UnifyDrive UT2 portable NAS: 16TB of secure battery-powered storage

A Kickstarter project that has been going great guns and is almost at $750k, the UnifyDrive UT2 is a pocket-sized, 16 TB SSD NAS drive aimed at anyone who needs to manage large amounts of data on the go.

The UnifyDrive UT2 Portable NAS and AI-powered drive is perfect for managing a lot of data, such as video and images, and has plenty of space, security, I/O ports, and wireless connectivity. It's just a little bigger than an iPhone and battery powered, making it easy to carry in the field.

It has up to a mammoth 16TB of space and plenty of features to make it a useful portable drive when you're filming or taking photos, or just need to move and store some files.

Features include:

• Up to 16TB of space (SSD), completely secure and encrypted.
• Supports RAID1, single disk, or UDR modes.
• AI-powered data management, intelligent photo album, and natural language search.
• One-click card backup solutions for SD, TF, CFe, and more.
• Syncs to Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
• Built-in battery.
• Can be used as a working NAS drive, backup drive, media player, and more.
• Multi-network support, including WiFi 6, remote access, and data sync.
• Connect via web and apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and Smart TV (latter is coming soon).
• HDMI, Ethernet, USB, Type-C, and Power ports along with slots for SD/TF and CFe Type B/A cards.
• Can be expanded and customized (support for Docker and virtual systems).

You can connect the UT2 to a laptop, Smart TV, gaming consoles, VR/AR headsets, etc., to work or use it as a media player and enjoy a movie, show, photos, and more.

All in all, the UnifyDrive UT2 Portable NAS drive could be a real winner, and there are plenty of features, including security, encryption, networking options, and more. We also really like that it's battery powered so we take it out in the field. Equally, we don’t need to hunt behind the bins if we’re looking for an outlet in a studio etc.

A couple of caveats here. The primary purpose of the built-in battery is to protect data security in case of unexpected power loss and for temporary short-term use. For sustained heavy workloads, the developers strongly recommend using a external power supply or a power bank. Running off the battery, under light workloads the built-in battery lasts for nearly an hour. In cases of heavy workloads or large data transfers, it can last for over 20 minutes.

Also, it does not ship with SSD cards. It has two SSD slots in which you can put two up to 8TB SSDs in to bring the total storage up to 16TB. So you might have to factor that cost in as well.

Talking of cost, the UT2 pricing is set at $599, but over on Kickstarter, they have some early bird pricing of $399 and some other specials that wrap up on Halloween. As always, exercise caution when backing a crowdfunding project. Exactly when it will be available is still TBA, so keep an eye on the campaign.