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one minute review
The Netac ZX20 is a portable solid state drive that’s light, fast, compact, reasonably solid and borrows the orange carabiner hole from a popular rival: a useful feature for anyone looking to secure their most precious data storage device. wants to do
Its (engineered) plastic casing makes it feel sticky, but it’s preferable – in my view – to a full metal enclosure that scratches easily, is heavy and adds to the overall cost. The ZX20 comes with a strict minimum when it comes to accessories: just a few USB cables and a pouch and no bundled software. There’s also no activity LED, but that doesn’t bother me; What bothers me more is the fact that it’s only available in 512GB and 1TB capacities, which are pretty low by today’s standards.
Just be aware that it doesn’t have any IP or MIL-STD ratings; So don’t drop it in a glass of water to impress your co-workers, it is not a water resistant device. It still feels solid enough but be aware of its limitations (even though it does include a three-year warranty).
Netac claims the drive should reach read/write speeds of up to 2GBps/1.7GBps thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface. I never managed to match it as my laptop only supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, something to keep in mind if you ever buy with speed in mind. The drive was still plenty fast for everyday use.
Still, it’s hard to recommend the ZX20 with so many options, especially if you don’t have a laptop or desktop PC with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. I would recommend it Kingston XS2000 (Which is cheap, has long warranty and is waterproof) or available cheap Silicon Power PC60 If you do not have a Gen 2×2 device. Note that I check prices on Amazon.com rather than relying on out-of-date and obsolete suggested retail prices.
Netac ZX20: Pricing and availability
- How much is it worth? $85.35 , £64.49 , AU$174.58
- When is it available? Now
- Where can you get it? in the US, UK and Australia
In a highly competitive category, the ZX20 faces some stiff competition; With little differentiation between the products, it often comes down to price and at the time of writing, this is a game the ZX20 is losing and which ultimately prevents it from entering our best portable ssd Buying Guide.
Netac ZX20: Benchmark
You need a Gen 2×2 laptop or desktop computer to experience the full performance the ZX20 promises: it’s theoretical maximum of 20Gbps (2.5GBps). Netac says it’ll reach 2Gbps/1.7Gbps in real life, but sadly I couldn’t achieve those speeds as my test laptop has USB 3.2 Gen2, topping out at 10Gbps.
A laptop with USB 4 or Thunderbolt 4 (like the Apple MacBook Pro) will also only achieve this speed which clearly shows that Gen 2×2 has no future. Neither Samsung nor Crucial, the two big portable SSD vendors, have released USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 products.
Beyond that, the ZX20 achieved some great results, firmly placing it among the top five external solid state drives I’ve tested so far. The drive didn’t get hot even under load.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | read (mbps) | write (mbps) |
|---|---|---|
| caste | 940 | 859 |
| crystaldiskmark | 1074 | 1001 |
| On doing | 1024 | 954 |
| as ssd | 954 | 847 |
| real life | 459 | 459 |
| capabilities available | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Shape | 71.5 x 43.5 x 8 mm |
| weight | 23 grams |
| enclosure material | abs plastic |
| joiner | usb-c |
| technology | usb 3.2 gen 2 |
| Warranty (in years) | 3 |
| Rated R/W Speed (Mbps) | 2000/1700 |
| software bundle | No |
Should I buy the Netac ZX20?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Netac ZX20 Alternatives
| row 0 – cell 0 | pny elite x pro | Silicon Power PC60 | Kingston XS2000 |
| Capacity | 1 TB | 0.96 TB | 1 TB |
| worth | $79.99 | $49.99 | $79.99 |
| pace | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 | USB 3.1 Gen 1 | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
| IP rated | No | No | Yes |
| Warranty (Years) | 3 | 3 | 5 |
The PNY Elite X Pro looks a lot like the popular Samsung T7 (and ZX20), but smaller, cheaper and with a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface.
The Silicon Power PC60 is bland, simple and average in everything except its price. It is an entry-level, affordable and capable device that is far cheaper than its competitors.
The Kingston XS2000 Portable SSD is a better alternative to the ZX20 with an affordable price, longer warranty, and IP rating.
How I Tested the Netac ZX20
After formatting the ZX20 to exFAT, I test it the same way I test other storage components (external HDD, microSD card, etc.). I use the latest versions of CrystalDiskMark, Atto, AS SSD, and AJA Benchmark, noting the best scores I get in each. All of these are free and can be downloaded by anyone. Then I transfer a folder of files, around 10GB in size, to get a rough idea of real-life performance.
