Here’s a cool portable SSD I checked out at this year’s IFA – the Lexar Professional Go with hub. Aimed at mobile content creators, videographers, and filmmakers, this external storage device effectively lets users increase a phone’s storage capacity up on the fly.
It’s small, versatile, and while primarily targeting iPhone users, the slim SSD is compatible with any iPhone, iPad, and Android device with OTG and USB-C. Plugging into a computer, it works across macOS and Windows.
Beyond quickly adding additional storage, the Professional Go’s hub shows some clever design choices that make it easier to hook up peripherals when working in the field (scroll through the gallery below for close-ups).
Compact mobile storage
OK, this isn’t the first SSD for a phone – it’s not even Lexar’s first release in the arena. But it is one of the best designs I’ve seen. The device started life on Kickstarter, with backers pledging $968,607, and it’s not hard to see why it smashed its $10,000 goal.
Phone storage fills up so fast. Some no longer had SD ports as users are pushed onto cloud storage subscriptions. Working with mobile media, with large files and slow to no signals outside, it’s a regular modern tragedy. That’s the problem Lexar’s Professional Go with Hub is seeking to solve.
Strikingly compact up close, the Professional Go alone measures 1.71×0.98×0.32in, while attaching the hub adds an inch to the length. In hand, it’s nicely lightweight, too, just as it should be. While it might not be a super-rugged hard drive, it does boast an IP65 rating, making it water- and dust-proof.
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The storage itself comes in 1TB and 2TB, with Lexar quoting read/write speeds of up to 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s. Slotting into the phone’s charging port and neatly tucking around the back. On an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, the SSD sits flush, as it’s specifically designed for these phones. Testing this out on a Motorola Android phone, I found while not quite flush, it fitted nicely without leaving too much of a noticeable gap. In hand, it feels about as unobtrusive as an alien slip of plastic and metal on the back of a phone can be.
For professional video content, the hub is the star of the show. Connecting to the storage component via one of four USB-C ports, this little square lets users clip on lights, mics for on-the-go shooting, and supports for up to 30W power delivery. With the connector shaped like a hook, it also allows for more freedom when using rigs and shouldn’t interfere with gimbals.
On the face of it, there’s a lot to like about the Professional Go with Hub – whether for film-making or just giving the phone some much-needed storage. In the box, users get the SSD with rubber cover, Hub, two USB-C adapters, USB-C Cold Shoe adapter, wrist strap, and pouch. We’ll shortly be publishing a full review to see how close it comes to those 10Gbps transfer speeds.
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