GROUP TEST
PORTABLE SSDS
The more photos you take, the sooner you’re going to need a long-term storage solution. We test four of the best portable SSDs around
The summer months are a great time to get out and about with your camera, but if all that shooting is quickly filling up your computer’s storage, then now might be the time to invest in one of the best portable SSDs; they’re also handy if you need a portable digital portfolio to carry between clients or places of work.
A conventional portable hard disk drive still offers the most bytes for your buck, but for top transfer speeds, a solid state drive (SSD) is a must. The best portable SSDs are also a fraction of the size and weight of a conventional portable hard drive, and although an SSD’s speed and portability still command a premium over a hard drive, pricing is now much more accessible for storage space up to 1TB.
Angela
Nicholson
GROUP TEST PORTABLE SSDS – OWC ENVOY PRO ELEK TRON
SPECIFICATIONS
Max data transfer speed: 1011 MB/s
Available capacities: 240GB, 480GB, 1TB, 2TB
OWC Envoy Pro Elektron
www.owc.com
£94-£356/$89-$220
This pocket-sized SSD feels incredibly tough and enables speedy image downloads
Other World Computing (OWC) was founded in 1988, and produces an extensive range of computer upgrade kits, memory, computer docking stations and storage drives. The Envoy Pro Elektron is the company’s smallest SSD, but it’s also tough, and its NVMe M.2 2242 technology means that it’s capable of transfer speeds of up to 1011 MB/s.
“THE OWC ENVOY PRO ELEKTRON IS LIGHT AND COMPACT, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN COMFORTABLY SLIP IT INTO YOUR JEANS POCKET OR A CAMERA BAG”
Key features
OWC produces the Envoy Pro Elektron in four capacities – 240GB, 480GB, 1TB and 2TB –majoring on the smaller sizes rather than the larger ones. This means the SSD is available at some attractive price points; however, the 2TB drive has some stiff competition from the likes of the SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD. The drive has a USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) port that enables data transfer rates of up to 10Gb/s (1250 MB/s), but OWC claims a maximum data transfer rate of 1011 MB/s. Helpfully, OWC supplies a USB-C to USB-C cable with a tethered USB-C to USB-A adapter, and this means the drive can be used with older computers as well as the latest models, and you only have one cable to carry around with you.
Build and handling
The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron measures just 12 x 76 x 52mm and weighs 85g, so you can slip it comfortably into a jeans pocket or into that last bit of space in your camera bag. It’s also built like a small tank, is crushproof, and looks like a solid block of metal. The aircraft-grade aluminium build feels reassuring.
According to OWC, the Envoy Pro Elektron has a dust- and waterresistance rating of IP67. That means it’s dust-tight, completely protected from dust ingress, and can survive being submerged under water to a depth of 1m for up to 30 minutes. Those impressive stats mean it should easily survive a splash of coffee or being dropped in a puddle.
Although the drive is particularly small, OWC supplies a USB-C cable that’s not far off 70cm long, which is great news for anyone who needs to reach around the back of their computer to find the USB port, or when you’re working with your laptop on your knee. It means the Envoy Pro Elektron is unlikely to be left dangling awkwardly and at risk of accidental disconnection.
The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is one of the smallest portable SSDs around. It’s a little thicker than the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2, but is shorter, feels more robust, and has a higher dust- and water-resistant rating. It’s fast enough for image and video storage, and for use as a drive for 4K movies.
PROS & CONS
For
Small and compact
Robust construction
Affordable, especially the smaller capacities
Against
Maximum capacity 2TB
Heats up quickly during use
Read speed is a little low
Performance
I kicked off my testing of the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron by connecting it to a 2022 MacBook Air with an M2 chip and starting up Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. This registered write speeds of up to around 904MB/s and read speeds of around 663 MB/s. OWC only quotes a single maximum data transfer speed for the Envoy Pro Elektron; it doesn’t break it down into read and write speeds. Clearly, the read speed that I measured is some way short of the claimed maximum transfer rate.