This drive has more caveats than the headline numbers suggest. Those caveats matter most to Windows buyers, so this piece covers them.
What was announced
According to ASCII.jp, the drive goes on sale November 6 in Japan. (The cite markers below follow the search results I could use. The ASCII.jp launch details come from the source report.) ASCII.jp says the price is "open," meaning there is no fixed list price. It also reports a launch coupon for 10% off at participating stores. The coupon runs from November 6 until 9:59 AM on November 13.
Logitec's own product page lists a separate 5% coupon campaign on its direct store, running over the same dates. So the discount you get depends on where you buy. I could not confirm a street price.
Headline specifications from the report and Logitec's listing:
- Size and weight: about 133 × 142 × 14 mm (W × D × H) and about 230 g, for the drive body only.
- Interface: USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 1), with USB 2.0 fallback. The drive-side connector is Micro-B.
- Cables: one USB-C to Micro-B cable and one USB-A to Micro-B cable, each about 0.6 m. No adapter is needed for either port type.
- Power: USB bus power. An AC adapter and a Y-shaped power-assist cable are included.
- Operating systems: Japanese-language Windows 11, macOS 11 through 15 and 26, and ChromeOS.
- Colour and warranty: black only, with a three-month warranty.
The Windows software bundle
Three free downloads cover the main jobs on Windows:
- sMedio True BD SE for Logitec plays DVD-Video and Blu-ray titles. Windows has not supported this natively since Windows 8, according to Logitec's page.
- CyberLink Power2Go for BD handles data backup to disc.
- CyberLink PowerDirector for BD handles video editing.
Logitec says the download package is called CyberLink Media Suite 16 for BD Vol.41, and it contains PowerDirector and Power2Go. Installation takes some setup:
- Download the package from Logitec's dedicated page. You need an internet connection.
- Have the drive's serial number ready. It is printed on the back of the unit.
- Enter the serial key from the software license sheet in the box.
Note the caveats Logitec lists. The software is Windows-only. It cannot be installed on Windows on ARM, and the product page lists ARM processors as unsupported. Playing digital-broadcast discs protected by CPRM or AACS needs an internet connection.
Where the limits are
Power: USB-C and the AC adapter don't mix
Bus power should cover most machines, but Logitec says it does not guarantee bus-powered operation on every computer. The AC adapter only works when the drive is connected over USB-A. If your laptop has only USB-C ports, the adapter is no help. The Y-cable is the fallback, and that is not a small detail for a Surface-style, USB-C-only device.
The attachment slot on the underside of the drive stores the USB-A cable only. It cannot hold the USB-C cable.
Discs: "Blu-ray support" is not universal
- Supported: BD-R (single and dual layer), dual-layer BD-RE, and BD-R XL in 3- and 4-layer versions. A 4-layer BD-R XL holds up to 128 GB, at a maximum 4× write speed.
- Not supported: single-layer BD-RE and 3-layer BD-RE XL.
- M-DISC: writing to DVD and BD M-DISC is supported. You supply the discs.
- DVD-RAM: supported, but cartridge-enclosed discs must be removed from the cartridge first.
- Write speeds:
- 6× for BD-R and dual-layer BD-R
- 2× for dual-layer BD-RE
- 8× for DVD±R
- 24× for CD-R/RW
Playback: no UHD Blu-ray, and data-only Blu-ray burning
This drive does not support UHD Blu-ray playback, and no UHD player software is included. That matters because Logitec's earlier models differ here. A search of retailer listings shows the older LBD-PWB6U3CV was sold as a UHD BD-capable model, and Amazon Japan lists the LBD-PWC6U3CVBK as a UHD BD drive. If you want 4K discs, check the model number before you buy.
Two more limits to know about:
- Power2Go writes data to Blu-ray only. It does not make Blu-ray video discs that a consumer player or recorder can play.
- Logitec says 4K video-file playback is limited to MP4 H.264 files, and it does not guarantee that all such files will play.
Mac and ChromeOS
The drive works on Macs, but not fully:
- Finder data writing works.
- Audio CDs play in the Music app.
- Commercial DVDs play in Apple DVD Player.
- Commercial Blu-ray video does not play, and neither do AACS/CPRM-protected discs.
- BDXL and DVD-RAM are not supported on macOS.
- The bundled software is not available on Mac.
ChromeOS is read-only, and the bundled software cannot be used there.
Analysis: who should care
Good fit. The drive suits Windows 11 users who need to read old discs and make data archives. It also suits people who want M-DISC or BD-R XL backups, and people who rent or own standard Blu-ray movies. The 14 mm slim body and the two included cables make it easy to carry.
Questionable fit. Be careful if any of these apply:
- You want 4K UHD discs. This model does not play them.
- You want to author Blu-ray movie discs that play in consumer players. Power2Go's Blu-ray burning is data only.
- You run a Windows on ARM laptop. The bundled software will not install.
- You rely on a Mac for Blu-ray movie playback.
- You expect long-term support. The three-month warranty is short, and Logitec's page says exchanges are not available, only returns and refunds. The older LBD-PWB6U3CV listing shows a one-year warranty, which makes the new model's cover look thin by comparison.
One thing I could not establish is whether Logitec has set a list price in its own materials. ASCII.jp says only that the price is open. Real-world performance, noise and reliability are also untested here. This is a specifications-based report, not a hands-on review. User ratings for earlier Logitec portable drives on Kakaku.com vary, so check reviews of this model once they appear.
Bottom line
The LBD-PUF6U3CVBK is a slim, flexible external drive for Windows 11 PCs with no optical bay, and it ships with a useful free software suite. Read the fine print first. It has no UHD Blu-ray, USB-C-only users can't use the AC adapter, and the software does not install on ARM or Mac. The warranty is only three months.