Benefits
- Strong magnet to attach iPhone MagSafe
- Shockproof
Disadvantages
- Non-Pro iPhones Have USB-C Ports That Limit SSD Performance
Our Verdict
The SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Bundle is a complete storage solution for iPhone filmmakers. The form factor with the magnetic rubber cover fits perfectly and its use as a data storage device for filming leaves nothing to be desired. The SL500 also looks good on Mac.
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Videographers know the problem: you only shoot a few short films on vacation and your iPhone memory is full again. Would it be nice if you could record directly to an external storage device? That’s exactly what the Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Bundle is designed for. All you need is an iPhone with a USB-C port (iPhone 15 or later).
The SL500 with magnetic assembly is about the size of a credit card, has an aluminum body, and attaches to the iPhone via MagSafe. The SSD plugs into the iPhone with a USB-C connection, which is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 with 20 Mbps, capable of data transfer rates of up to 2,000 Mbps. Unfortunately, Mac and iPhone users cannot benefit from this speed. Measured on the MacBook Air M3, we end up with a typical write rate of 869 MB/s and read rate of 959 MB/s for the USB-C connection.
The SL500 with magnetic kit comes with a special rubber case and a short USB-C cable. The USB-C cable is flat and therefore does not interfere with the operation of the iPhone. The rubber sleeve provides impact protection and a magnetic back that matches the iPhone’s MagSafe magnets. This way the rubber case fits the iPhone perfectly. Lexar specifies shock protection for a two-meter drop and IP54 for dust and water resistance.
iPhone 15 Pro and later support Apple ProRes, a professional video codec. This video codec is reserved for Pro models and allows recording at a maximum resolution of 4K at 60 frames per second directly to external drives. The iPhone 16 Pro is even capable of 120Hz in 4K. To cope with these high data rates, the iPhone 15/16 Pro and iPhone 15/16 Pro Max are equipped with a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 port.
Standard iPhone users can also benefit from the SL500 with Magnetic Set. However, because the USB connection is capped at 480 Mbps, the speed is not as fast as on the Pro iPhones. On the iPhone 15, video recordings with 4K resolution, HEVC (H.265) codec and 25 frames per second are possible without any problems.
The iPhone camera app needs to be replaced with a camera app that can select a drive as a recording target. I used the very good Blackmagic Camera app.
The Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Assembly is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities.
Should you buy the Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Kit?
15 minutes of 4K video in HEVC (H.265) is over 4 GB, and if you’re using the iPhone for video shooting, those large files will quickly fill up the iPhone and an external SSD like the SL500 Portable SSD with L The magnetic assembly is essential. The Lexar SSD has a nice rubber cover, attaches magnetically, fits the iPhone and the USB-C cable also looks good. It can also be used with Macs and other devices.
This article was originally published on our sister publication Macwelt and has been translated and localized from German.
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