Silicon Power SP Bolt B80 240GB USB-C SSD Review

Introduction

Solid State Drives aren’t just fast, they are also optimal for portable storage. Today I’m taking a closer look at Silicon Power‘s SP Bolt B80 (product link) which is such a solution. The natural shock protection of NAND vs HDD is the reason, but the Bolt B80 also looks cool on top of that.

Unique UFO Design

The design is a main aspect of the Bolt B80 drive and it is what sets it apart from other drives. Design and style mean a lot these days and the Bolt B80 will definitely get you noticed. Its UFO-style design isn’t just different, it’s also durable and good looking.

Silicon Power built the drive with an aluminium casing which increases the durability and enhances the looks. There are more endurance-enhancing features in this drive, but we’ll get to them in a little bit.

A Pocket-Sized UFO

The Bolt B80 is definitely a portable drive, there can be no doubt about that. It weighs just 53 grammes and has a diameter of 75 millimetres. It’s also less than 12 millimetres thick, making it slide right into your pocket.

Capacity wise, you get three options. You can get the small 120GB version, the 240GB version which I’m testing today, or the largest version which comes with a 480GB capacity.

Does a Fancy Design Mean Less Endurance?

No, it does not! We already established that the Bolt B80 is a durable drive, starting with the aluminium casing. Silicon Power has a lot of experience with portable drives and they’ve added that experience to the B80. It comes with military-grade shockproof protection which will allow it to survive a drop from a height of 1.22 metres.

The rubber cap near the connector will prevent water and dust penetration here and that brings us to the next feature. The B80 also got the IP68 rating. You could basically take a shower with the drive, but that’s not recommended. Naturally.

The first digit, the 6, is the best dust and dirt protection. It means that there will be no ingress of dust and that there is a complete protection against contact (dust tight). The drive has to survive that for a test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.

Water is no issue either with the second best rating possible, the 8 in the IP68. It can be submerged in up to 3 metres of water without any ingress.

Performance and Interface

We don’t just get the best in protection from the Bolt B80, we also get the newest interface and connection standard. The drive is equipped with a Type-C port and sports a USB 3.1 Gen.2 10Gbps interface. The included cable has a Type-A port on the other end for compatibility reasons. That makes it backwards compatible with all USB systems, but there’s nothing preventing you from getting your own Type-C to Type-C cable.

The performance doesn’t get close to the 10Gbps tho, that is almost a given. We have a SATA drive inside and that sets some limitations. Still, the Bolt B80 is able to deliver up to 500MB/s when reading and 450MB/s when writing. That is not bad at all. Whether you need to transfer large raw image files, pdf files, or huge video files, they’ll be transferred in no time.

Smaller Details Matter Too

A water tight and dust secure setup doesn’t mean that we can’t cut a hole in the casing, as long as it doesn’t go all the way through. At the opposite side to the connector, we have cutouts for a cable strap. With it, you can attach the drive to pretty much any place, whether it’s at home or on the go. That is if you don’t want it in your pockets, it is small enough for it.

The included cable isn’t just any cable, it’s clearly a premium cable. It features a smoothly textured surface on the nylon braided cable. The connectors are SR-enforced (Strain Relief) and melded to tough aluminium casings. It’s also a perfect visual match for the drive itself.

The last of the small details isn’t so small after all. Well, the detail is, but the thoughts behind it are genius. Silicon Power used a microporous laser cut in the aluminium to allow the LED to shine through while water and dust are kept out. That way, you always know when your drive’s connected and it doesn’t increase the risk of damage to the drive.

Feature Highlights

• Unique shape and design
• Robust aluminium casing for high durability
• Extremely compact and lightweight for easy transport
• LED indicator for users to easily recognize the product is connected
• USB Type-C connector
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface for up to 500 MB/s read and 450 MB/s write
• 122cm military-grade shock resistant (MIL-STD 810G 516.7 Procedure IV transit drop test)
• IP68 dust and waterproof
• Smoothly textured Type-A to Type-C premium nylon braided cable with SR(Strain Relief)-enforced connections melded to tough aluminium casings
• Free download of SP Widget software for data backup & restore, AES 256-bit encryption, and cloud storage
• Backed by a 3-year warranty

Product Video

Silicon Power has an official product video for the drive too. It’s a short video, but it highlights all the important parts.

Package and Accessories

The packaging has a similar premium-feel to it as the drive has. The front shows the drive’s design and the most important feature highlights.

The rear side has more details in various languages.

Zooming in a bit and we can read it all. All the vital information in one place.

And while we are at it, a closer look at the front details.

When we open the box up, we see that the drive is well packed inside too. The drive and premium cable are both shown in the pride.

Inside is a small note with important service and warranty information, the drive, and the connector cable.