What happens to an external SSD drive when a Mac mini M4 Pro shuts down abnormally?

Hardware risk:

🟢 Very low — SSDs handle sudden power loss well.

Data risk:

🟡 Moderate — files being written may be corrupted.

Filesystem risk:

🟡 Low to moderate — APFS usually recovers, but external enclosures matter.

Long-term SSD health:

🟢 Minimal risk — sudden power loss does NOT normally degrade SSD lifespan.

Worst-case:

🔴 Extremely rare firmware corruption if power loss occurs during an internal SSD housekeeping cycle.