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Silicon Power US75 SSD review

I have the Silicon Power US75 in the labs – a Gen4 NVMe SSD that offers high-end performance for mainstream builds without trying to get too fancy. It slots into the middle of the Silicon Power range and is one of the cheaper 7GB/s-class Gen4 drives available. It’s aimed at creators and gamers who are after fast yet affordable PCIe Gen4 storage.

The 1TB US75 (as tested) is rated for 7,000 MB/s sequential reads and 6,000 MB/s sequential writes – making it a good fit for handling large media files, giving fast game access or other storage-heavy tasks.

(Image credit: Future)

The US75 is a single-sided module and uses the Maxio MAP1602 controller that offers decent efficiency.

While currently hard to find in every capacity (depending on your location), Silicon Power offers it in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB versions. The endurance is 300 TBW for 500GB, 600 TBW for 1TB, 1,200 TBW for 2TB and 2,400 TBW for the 4TB drive. That's pretty normal endurance for this class of drive and if you need higher, look at the Silicon Power Xpower XS70, which tops out at 3,000 TBW for the 4TB model.

The US75 is backed by a 5-year warranty, which is typical for a mid-range drive, but is better than most budget offerings.

(Image credit: Future)

In CrystalDiskMark, the US75 hit 7,356 MB/s sequential reads and 6,233 MB/s writes, and the real world profile (which mimics everyday file work more closely) gave 4,412 MB/s reads and 5,806 MB/s writes.

Using the Blackmagic speed test, I got 5,847 MB/s reads and 5,626 MB/s writes. In Iometer, the drive gave 690k read IOPS and 982k write IOPS – a great result that keeps up with pricier Gen4 drives.

Even in sustained runs, the US75 stayed reasonably cool despite the lack of a heatsink, but adding one is still a good idea for hot gaming builds and must-have for PS5 upgrades. You can get the US75 in a variant with a heatsink (and it's also PS5 compatible), but while readily available in the US, it's harder to find in the UK and rarely seen in Australia.

All in all, the Silicon Power US75 gives excellent Gen4 speeds at a price that few other drives can match.

Silicon Power US75 SSD review: Price & specs

Price (1TB)

$79 / £65 / AU$119

Interface

PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe, M.2 2280

Rated speeds (1TB)

Up to 7,000 MB/s reads, 6,000 MB/s writes

Form factor

Single sided module

Controller

Maxio MAP1602

Endurance by capacity

500GB: 300TBW; 1TB: 600TBW; 2TB: 1.2PBW; 4TB: 2.4PBW

Warranty

5 years

Compatibility

Desktop, laptop or PS5

Dimensions

80mm x 22mm x 3.6mm, 8g

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Silicon Power US75 SSD?Buy it if…

You want a fast yet affordable SSD upgrade
The US75 gives great bang for buck and compares well with similar performance drives.

You want peace of mind
The US75 comes with great endurance numbers and a long 5-year warranty, so you can depend on it for a long time.

Don't buy it if…

You want ultimate performance
The US75 is fast, but performance is capped by the Gen4 interface. For PCIe 5 speeds, consider the Silicon Power US85.

You need very large capacity
The US75 maxes out at 4TB, so if you need more storage, then consider the Silicon Power Xpower XS70, which has models up to 8TB.

Silicon Power US75 SSD review: Also consider

Orico O7000 SSD
It's another high performance but affordable SSD for those after Gen4 speeds without blowing the budget. Read our Orico O7000 SSD review for the full story.

After something different? Take a look at our guide to the best SSDs, or let me know what you would like to see reviewed next in the comments below.

The Silicon Power US75 SSD offers fast storage for creators and gamers at a price that undercuts rivals, and with a 5-year warranty and up to 4TB capacity it’s a solid upgrade for your desktop, laptop or PS5.

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This little camera is a surprisingly affordable way to protect your home, though a few of its advanced features require a subscription.

Aqara Camera G100: two-minute review

Security cameras now come in many different varieties, including those meant solely for indoor use and those meant mainly for outdoors. However, what the Aqara G100 offers is, on the face of it, the best of both worlds

Weatherproof with an IP65 rating, it can be used indoors (to keep an eye on pets and children), or outdoors (to see who is at the front door or in the backyard). It’s small too, perfect for placing on a bookshelf or mounting upside down in a porch using the screw and wall plug provided.

However, what really differentiates the Aqara G100 from many of its competitors is its comprehensive smart home compatibility. Whereas many of the best home security cameras are now compatible with Amazon’s Alexa (including the Amazon-owned Ring and Blink, of course), the Aqara G100 is also compatible with Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and – crucially for those invested in the Apple ecosystem – Apple HomeKit including Home KitSecureVideo (HSV).

