iPhone 15 Pro: External SSD VS Thumb Drive

[@rogerseng]

CORRECTION: iPhone 15 Pro requires writing speed of 220 MegaBytes (220 MB/s) for external drives. Not Megabits or Mb as I mentioned in the later part of the video. All of the options I introduced pass for writing at minimum speed of 220 MB/s.

[@jordangarside]

That flash drive will only do ~110MB/s writes (I have one and benchmarked it) the 400MB/s rating is only for the reads. You should try recording 4k60 prores log with it, you'll immediately see frames being dropped in the playback. At most you can safely do 1080p60 (edit: 4k24 looks safe) with it, 4k30 will also drop some frames (assuming you're recording in prores log).

[@toxotis70]

You can write in 4k 60p 422 LT… it’s fast enough for this.

[@jordangarside]

I agree that would be possible, but is Prores LT even an option on the iPhone 15 Pro? I don't see it. Also anyone interested should take note that only the 256GB variant of the flash drive will do over 110MB/s, the 128GB looks to do closer to 60MB/s based on reviews.

[@toxotis70]

@@jordangarside with BM app it is... even lower.

[@longpvo]

It’s worth paying attention to the SLC cache (or its pseudo capacity) of any SSD drive and the write speed after that has saturated!

[@tanjack31]

I was just diving into this topic recently and this has been the most interesting / informative video I’ve found. Keep up the good work dude!

[@feilivlog]

My plan is to use the Black Magic App and film Prores Log 4K 60p internally on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and then save the file to the Flash Drive since it won't take any space in the pocket. You can have 2 or 3 of them if 256GB is not enough, it does not matter what the writing speed is. I also have the T7 paired with a 180-degree USB C to C adapter, it also solves your problem. I am looking for a 180-degree USB adapter splitter which supports data transfer and audio output at the same time.

[@feilivlog]

The plan didn't work, mainly because the Black Magic App works horribly, it kept freezing and crashing after filming a few clips. Also, the image quality is lower than the original camera app since the file size is significantly smaller. Now I am sticking with the original camera app for Prores Log but 30p, and then increasing to 60p when editing.

[@tatsuyahirano5601]

I came across this video while searching for solutions to deal with bulky SSDs. Putting an SSD in the pocket or bag makes sense to get a smaller setup. Perhaps adding a 90-degree L-shaped adapter to the connector at the phone side makes your life easier while holding the phone. Anyway, thanks for sharing the brilliant idea.

[@m89hu]

Samsung has a tiny pendrive with 256gb the only problem is it’s not using the usb-c connector, but worth keeping an eye on it for the future, perhaps next gen will get it

[@rtyler1869]

The only issue is the use of the physically bigger SSD and its cable with an iPhone cable. I do use a thumb drive, and found one that the transfer speeds are acceptable and it works well for me.

[@Roadmaster3]

Hi, first of all thanks a lot for putting effort to make this beautiful informative video.I just got my 15 pro and I was planning my honeymoon to thailand. I was searching all the options to record video in prores with my tiny storage 256gb iphone using an external storage device. You answered all my questions❤

[@TTUTTOpaez]

In my opinion, USB C flash drive 3.2 should be the option if you use a Gimbal. Thanks for the video

[@Handle1969]

Yikes! Never even thought about it. Got. DSI from last year.

[@jimbospuckley5979]

I bought the flash drive specifically to record pro res 4k 60fps in my gimbal and the video is choppier than a karate tournament :(

[@TheYearOfJerome]

@@jimbospuckley5979the exact flash drive from this video?

[@Spyzilla1850]

@@jimbospuckley5979I appreciate this comment, was thinking about going with the flash drive. Looks like SSD it is

[@jimbospuckley5979]

@@Spyzilla1850 the only “flash drive” I found that might work was the Kingston data traveler max. But the max power draw the 15 pro can support is 4.5 watt and the Kingston said it peaked at 5 watt so I didn’t risk another flop. And it’s almost the size of an ssd sticking straight out the end of the phone anyway so what’s the point

[@jordanmichaelharvey]

So the SanDisk extreme pro works directly plugged into the iPhone ?

[@rogerseng]

Yes if you’re plugging in via USB-C

[@graphguy]

Really appreciate the discourse. For me Size is everything, that is for travel recordings. I really don't care about how slow getting the videos (not really slow - that is relative) off the storage drive and onto my computer when I am back home. So if the Samsung can hang with the write speeds... I am good.

[@Nietzman]

Love the drawn out USB speed explanation when it turns out it doesn't really matter since they all work fine.

