- Micron 3610 NVMe SSD Delivers the World’s Only 4TB Capacity in a Single-Sided M.2 2230
- Random read and write performance increases proportionally with drive capacity
- Resistance increases with size.
At CES 2026, Micron introduced the 3610 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD, a QLC-based drive for mainstream OEM PCs and laptops.
This launch came weeks after Micron’s December 2025 announcement that it would discontinue its Crucial brand of consumer SSDs to focus on the enterprise and AI markets.
Micron says the launch is the world’s first QLC Gen5 G9 client SSD, supporting PCIe Gen5 and NVMe 2.0 in multiple M.2 form factors.
Read and write speed upgrade
This device features a compact single-sided 2230 form factor that supports 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB storage capacity, allowing it to accommodate a variety of ultra-slim laptops.
Micron claims that sequential read speeds improve by up to 57% and sequential writes increase by 45% compared to Gen4 QLC drives.
The Micron 3610 NVMe SSD reportedly achieves sequential read speeds of up to 11,000 MB/s, but write speeds vary depending on storage capacity.
While the 1TB model achieves write speeds of 7,200MB/s, the 2TB and 4TB variants clock in at around 9,300MB/s.
The device’s random read and write performance increases with capacity, reaching 850 read KIOPS and 1500 write KIOPS at 1 TB, and up to 1500 read KIOPS and 1600 write KIOPS at larger capacities.
Its typical read latency is 50ms, while the write latency remains at 12ms, contributing to responsive multitasking, smooth multimedia workflows, and faster app launches.
This level of performance, combined with AI-ready speed, allows AI models with billions of parameters to load in less than three seconds.
The 3610’s endurance increases with capacity, with the 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models rated at 400TBW, 800TBW and 1600TBW, respectively, while all drives share a mean failure time of two million hours.
The drive features Micron G9 QLC NAND and supports AES 256-bit hardware encryption.
It also provides power loss protection, host-controlled thermal management, block sanitization, encryption erasure, and compliance with TCG Opal 2.02 and Pyrite 2.01 standards.
With Micron AWT technology, the device maintains consistent performance during extended workloads.
Benchmark results for the Micron 3610 NVMe SSD have been positive, with PCMark 10 scores increasing by up to 30% and 3DMark results increasing by approximately 20%.
Performance per watt reportedly improves by 10% over Gen4 QLC and 43% over Gen4 TLC, gains that are achieved without additional power consumption, suggesting the drive can improve system responsiveness for conventional computing workloads.
Despite its improvements in benchmarks, the 3610’s use of QLC NAND and a DRAM-less architecture may limit sustained performance under heavy workloads.
This makes alternative Gen5 TLC drives potentially more suitable for users who require consistent high performance during extended operations.
“The 3610 SSD combines cutting-edge PCIe Gen 5 technology, Micron’s most advanced G9 QLC NAND, and an elegant single-sided design to deliver superior performance, capacity, and power efficiency,” said Mark Montierth, senior vice president and general manager of Micron’s Mobile and Client Business Unit.
“The 3610 will enable ultra-thin devices that meet the growing demands for on-device AI, immersive streaming, and high-performance workloads.”
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