Not only can the camera’s built-in motion sensor and spotlight be used within home automation routines, it’s also possible to stream a live feed from the Aqara G100 on Apple TV. The only technical limitation here is that Apple caps the video resolution at 1080p for some reason, despite the camera being capable of a more impressive 2K resolution (2,304 x 1,296 pixels). It’s even possible to hook up your Apple Photos library to the Aqara camera to recognize faces it captures via the motion sensor.

Nor is smart home compatibility the only trick up the Aqara’s sleeve either. It works perfectly well as a standalone security camera too. Indeed that’s how most buyers will probably use it. Mains powered via a USB-C cable, it usefully boasts a MicroSD card slot for storing up to 512Gb of footage. This means you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to store video in the cloud as you do with many cameras, especially some of the cheaper models (Apple users can also use their iCloud storage via HomeKit Secure Video).

(Image credit: Chris Price)

You don’t even have to pay a monthly subscription fee for basic AI functionality. However, if you want the full shebang, including pet and parcel detection, then you will need to pay for Aqara’s HomeGuardian subscription service (see details below).

If you have multiple Aqara cameras, the HomeGuardian Unlimited package also includes an innovative Fire Detection feature based on a flame recognition function. However, this isn’t intended to replace conventional fire-detection systems such as smoke alarms and heat sensors

Finally, the camera offers two-way audio so you can reassure your pets if they seem distressed, or tell your family members when you’ll be home.

(Image credit: Chris Price)Aqara Camera G100: subscription options

HomeGuardian Single Camera: £3.99 (about $5 / AU$8) per month, or £39.99 (about $50 / AU$80) per year for a single device. Includes: 90 days of video event history, person, animal, vehicle, package, fire detection.

HomeGuardian Unlimited: £7.99 (about $10 / AU$16) per month, or £79.99 (about $100 / AU$160) per year. Supports unlimited cameras in one home, 90 days of video event history, person, face, animal, vehicle, package, fire detection, Premium AI Event Detection, AI Video Summary, AI Video Search.

Aqara Camera G100: price and availability

• Costs £34.99, $34.99, AU$89
• Available since July 2025
• Sold in the US, UK, and Australia

Generally, security cameras are not expensive to buy. Even the most advanced models offering solar power and mobile phone (4G/5G) connectivity tend to cost less than £200. However, many are priced quite cheaply because you need to pay a monthly fee to store video clips in the cloud.

The Aqara G100 is unusual in that not only is it very cheap, it also comes with a built in MicroSD card slot for video storage. Yes, you will have to buy a MicroSD card, but these only cost around $15 / £10 / AU$20 so you soon make your money back from not having to fork out the cost of a subscription. That said, you can pay a monthly fee for storage if you want (Aqara’s HomeGuardian costs from £3.99 (about $5 / AU$8) a month) if you want advanced AI functionality, such as the ability to differentiate between different people and objects.

Given its low price tag, it’s also worth noting just how well equipped the Aqara G100 is for the money. One of my criticisms of Aqara’s recently-launched G410 Video Doorbell is that, despite costing over £100, it didn’t incorporate waterproofing – unbelievably remiss for a product that’s going to sit on the outside of your house all year round.

Yet this G100 camera – which is intended for indoor and outdoor use – does feature decent IP65 water resistance. Not only that, but it also comes with other useful features that make it a very versatile piece of kit. These include compatibility with a number of smart home platforms as well as AI functionality.

• Value score: 5/5

Aqara Camera G100: design

• Versatile indoor/outdoor mounting
• Available in black or white
• Waterproof connectivity

Again, one of my criticisms of the recently reviewed Aqara G410 video doorbell was its design which was extremely big and bulky. In fairness, that’s partly because it is powered by four AA batteries, whereas the G100 only uses mains power. Nevertheless, it’s true to say that its stablemate, the G100, is a much more compact and better-looking piece of kit – similar in looks to a Nest camera, but not quite so sturdy.

Available in black or white (we tested the black), it comes with a simple mount for standing on top of a cupboard or bookshelf. Alternatively, you can do what I did and install it inside a cabinet using the wall plug and screw provided (remembering to change the viewing setting to upside down in the Aqara app). Usefully, the camera can be rotated 360 degrees within the mount to get the perfect angle, while the field of view is a decent 140 degrees.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

While most people will probably choose to use the camera indoors, there is the option for mounting it outdoors providing you have access to mains power (it doesn’t have a built-in rechargeable lithium battery). Unusually, the USB-C cable provided connects to the camera via a waterproof sleeve below the camera. This can easily be swapped over to a much longer USB cable if you're running the cable from an indoor power source.

A waterproof cover is also provided for the MicroSD card slot and reset buttons while at the back of the camera is a small speaker. On the front of the camera is the lens itself plus a surprisingly powerful spotlight, blue power light button and a microphone.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Aqara Camera G100: performance

• 2K image quality
• Good night vision
• Slightly complex menus

When it comes to performance it’s fair to say that the Aqara Camera G100 is solid, rather than spectacular. Certainly, the 2K camera won’t win any awards and the field of view isn’t the widest either. However, for the super-low price tag we didn’t have any major complaints – it simply does the job.