[@littlepotatofilms]

It doesn't however. The Samsung 256 flash drive is actually too slow to shoot in 4K60 and will experience dropped frames.

[@bilici]

Actually that thumb drive has a 400 MB read / 110 MB write speed as far as I can see on specifications section of Amazon product page (no write speed info on official Samsung page though). I don't have the Type-C version yet but I have the USB-A version and it is awesome. And also Samsung has a new SSD (T9) which has the same speed as Sandisk. Thanks for this great video!

[@ColorOfTheDay]

Yeah I bought the thumbdrive, I get the "Drive isn't fast enough" error. So I returned it.

[@hummersd]

Having the ssd in your pocket also gives you practice for when you need to put the battery pack of the Apple Vision Pro in your pocket! 😜

[@theonlydiego1]

Excellent video! I was just looking for videos to off load concert videos off my phone. Decided to buy a Samsung T7 SSD

[@imthateddie]

What a great breakdown. Thank you for confirming my thoughts on a longer cable. I think a 3 ft cable with a right angle should work so that the cable doesn't loop as much and point more towards my pocket.

[@MichaelBlanksonGolf]

Brilliant video, so much key important details regarding the write and read speeds.

[@pawelliao1553]

This is the most logical choice I've seen for recording on the iPhone 16 Pro Max! Thank you!

[@RealLagu]

Wait a minute, are you a time traveler?

[@pawelliao1553]

@@RealLagu 😝lol

[@UlfKlose]

Regarding the read and write speeds you seem to mix up some things here and there. There are three types of notation out there. Mb, MB and MiB. Mb usually is a Megabit, while MB is a Megabyte and MiB is a Mebibyte. A byte consists off of 8 bits (which is a 0 or a 1), so a Megabit (Mb) is 0.125 Megabyte (MB) (or 128 Kilobyte). To make things easier to read SSD manufacturers don't use the (correct) notation which uses 2 instead of 10 as a base. Thus, a Mebibyte (MiB) is not 1,000,000 bytes, it is 1,048,576 bytes. A kilobyte is 1,024 bytes. As this is quite hard to remember manufacturers switched to using 10 as the base, thus, a Megabyte is 1,.000,000 bytes. The writing speed of the SanDisk SSD is 2,000 Megabytes per second (16 Gigabit per second) while the flash drive seems to me capable of transferring up to 400 Megabyte per second reading but not writing. Thus it's definitely not USB 2.0 (which would be a maximum of 60 Megabytes per second). 400 Megabytes per second equals 3,200 Megabit per second which is USB 3.0 at minimum. USB 3.0 supports speeds of up to 5 Gigabit (625 Megabyte) per second. The writing speed of the flash drive is 110 Megabyte per second which is half the data rate Apple requires for this kind of workflow. So as far as I understand Apple's documentation the flash drive wouldn't work.

[@Jimmyjam241]

Great info. I just ran into this situation last night while filming extra footage at a wedding on my new 15 pro. I think going with a FireWire cable will help not only for speed but charging\power transfer.

[@Bijay.Kumar.Behera]

Having a USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 with 2000MB/S file transfer speed the hardware will produce way lower heat when compared to USB 3.2 Gen2x1 with 1050MB/s of transfer speed. Thus having exact compatibility will also create quick thermal throttling as the buffer will fill up quickly. It's better to stick with the recommended requirements than the minimum requirement.

[@ennnn7]

If you're going to record in 4k 60 via SSD and also charge your phone via magsafe your phone is going to overheat like crazy.

[@yamahass66]

Then you could buy a Cooler from razor haha

[@FriedChairs]

My 15 Pro Max gets hotter when wireless charging than I remember with the 14 Pro.

[@mohamedismail6521]

@@FriedChairsI phone 15 pro max heats up when just open camera or charging, can u imagine doing both things with 15 pro max iOS 17 bull shit u hate yr phone I hate mine right now.

[@mikeenslin3009]

For sure. A lot of cameras even overheat while recording.. Can't imagine how a phone can do that while wireless charging, seems absolutely impossible. But I guess if it's cold enough or if the charger is cooled that could help...

[@PrematureDILF]

@@yamahass66the cooler doesn’t charge tho right?

[@davexmit]

The Apple USB-C SD card reader also works with fast SD cards for ProRes footage. And this could save you a lot of money if you already own fast SD cards. Ok, you have to deal with a dongle flapping around, but it easily pops in your pocket when you're not using it.

