Having made waves some decent waves on Kickstarter, the Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD and Hub are now on general sale.
[Update: We originally wrote the following back at the end of July while the Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD and Hub were still on Kickstarter. That availability, and the early bird prices that went with it, is now over and the units are on general sale. Pricing is as was projected back then, with the 1TB version coming in at $239 and the 2TB at $349. As far as we can tell, apart from missing the initial September release date, all other info is the same.]
Ever since Lexar said that its Professional Go Portable SSD was going to launch on Kickstarter, it’s been generating interest and column inches. For those that question why such an established brand would go the Kickstarter route, that’s pretty much your answer there in a nutshell. It’s a great way of testing the market, teasing the market, and assessing demand at the same time.
Talking of which, it’s busted past its goal in the first day of release. Admittedly that was an almost worthless $10,000 or so, but over 1000 people have already snaffled one, with the (currently) $239 2TB model with Hub providing to be the most popular. In other words, it is selling fast, and either Lexar is going to have to ramp up its manufacturing capacity quickly or people are going to have to start waiting for a second wave almost from the get go.
So, what is it? Basically it’s two things: an SSD that plugs into the USB-C port of an iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and enables external ProRes recording with up to 2TB storage. And then there’s the Hub, which is an expansion dock that clicks onto that and offers four additional USB-C ports. This makes it simple to rig an iPhone for all manner of shooting scenarios and one of the ports also supports 30 W power delivery and transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps.
The Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD can either fit directly into the iPhone or, more usefully, comes with a bent connector. This enables it to plug into the phone’s USB-C port while the SSD itself is tucked behind the phone. It’s compact, too. The hub measures 2.71" x 1.71" x 0.32" (6.88×4.35×0.81cm) and the portable SSD is a mere 1.71 x 0.98 x 0.32 (4.35×2.48×0.81cm). Together they are smaller than an iPhone 15 Pro’s form factor, which is important, and they also fit flush on the back of the phone. The entire kit weighs just 36 grams (1.27 oz).
The focus here is all very much on iPhone, as mobile filmmaking has tended to be ever since the 15 Pro models debuted, but Lexar is eager to point out that the unit is also compatible with Android. As long as a phone supports Type-C (above 3.0), has OTG functionality, and a USB load capacity of above 4.5W, it will work. So that’s good.
The initial units will ship in September and, as is the way of these things, the current Kickstarter prices offer a decent discount of 32%. Full pricing one that is over will be:
Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD 1TB: $189
Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD 1TB with Hub: $239
Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD 2TB: $299
Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD 2TB with Hub: $349
Capacity: 1TB/2TB
Speed: Up to 1,050 MB/s Read Speed and 1000 MB/s Write Speed
Interface: Type-C (male)
Interface Protocol: USB 3.2 Gen2
Dimension (LxWxH): 1.71 x 0.98 x 0.32in
Weight: 0.029 lbs.
Protection: IP65 rated Dustproof/Waterproof; 1-meter drop resistance
Speed: Transfer speed of 10Gbp/s
Interface: 4 Type-C ports with the following functions: Port 1 connects phones or computers via adapters or cables. Ports 2 and 4 connect to the portable SSD, microphones, etc. Port 3 connects to power adapters, power banks, etc., providing a maximum PD 30 W charging rate to the host device. (Port 3 also supports transfer speeds of up to 10Gbp/s)
Interface Protocol: USB 3.2 Gen2; PD
Hub Dimension (LxWxH): 2.71×1.71×0.32in
Weight: approx 0.05 lbs.