14 DAY TRIAL // Storage device makers are always on the lookout for newer and better NAND Flash chips, so when Micron revealed 16 nm MLC NAND, Crucial was quick to snatch it up.
Not that the company is using it all that much yet. Indeed, even the new MX100 series isn't exclusively based on the new chips.
While the 256 GB and 512 GB drives are, sure enough, made of 16 nm chips, the 128 GB one is made from 20 nm chips instead.
Nevertheless, the MX100 are among Crucial's most advanced SSDs yet, perhaps the most advanced even.
They use the Marvell 88SS9189 controller to read and write data at up to 550 MB/s and 500 MB/s, respectively.
It's not as wondrous as it sounds though. While the 512 GB drive reaches 500 MB/s write, the 128 GB and 256 GB ones only manage 150 MB/s and 500 MB/s, respectively.
At least all 2.5-inch drives have the same 7 mm profile (though a 9.5 mm adapter is included in the box).
Finally, the prices of the 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB Crucial MX100 SSDs are €70 / $70, €95 / $95 and €185 / $185. It might seem like a lot, but the newcomers do have AES 256-bit hardware encryption and MTTF of 1.5 million hours.