[@002codename]

nice. this is how i am going to do. i have 15 pro max 512 GB. I shoot internally then take a pause and transfer the content to external media like flash. advantage i get - no cable dangling around + external storage speed is not the concern + iphone cab be used easily with gimbals.

[@alferdauzer]

Have you research about 180 degree USB-C adapter, to connect the ssd to the iphone?

[@flipout50]

Thanks for this. I have been using a fast SD card and reader with great success.

[@rogerseng]

You're welcome!

[@littlepotatofilms]

Which SD card did you use? My 250MB/s SD card is too slow for 4K60

[@thebrazilshow]

Great video! I like the solution you came up with the higher speed cable SSD in your pocket and MagSafe charger. That will work great with my workflow.

[@f1remandg]

Excellent thought provoking practical options!

[@Boblannister]

Great video! I haven’t tried this yet but my idea was that since I carry a backpack, I’d get a USB C hub with an SSD and power bank attached to it, then just have a single wire from the backpack to the iPhone. Not sure if that’ll work but it’d be my ideal setup

[@TheMacroshock]

That’s my plan too ! I also want to add a dji mic to the hub but so far I haven’t been able to find a hub that can both charge and support ssd + mic

[@seanhenriques808]

Funny how after all that the winner was the cable and ssd in the pocket situation. I see ssd enclosures that are MagSafe and have PD inputs to charge simultaneously. Might be time for an upgrade.

[@rogerseng]

Agreed. Because recording in ProRes LOG is a battery eater.

[@ckhicks]

Beautifully done, especially with the visuals. Thanks much!

[@khoifoto]

Please try the Crucial X10. It's way smaller and easier to wrap the cable around.

[@CR-rb1fx]

Recording Pro Res and charging with a MagSafe Power Bank will stop your recording pretty quickly due to over heating issue - especially in hot weather.

[@michaelchang8977]

so if you're going to be recording in raw footage (ProRes of any kind), you're likely using iPhone 15 (Pro / Pro Max) on a mount or on a tripod somewhere. Hanging a long cable there is just not really the case. I would highly recommend some DIY to put another set of MagSafe on top of the battery pack. So the battery pack can go onto the iPhone, and the SSD can go on top of the battery pack.

[@ydug]

Thanks mate for testing that out. In case you want to record pro res with gimbal, u ought to go for flash drive then😊

[@ricochet2273]

Hey man, thanks for the great video covering this topic! Quick question, is there a way to safely eject the SSD from the iPhone, or do I simply unplug after I’ve stopped recording? Thanks!

[@BasicallyBiz]

Have any of the youtube techies addressed how the magnet rings affect the sdd/storage?

[@jocknarn3225]

I like the thumb-drive option; should b ok 4 short films. U could edit into a tablet (mine's iPad Pro 12.9" M2) via a Hyper hub. That hub has HDMI, USB-A, USB-C, card reader slots & audio 1/8". Shoot o/t phone/edit into the tablet with more real estate.

[@fungja005]

Very practical and close to reality! Thanks man!

[@dirtypp]

Just ordered (Amazon prime day deal) the SSK 1TB USB Drive (SSD with both USB-A and USB-C duo heads, come with a little leather? porch too). USB 3.2 Gen2. Let's see if it work well with my new iphone 15pm 1T...

[@chestervelasquez7452]

is this working? please update.

[@jordanmichaelharvey]

Works ?

[@rolasiki]

Great video!! Can u do a video with USB C hub with Samsung SSD, powerbank and your dji wireless mic attached ? That would be epic!

[@DennisMathias]

I couldn't help myself. I copied some of your graphics to keep handy. Really good!

[@rogerseng]

Love it. Thanks bro!

[@TheThaiLife]

I have 3 of those Tough Drives, 2 1TB and 1 2TB. I’ve never lost a thing or had an issue over about 4 years of owning them.

[@federicochang3249]

U meant the SanDisk? I had 3 now I am down to 2… Samsung I’ve never tried and the others (about 4-5) are LaCie - which are pricey but have several security feats and data recovery guaranteed by LaCie (Seagate now owns it).Those are quite tough like a 4WD!

[@TheThaiLife]

That is cool about LaCie, I'll have to give them a shot. Thanks!@@federicochang3249

[@Coatsey007]

A great video, I'm glad I watched it all before I made the comment I was originally going to make, which was, everybody's over complicating things, just get us slightly longer cable and do it the way you're doing it.

[@mspbasketball]

Your video is not only insightful but enjoyable to watch as well, well done sir, your tips help me a lot, subscribed!

