LaCie Rugged SSD4 Delivers 4,000MBs Portable Speed

LaCie Rugged SSD4 speeds up portable storage

Seagate today refreshed its familiar orange‑bumpered LaCie Rugged Mini SSD with a faster, sleeker model: the LaCie Rugged SSD4. The new drive keeps the rugged DNA—drop protection and splash resistance—while moving to a brushed aluminum finish, a centered USB‑C port, and significantly higher transfer speeds.

Availability and pricing are straightforward: 1TB for $134.99, 2TB for $249.99, and 4TB for $479.99. Seagate has dropped the previous 500GB option. The Rugged SSD4 is compatible with computers, tablets, and USB‑C smartphones and is ready for fast, on‑the‑go workflows.

• Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB. Prices: $134.99 / $249.99 / $479.99.
• Performance: up to 40Gbps interface, 4,000MB/s read, 3,000MB/s write.
• Durability: orange bumper protects against drops from nearly 10 feet; IP54 dust/splash rating (not fully waterproof).
• Design: same footprint as predecessor, brushed aluminum finish, centered USB‑C port.

Compared with the older Rugged Mini SSD, the SSD4 roughly doubles read throughput (2,000MB/s → 4,000MB/s) and tightens up the industrial design. It sits below Seagate’s higher‑end LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 introduced earlier (which reaches 6,700MB/s read), but the SSD4 represents a pragmatic midrange jump for most creators.

For content creators, one notable claim is that when connected to a USB‑C iPhone the drive is fast enough to capture ProRes 4K footage at 120fps—making it a useful tool for mobile filmmakers who need reliable, high‑bandwidth offload and storage. Photographers and editors will also appreciate shorter transfer times and smoother previews when working from the drive.

But it's not an across‑the‑board win. Teams that need the absolute fastest NVMe external drives or fully waterproof hardware may still prefer higher‑end or specialized options. The SSD4 hits a sweet spot for many on‑site capture and backup tasks where a balance of speed, capacity, ruggedness, and price matters.

Organizations evaluating the Rugged SSD4 should benchmark it within real workflows: measure sustained write under long video dumps, test performance on target devices, and factor in lifecycle costs for 1–4TB options. And remember that IP54 means splash resistance—not dunking—so operational policies should still account for environmental risks.

Bottom line: the LaCie Rugged SSD4 is a meaningful upgrade for users who want faster transfers and modernized styling while keeping the drop protection that made the line famous. It's a solid midrange tool for mobile creators, editorial teams, and IT groups who need portable, high‑throughput storage without stepping up to pro‑level price points.