drive changes the ownership equation
Muse does not carry a conventional USB-C receptacle on the SSD body. Instead, it uses Lexar’s proprietary PogoPin magnetic data connection and the supplied SnapLink Magnetic Cable. This choice is central to the product, not a minor accessory detail: it is how Lexar avoids the space required for a normal USB-C port in such a thin chassis.
For an ordinary portable SSD, a damaged or misplaced USB-C cable is generally an annoyance. A user can normally buy another standard cable locally, choose a longer one for desk use, or keep spares in different bags. Muse’s SSD-side connector changes that calculation. Losing, damaging or eventually needing to replace the SnapLink cable could interrupt access until a compatible replacement is available.
Lexar has not stated replacement-cable pricing, retail availability or long-term support plans in the material available. That leaves a meaningful purchasing uncertainty. Anyone considering Muse for work should not assume that a standard USB-C cable will restore connectivity if the included cable fails.
The magnetic arrangement also warrants precise wording. The bare SSD does not directly attach to compatible MagSafe iPhones. A magnetic sleeve provides the attachment. This may create a neat, integrated phone-recording setup, but it also means the complete experience depends on more than the small metal SSD alone.
For Windows users who move projects between a PC and a mobile capture device, the practical lesson is straightforward: evaluate the entire connection system, including how the cable fits your laptop, desktop, dock or travel kit. The thin drive may reduce bulk, but the proprietary link introduces a single component that deserves the same level of care as the stored data.
The speed ratings are promising, not proof
Lexar rates Muse for sequential reads of up to 1,050 MB/s and sequential writes of up to 1,000 MB/s. If achieved in the relevant workload, those figures would put it in the class of fast external storage suitable for moving substantial video projects, photo libraries and game-related files rather than only documents.
However, these are vendor “up to” ratings. No independent benchmarks in the supplied material verify real-world transfer rates, sustained write behaviour, thermals, or performance as the drive fills. Those omissions matter more for a very thin SSD than for a product that merely advertises a high peak number.
A large one-off sequential transfer and an extended recording session are not necessarily equivalent workloads. Sustained writes can be affected by factors such as the drive’s internal design, available free space and heat. This is not an assertion that Muse will slow down or overheat; it is the currently unresolved question that reviewers need to test on final retail hardware.
Windows buyers should also separate a peak benchmark claim from their own likely bottleneck. Copy times depend on both ends of the connection, the files being moved, the host system and the device’s sustained behaviour. The announced numbers are a useful indication of Lexar’s intended performance tier, but not a guarantee of the rate a particular PC will deliver.
The iPhone ProRes proposition has narrow limits
Lexar says compatible iPhones can record Apple ProRes externally at up to 4K at 120 frames per second using Muse. This is a compelling use case because an attached SSD can make high-bandwidth video capture less dependent on internal phone storage. Yet “compatible” must not be read as every USB-C iPhone.
Apple limits external 4K/120 ProRes recording to iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro models. iPhone 15 Pro models do not reach that external 4K/120 mode; their external ProRes ceiling is 4K at 60 frames per second. Apple also specifies that external storage used for 4K/120 needs at least 440 MB/s write capability and no more than 4.5 W of power draw.
Muse’s quoted maximum 1,000 MB/s write rating is higher than Apple’s stated throughput requirement. But this does not independently demonstrate that the drive will consistently satisfy the requirement in prolonged 4K/120 capture. A maximum sequential write figure is not the same thing as a verified recording test under heat and sustained load. Apple additionally requires external storage to be reformatted before each 4K/120 recording session, an operational detail creators should factor into a shooting routine.
The physical concept is attractive for mobile video: a thin drive mounted via its sleeve is less cumbersome than a conventional external enclosure dangling from a cable. The trade-off is that the value of that setup depends on the exact iPhone model, a supported configuration and reliable sustained recording performance that remains unverified.
What is still unknown before launch
Muse is an announcement, not yet a fully characterized retail product. Several specifications that many portable-SSD buyers use to assess risk have not been disclosed in the available information: IP rating, drop rating, warranty terms, endurance rating, controller and NAND details.
The lack of independent testing leaves three questions particularly important:
- Sustained transfers: Whether the drive can maintain useful write performance through long video captures and large Windows file copies.
- Thermal behaviour: Whether the thin metal enclosure remains comfortable and stable under demanding use, and whether heat affects sustained speed.
- Accessory resilience: Whether replacement SnapLink cables will be easy to obtain at reasonable cost, and how well the proprietary magnetic connection fares in daily travel use.
None of these unknowns mean the product is unsuitable. They do mean that early adopters are accepting more uncertainty than they would with a standard-port external SSD that has established third-party testing and easily sourced cables.
Who should wait, and who may find it compelling
Muse looks most compelling for a specific buyer: a mobile creator who values an exceptionally low-profile phone-mounted external drive and uses a supported Pro iPhone configuration. For that audience, the engineering behind the size may be more valuable than a conventional port, provided the final drive proves dependable in extended capture.
It may be less compelling as a general-purpose Windows portable SSD for people who prioritize universal cable replacement, ruggedness disclosures, established value per gigabyte, or independently verified sustained transfers. The preliminary target prices, if they become final, would also make price scrutiny important. A thin form factor is useful, but it does not by itself establish better value or better reliability.
Lexar has introduced a genuinely distinctive storage design: a 3.8 mm maximum-thickness SSD whose connection mechanism is inseparable from its thinness. The announcement is enough to make Muse worth watching, especially for mobile video workflows. It is not yet enough to settle the questions that should drive a purchase decision. Final pricing, retail availability, cable support and independent tests will determine whether the elegant form factor becomes a practical professional tool or a niche solution built around a costly proprietary accessory.