- Micron 3610 NVMe SSD offers the world’s only 4TB capacity in a single-sided M.2 2230
- Random read and write performance scales proportionally to the drive’s capacity
- Stamina increases with size
At CES 2026, Micron unveiled the 3610 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD, a QLC-based drive for mainstream OEM PCs and notebooks.
This launch came weeks after Micron’s announcement in December 2025 that it would discontinue its Crucial consumer SSD brand to focus on the enterprise and AI markets.
Micron says the launch is the world’s first Gen5 G9 QLC client SSD to support PCIe Gen5 and NVMe 2.0 in multiple M.2 form factors.
Upgrading read and write speed
This device features a compact single-sided 2230 form factor that supports 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB storage capacities to accommodate a range of ultra-thin 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 reaches sequential read speeds of up to 11,000 MB/s, but write speeds vary depending on storage capacity.
While the 1TB model hit write speeds of 7,200MB/s, the 2TB and 4TB variants record around 9,300MB/s.
The device’s random read and write performance increases with capacity, reaching 850 KIOPS read and 1,500 KIOPS write at 1TB and up to 1,500 KIOPS read and 1,600 KIOPS write at larger capacities.
Its typical read latency is 50ms, while write latency remains at 12ms, contributing to responsive multitasking, smooth media workflows and faster application launches.
This level of performance, combined with AI-ready speed, reportedly enables multi-billion-parameter AI models to load in under three seconds.
The 3610’s endurance scales with capacity, with the 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models rated at 400 TBW, 800 TBW and 1,600 TBW respectively, while all drives share an average time to failure of two million hours.
The drive incorporates Micron G9 QLC NAND and supports hardware AES 256-bit encryption.
It also provides power loss protection, host-controlled thermal management, block sanitization, crypto erasure, and compliance with TCG Opal 2.02 and Pyrite 2.01 standards.
With Micron’s 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 scores increasing by approximately 20%.
Performance per watts is reportedly improved by 10% over Gen4 QLC and 43% over Gen4 TLC, gains achieved without additional power consumption, suggesting the drive can improve system responsiveness for common computing workloads.
Despite its benchmark improvements, the 3610’s use of QLC NAND and a DRAM-free architecture can limit sustained performance under heavy workloads.
This makes alternative Gen5 TLC drives potentially more suitable for users who require consistently high performance during extended operation.
“The 3610 SSD combines cutting-edge PCIe Gen 5 technology, Micron’s most advanced G9 QLC NAND and a slim, single-sided design to deliver premium 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 performance-intensive workloads.”
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