Night vision is actually quite good thanks to dual night vision modes that gives you a choice between color night vision (with the built-in spotlight) or black and white night vision which is the default mode. The camera isn’t overly sensitive either which is a good thing as sometimes they are triggered by the slightest movement.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Less impressive is the two-way audio through the tinny speaker, but again this isn’t unusual and in reality you probably won’t use it that often (unless you want to have a chat with your dog while you are out!). One unusual feature is the voice disguising option which can turn your voice into that of a robot or clown, or otherwise disguise it.

This feature is also provided on Aqara’s recently launched G410 video doorbell where it makes more sense, especially for women who may want to protect their identity from those ringing the doorbell. However, it probably isn’t that useful on a general camera which is probably going to be used mostly indoors.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

One small gripe is around the onscreen menus within the app which take a little bit of getting used to, partly because there are so many different options. For example, as well as being able to see a Live View from the camera, you can view a Video Event history divided into different categories (person, motion etc). You can also program different actions, such as turning on the lights in the house when the motion sensor is triggered or opening and closing the curtains.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

For advanced users, these are all useful perhaps, but if you want a simple plug and play solution, then there are easier cameras to use. That said, it's not difficult to set the camera up in the first place thanks to voice-based instructions, and we didn’t have any issues with broadband connectivity between the camera and router despite the device only working on the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi frequency, not 5GHz. It was also straightforward adding the Aqara camera to Apple HomeKit, although as previously noted, picture resolution is restricted to 1080p.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Aqara Camera G100?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Put simply, the Aqara is unbelievably good value for money. Featuring a MicroSD card slot you don’t even have to pay a monthly subscription for storing video clips.

5/5

Design

Available in black or white, the Aqara is a compact circular shaped camera with a versatile mount and waterproofing for installation either indoors or outdoors.

4.5/5

Performance

Offering 2K video quality, the Aqara Camera G100 provides reasonable quality images although sound quality from the built-in speaker isn’t the best.

3.5/5

Overall

An extremely versatile security camera with a very competitive price tag. Can be used indoors or outdoors and with multiple smart home platforms - including Apple Home.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You need a versatile home security solution

Undoubtedly this is one of the most versatile security cameras on the market, suitable for either an indoor or outdoor installation and compatible with multiple smart home platforms.

You have a limited budget

It’s difficult to imagine a security camera offering better value for money, especially when you consider you can store video clips on a MicroSD card rather than having to pay a monthly subscription.

Don't buy it if

You want to install outdoors but don’t have mains power nearby

The Aqara can certainly be used outdoors but will need to be connected to the mains as it doesn’t offer battery power. At the very least, you will probably need to invest in a new USB-C lead for outdoor use.

You want the highest sound and video quality available

Don’t get me wrong, the Aqara’s sound and video quality is OK, but there are much better performing security cameras around if you have a bigger budget.

Aqara Camera G100: also consider

Product

Aqara Camera G100

Blink Outdoor 4

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (Battery)

Eufy 4K S330 Security Camera

Subscription price

From £3.99 a month

From £2.50 a month

From £4.99 a month

None

Viewing angle

140 degrees horizontal

143 degrees horizontal

140 degrees horizontal

360 degree view

Network connection

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)

Wi-Fi (2.4G/5Hz)

Wi-Fi/4G

Audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Video

2,304 x 1,296 pixels

1080p

1080p Full HD resolution

4K video resolution

Power

Mains

Battery

Battery

Battery, solar

Hardware price

£34.99

£69

£199 (battery model only)

£189 (with solar panel)

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (battery)

Available in black or white, this outdoor security camera boasts two 3000°K spotlights. You can also buy a mains-powered version as well as a separate solar panel.

Read our full Ring Spotlight Cam Pro review

Eufy 4K S330 security camera

An extremely innovative battery and solar-powered camera, the Eufy 4K S330 can be used with the supplied 4G Sim card to capture recordings - ideal for those who live in areas with poor Wi-Fi/broadband.

Read our full Eufy 4K Security Camera review

How I tested the Aqara Camera G100

• I used the camera indoors
• I installed it myself
• The camera was connected to Apple Home

As is clear from the review, the Aqara Camera is a very versatile piece of kit, so I installed it in several places around the home – including the kitchen and my home office. However, it wasn’t installed outside because I didn’t have a suitable mains power connection outdoors.

Using the wall plug and screw provided I mounted the camera inside a cabinet to focus on a small balcony. I also adjusted the mount to focus on the door and other areas of the room to see how sensitive the lens was to movement (it is quite sensitive).

The camera was used over a period of seven days mostly via the Aqara app. However, I also connected it to Apple Home, where I was also able to control the camera’s functionality including switching the spotlight on and off, testing two-way audio and viewing live footage.

First reviewed October 2025

The lowest-ever price for this super-cheap power bank