The Phison E31T drives are finally here and arriving by the dozen. Here, I have Kioxia's Exceria Plus G4, and it is quite the curious thing. Powered with a mix of both Kioxia flash and Phison controller tech, it's aimed squarely at those looking for an entry-level PCIe 5.0 drive. One that doesn't break the bank and yet still delivers. This isn't a top-tier WD Black SN8100 or similar; instead, it's all about efficiency, about reducing the need for heatsinks, and for wider compatibility with laptops, consoles, and other devices that just don't have the luxury of high airflow, like us humble PC gamers have.
Kioxia as a brand, although relatively fresh, is not new on the scene. It's got quite the history; once being a division inside of Toshiba, it was spun off as its own entity in 2018 before rebranding to Kioxia the following year. By that point Toshiba had already absorbed the now defunct OCZ, and the newly hatched Kioxia had picked up Lite-On as well in its upward ascent.
