This External SSD by Sabrent Offers Ruggedness, Volume & Speed
News | By Stephan Jukic | November 23, 2022
Any serious photographer needs a reliable, durable portable storage solution for work on the go, and Sabrent is offering an external SSD for exactly that.
The brand has announced its new Rocket Nano V2 second-generation external solid-state drive (SSD) unit for holding up to a whopping 4TB of saved photos and videos (or whatever you want to store).
The compact device also offers impressively fast transfer speeds of 1,500 MB/s according to its maker.
What makes the Nano V2 even handier for traveling photographers or professionals of all kinds is that the device is truly pocket-sized, measuring out at just 2.85 x 1.3 x 0.6 inches and weighing just 1.65 ounces, or 54 grams.
Basically, the little unit’s dimensions make it just over half the size of a credit card, except in thickness.
With this minute form factor, the Rocket Nano V2 offers enough transfer speed to smoothly work with Ultra HD and even 8K video via USB-C connectivity. This is also more than enough for storing and moving thousands of even the largest-resolution photos fairly quickly.
According to Sabrent, “The Nano V2 is optimized to take up as little space as possible, ready for travel in tough environments so you can always capture the best shots without bulky storage weighing you down,”
The maker also adds that “Integrated health monitoring and advanced flash management work together to ensure your data is always protected.”
In addition to all of its storage and transfer specs, the little SSD unit is physically tough too. Its silicone sleeve and aluminum housing make it exceptionally resilient to bumps and drops while the aluminum also functions as a heat sink that keeps the whole unit cool even during active use.
Sabrent comments that the Nano V2 isn’t just made of ordinary aluminum, but actually a “high-grade aluminum alloy via CNC machining”, with the silicone sleeve surrounding this as protection against dust, moisture and shocks. So yeah, sounds pretty tough and high-techy.
It’s worth noting that the company hasn’t stated a specific IP rating for the new Nano, meaning it might be a good idea to take their claims with at least a small grain of salt.
Sabrent also hasn’t shared the specific read and write speeds of the Nano 2. This means that the claimed 1,500 MB/s transfer speed is more likely the unit’s maximum burst speed in read mode via its USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connectivity port.
Nonetheless, it probably offers plenty, and at least for photographers or people transferring data that doesn’t include ultra-resolution video, that should be enough for very fast performance.
The V2 in the Rocket Nano’s name stands for Version 2 since this is the company’s second such device. Previously, Sabrent released a Nano model that topped out at 100Mb/s burst transfer speeds.
Sabrent is shipping the Nano V2 with USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-C-to-USB-A cables for broad connectivity with a whole range of computers and other devices. Its internal UFD controller is also compatible with multiple operating systems that include Windows, Apple, tablets, game consoles and smartphones.
As for its cost, the Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 is pretty reasonably priced at $120 for the 1TB edition, $200 for the 2TB version and $500 for the 4TB model.
By comparison, SanDisks, Pro-G40 Thunderbold SSD retails at a hefty $300 for just 1TB, though it also offers very robust durability and is even waterproof for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 5 feet.
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Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.
