LaCie’s New Rugged SSD

credits: LaCie

LaCie has added a new model to their Rugged lineup with the Rugged SSD4, a portable drive meant for people who need something a little more tough and fast out in the field. The SSD4 is rated IP54 for dust and splash resistance and has been drop-tested from three meters, so it should hold up fine to rough handling and less-than-ideal weather.

Unlike the Rugged SSD Pro5 that came out earlier this year, the SSD4 doesn’t have a fully sealed blue shell. Instead, it is a metal SSD wrapped in LaCie’s signature orange bumper, which gives it protection but not quite the same level of weatherproofing as the Pro5 (IP54 versus IP68). On the performance side, it connects over USB 40Gbps and can hit read speeds of up to 4,000 MB/s and write speeds up to 3,800 MB/s. That is more than enough for editing big photo files or 4K video straight off the drive.

The SSD4 works with Mac, PC, iPad, and phones right out of the box, and it also supports ProRes RAW recording on the iPhone 17 Pro and 4K ProRes on the iPhone 16 Pro when plugged in via USB-C. LaCie also points out that the drive uses at least 35% recycled materials by weight. The Rugged SSD4 is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB versions for $134.99, $249.99, and $479.99.