A new ultra-small SSD format from Chinese storage maker Biwin is turning heads, but its future may depend on whether others join in.
Biwin’s new CL100 Mini SSD has officially reached retail in China, offering NVMe-level performance in a package barely larger than a microSD card. Measuring just 15 × 17 × 1.4 mm and weighing about 1 gram, the Mini SSD promises fast storage for handheld gaming PCs, ultra-thin laptops, and mini PCs.
Despite its tiny size, the CL100 supports PCIe 4.0 x2 and delivers impressive speeds of up to 3,700 MB/s read and 3,400 MB/s write, far faster than microSD cards. Capacity options range from 512GB to 2TB, with prices topping out around $311 for the largest model.
The format is already supported by gaming handhelds like the GPD Win 5 and OneXPlayer Super X, which use a tray-style slot to make the Mini SSD removable. Biwin has also released a USB4 external enclosure, allowing the Mini SSD to double as a high-speed portable drive.
However, there’s a catch. The Mini SSD format is currently proprietary, with no confirmation that Biwin plans to open it to other manufacturers or industry bodies. History shows that storage formats only succeed when widely adopted, microSD thrived because it became an open standard, while proprietary formats like Sony’s MiniDisc eventually faded away.
The Mini SSD’s speed, durability, and size make it genuinely exciting. But without broader industry backing, it risks becoming another clever technology that never quite escapes niche status.
