This super-mini portable SSD lets you expand your phone and tablet storage by up to 2TB — and I’m in love with the design
Here’s a cool portable SSD I checked out at IFA this year: the Lexar Professional Go with Hub. Aimed at mobile content creators, videographers, and filmmakers, this external storage allows users to instantly expand a phone’s storage capacity.
It’s small, versatile, and while it’s primarily aimed at iPhone users, the sleek SSD is compatible with any iPhone, iPad, and Android device with OTG and USB-C. When you plug it into a computer, it works on macOS and Windows.
The Professional Go’s hub not only quickly adds extra storage, it also features some clever design choices that make it easier to connect peripherals when you’re working in location (browse the gallery below for close-ups).
Compact mobile storage
Okay, this isn’t the first SSD for a phone — it’s not even Lexar’s first release in the arena. But it’s one of the best designs I’ve seen. The device started its life on Kickstarterwith investors pledging $968,607, and it’s not hard to see why the $10,000 target was surpassed.
Phone storage fills up so fast. Some have gone without SD slots as users were forced to buy cloud storage plans. Working with mobile media, with large files and slow to no outside signal, it’s a common modern tragedy. That’s the problem Lexar’s Professional Go with Hub aims to solve.
Remarkably compact up close, the Professional Go measures 1.71 x 0.98 x 0.32 inches by itself, with adding the hub adding an inch to its length. In the hand, it’s pleasantly light, too, as it should be. While it might not be a super-rugged drive, it does come with an IP65 rating, making it both water and dustproof.
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The storage itself comes in 1TB and 2TB capacities, with Lexar quoting read/write speeds of up to 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s respectively. It slots into the phone’s charging port and is neatly tucked around the back. On an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, the SSD sits flush, as it’s designed specifically for those phones. When I tested this on a Motorola Android phone, I found that, while not completely flush, it fit nicely without leaving too much noticeable gap. In the hand, it feels about as inconspicuous as an odd bit of plastic and metal on the back of a phone can be.
For professional video content, the hub is the star of the show. This small, square connector connects to the storage component via one of the four USB-C ports, and lets you clip on lights and microphones for on-the-go recording. The connector supports up to 30W of power. With its hook-style connector, it also offers greater freedom when using rigs and shouldn’t get in the way of gimbals.
At first glance, there’s a lot to like about the Professional Go with Hub – whether it’s for making movies or simply giving the phone some much-needed storage space. In the box, users get the SSD with rubber sleeve, Hub, two USB-C adapters, USB-C Cold Shoe adapter, wrist strap, and carrying case. We’ll be publishing a full review soon to see how close it gets to those 10Gbps transfer speeds.
