Lexar Muse – the world’s thinnest external SSD for iPhone
Lexar unveiled at IFA 2026 the external SSD Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD, which the company calls the thinnest portable SSD in the world.
The aluminum chassis is 3.8 mm thick at its thickest point and tapers to 1 mm at the edges, while the storage device can be mounted on the back of a compatible iPhone to record Apple ProRes video up to 4K at 120 fps.
Chassis thickness of 3.8 mm
Lexar Muse measures 80 × 48 × 3,8 mm and weighs 26.5 grams. The body is machined from a single piece of aluminum. To reduce thickness, Lexar developed its own thin printed circuit board and employed a dense NAND memory layout.
The body tapers at the edges to approximately 1 mm. This is what allowed Lexar to claim it is the thinnest portable SSD in the world, but this is a manufacturer’s claim.
This design involves a compromise: a standard USB-C port simply wouldn’t fit on the SSD. Instead, it uses SnapLink’s proprietary magnetic connection with spring-loaded pogo contacts. N52 neodymium magnets secure the connection, and the SnapLink cable is included in the box. The other end features a standard USB-C connector.
The smartphone has a dedicated magnetic case into which the drive is inserted. With it, Muse can be mounted on the back of MagSafe-compatible iPhone models. The case increases the overall thickness of the assembly, but SSD you no longer have to leave it dangling from a cable during recording.
Up to 1050 MB/s and ProRes 4K recording
The advertised sequential read speed reaches 1050 MB/s, and write speed reaches 1000 MB/s. In terms of performance, the Muse is on par with fast external SSD devices featuring a class USB 10 Gbit/s interface, so the model’s main feature lies in its size and design rather than record-breaking speed.
On compatible iPhones, the storage device supports direct Apple ProRes recording at resolutions up to 4K and frame rates up to 120 fps. To work with an iPhone, a USB-C device is required, meaning the iPhone 15 series or newer.
Muse is also compatible with iPad, Mac, and other USB-C devices, including Android smartphones and computers. Through the Lexar app, you can set up automatic backup of photos and videos from your smartphone.
Prices and release date
Lexar Muse will be released in two variants:
- 512 GB;
- 1 TB.
Sales are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company has not yet announced a 2 TB version.
Lexar has not yet announced official prices. Representatives of the company at IFA cited an estimated cost of around $230 for the 512 GB version and around $380 for the 1 TB version, but due to the memory crisis, these amounts may change significantly by the time sales begin.
