The Ultimate Guide to the Lexar 3.8mm Portable SSD

The Lexar Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD is a new portable storage device unveiled by Lexar at IFA 2026. Its main attraction is its extremely thin card-like body, measuring approximately 3.8mm at its thickest point and tapering down to just 1mm at the edge.

Lexar designed the Muse around mobile creators who need fast external storage without adding much bulk to a phone, tablet, or laptop setup.

The drive combines a precision-machined metal enclosure, a magnetic mounting sleeve, and Lexar's proprietary PogoPin magnetic data connection.

📅 IFA 2026 Reveal

Lexar officially unveiled the Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD at IFA 2026 in Berlin, which ran from September 4 to September 8, 2026. The launch was part of Lexar's 30th anniversary showcase.

The Muse was presented alongside Lexar's broader storage technology lineup, including its next-generation AI storage concepts.

Rather than simply making another compact rectangular SSD, Lexar focused on reducing the physical thickness of the drive while keeping enough performance for modern mobile workflows.

📏 The 3.8mm Form Factor

The most distinctive feature of the Lexar Muse is its thickness.

The drive measures approximately 80 × 48mm, with a maximum thickness of around 3.8mm. Its edges taper to approximately 1mm, giving it a card-like profile.

This design is particularly useful for smartphone recording.

When an external SSD is attached to the back of a phone, a thick enclosure can make the entire setup uncomfortable to hold. The Muse's flatter design is intended to reduce that bulk.

How Lexar achieves the thin design

The compact body uses:

• Custom ultra-thin PCB architecture

• High-density NAND stacking

• Integrated internal component design

• Precision-machined unibody metal construction

• Tapered edges

Lexar says the enclosure is formed from a single piece of metal, reducing seams and creating a continuous exterior design.

🚀 Read and Write Speeds

Despite its extremely thin body, the Muse is designed to provide high-speed external storage.

These are maximum rated speeds, so actual performance can vary depending on the host device, interface, workload, and operating conditions.

The speeds are aimed at users moving large video files, photographs, creative projects, and other data between mobile devices and computers.

🧲 Magnetic Connectivity

The Muse is more than a thin SSD. Lexar has designed its connection system around magnetic attachment.

The drive uses a SnapLink Magnetic Cable and a dedicated magnetic sleeve. Lexar says the data connection uses a spring-loaded-pin interface, while N52-grade neodymium magnets help with alignment and attachment.

The magnetic sleeve can attach the SSD to compatible MagSafe iPhone models, creating a compact mobile storage setup.

This is particularly useful when recording video because the SSD can stay attached to the phone instead of hanging from a loose cable.

🎥 Direct iPhone ProRes Recording

One of the most interesting use cases for the Muse is mobile video production.

On compatible iPhone models, the SSD can be used for direct external recording of Apple ProRes 4K video at up to 120 fps.

This allows large video files to be recorded directly to external storage rather than consuming the phone's internal storage.

For creators, the workflow can look like:

iPhone → Lexar Muse → External footage storage → iPad/Mac → Editing

Compatibility depends on the specific iPhone model, recording format, resolution, frame rate, and settings.

For iPhone use, Lexar states that the Muse requires a USB-C-equipped iPhone 15 series or later. MagSafe attachment and ProRes recording support vary by model and case.

💻 Device Compatibility

The Muse is designed to work with a range of USB-C devices.

Lexar lists compatibility with:

• iPhone

• iPad

• Mac

• Other USB-C devices

This makes the drive useful beyond smartphone recording. Users can move footage from a phone to a Mac, use the SSD with a tablet, or simply use it as portable external storage.

🎒 Portable Creator Workflows

The thin design is primarily about making external storage easier to carry and use.

A traditional portable SSD can be perfectly practical beside a laptop, but its thickness becomes more noticeable when attached directly to a smartphone.

The Muse is designed around situations such as:

• Mobile filmmaking

• Travel photography

• iPhone ProRes recording

• On-location editing

• Photo and video backup

• Large file transfers

• Portable project storage

• Everyday external storage

Lexar also supports automatic photo and video backup through its app.

💾 Capacities and Availability

Lexar has announced the Muse in 512GB and 1TB capacities.

The company says the drive is expected to become available from Q4 2026, although regional availability can vary.

Lexar has not positioned the Muse as a massive-capacity desktop storage solution. Its focus is compact, fast storage for mobile and creative workflows.

🔍 What Makes the Muse Different?

The portable SSD market already includes very fast drives, including Lexar's own previous-generation mobile products.

The Muse's main distinction is therefore not simply its sequential speed.

Its combination of:

• 3.8mm maximum thickness

• 1mm tapered edge

• Card-like 80 × 48mm body

• Magnetic mounting

• Up to 1,050 MB/s read

• Up to 1,000 MB/s write

• Direct external ProRes recording

• USB-C compatibility

makes it particularly focused on mobile creators.

📋 Lexar Muse at a Glance

Specifications and availability can vary by region and final retail configuration.

🔗 Official Lexar Website

For official product information and updates, visit the Lexar website.

Official Lexar Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD information

🎮 The Bottom Line

The Lexar Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD takes a different approach to portable storage. Instead of simply chasing higher benchmark numbers, Lexar has focused heavily on making the drive physically disappear into a mobile setup.

At around 3.8mm at its thickest point, tapering to 1mm at the edge, the Muse is designed to sit comfortably behind compatible smartphones while still delivering up to 1,050 MB/s read and 1,000 MB/s write speeds.

Its magnetic connection system and direct ProRes recording support make it especially interesting for mobile video creators, while USB-C compatibility keeps it useful with tablets, Macs, and other devices.