Except they keep making it harder and harder to install your own drives into apple machines.
Thunderbolt 5 is plenty fast for an external SSD. In fact you'd be hard-pressed to find an external SSD that even goes that fast
It's not difficult at all.
> How to Replace the SSD in your Mac mini (2024)
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Replace+the+SSD+in+your+...
You don’t install it but run over Thunderbolt which is plenty fast.