A Closer Look
Unboxing didn’t take long, there’s a bit at the back of the box that rips open and you can simply pop the drive out. It doesn’t come with anything extra, so it’s just ready to plug and play in your motherboard, laptop, or handheld device.
The drive is a single-sided PCB, which means there are no memory chips on the back, so it’s compatible with slimmer systems, and largely this will be for things like slimmer laptops, and some handheld devices.
It’s a 2280 M.2 drive, which is the most common size (80mm), and will largely be compatible with most motherboards, as there are few devices out there that don’t support this size; the only one that springs to mind is the SteamDeck which does use much smaller form factor M.2 drives instead.
Overall, it’s a very clean and simple design. I won’t dive into the controller and other components though, as they’re likely to change. They’re using a multi-BOM strategy (Bill of Materials) process, which means that they can vary components for the NV3 in a bid to meet the performance target and keep a low price point, so the controller, memory maker, PCB, or even the sticker paper for the label could change. Normally, I’m not a fan of this, but if the main goal is making a drive cheaper for people to get a bargain, I’m OK with it, so long as quality doesn’t suffer; and if it does, the internet will most certainly call them out on it anyway.