[@indrajitdas4927]

Absolutely amazing video.

[@rogerseng]

Thanks!

[@DanZimmerli]

I agree the best is the SSD in pocket with MagSafe battery

[@ArjenJongeling]

I’m using my phone to film for customers on a daily basis (believe it or not). With a cage, you have many more mounting options. But when you want to keep it in your pocket for casual shooting, charging and shooting ProRes at the same time is a problem. Brainwave, why not keep the battery in your pocket and only charge when you don’t film? And then use one of those 180 degree connectors to attach the drive with. You’ll keep swapping your drive and your battery but you’re ok with a little fiddling apparently with the drive cable sticking out of your pocket. Would that work for you?

[@DestinyITA520]

I advice you to purchase a SSD MVMe enclosure and a crucial 4 TB SSD MVMe for 200 EUR both

[@Guest_1138]

You realize you can transfer the footage AFTER you shoot? Which is my plan. Get the larger iPhone and use that extra space to shoot. Then transfer the files for storage and editing after shooting. Don't have to worry about all that USB stuff and cumbersome rigs to connect an external drive, transfer rates, drive speeds yadda yadda.

[@Ko-Deckard]

exactly!

[@yg1524]

This is so informative

[@ReginaldoKono]

Smart solutions, as we still haven't an ideal gadget. Thanks so answers some of my doubts.

[@RizwanPervaiz-tf3en]

can we use Samsung T7 SSD 1 TB with stock iPhone 15 pro max cable for 4k 60 fps log recording?

[@wokeupandsmellthecoffee214]

Great review Roger and love your channel, regards from UK.

[@rogerseng]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@rahulshakya6376]

appriciate the work you done here, learned few things i did,t knew and i needed that.

[@theonlyegg]

Nobody seems to be catching on to the fact you can get those magnetic rings on Amz or Temu for virtually nothing and stick them on anything. Put a ring on the back of your battery bank and then the SSD will stick to it and you can stack accessories. Apple will be introducing stacked accessories within the next year. Just get a bunch of rings, people! Make any wallet magsafe compatible. Note, they won't stay stuck to neoprene or soft rubber cases without some kind of permanent cement/super glue. Also, right angle and up angle USB-C adapters are a great way to fix the cables sticking out

[@rubenbarbeiro6078]

Actually is kinda hard to find a magnet that connects to the Iphone, there are magnets to connect to magsafe accessories but still haven't found the other way around (the magnet to connect to a Iphone)

[@OkayDip]

I want to keep MagSafe free coz I need a solution to be used with OM6 gimbal. Is there a faster flash drive. Also if can be used with a case on the phone will be great

[@errtex]

….. They 3D printed a couple of different case style options that hold the SSD & the iPhone together, and it looks like one HELLUVA start to something really cool. When I have the funds to do so, I plan to purchase one of their cases and a drive… the SSD being the more expensive piece of the puzzle, obviously. Maybe sometime after Thanksgiving.

[@WhittyPics]

I am surprised nobody hasn't come out with a case with an SSD built in

[@MihoNightwalker]

funny how most people are trying to stick the ssd on the back of their phones. I've been running and shooting with the drive in my pocket since day one I got the phone :D I find this solution working better for me. Also the T5 and T7 are not the only good drives out there, crucial also make decent ssds and they're even smaller than samsung. Got both the X9 Pro and T7 and usually take the X9 with me.

[@renrenhk1717]

useful information and so smart on the 3ft c to c. thanks!!!

[@HelloThere-lo3qi]

The last one definitely more simple, now i dont need to spend more on mag case/the mag wallet/sticker, i just need to use my ssd and buy the cable😂

[@naujsebas]

Thank you for your video. What would be your setup if you want to use a DJI mics and record in an external hard drive?

[@sahitotech]

But one thing to remind here that sandisk 2tb extreme pro doesn’t even work with iphone 15 Pro due to some limitations of power

[@xdarshan]

Still waiting for small and affordable Thunderbolt 4 nvme enclosures. The ones in the market right now are massive and upwards of $100.

[@ForTheLoveOfSuits]

Very interesting video. I was planing to use my Apple Card reader with SD cards as I have so many and they are are lady in my work flow- but now I'm wondering if the card reader is fast enough. Thanks for the heads up.

[@creativetaco]

was it?

[@kaiallisonn]

Thank you for this

[@ThatCho]

Thanks for the video. What do you do about also wanting to use a microphone?

[@gaborvarro4520]

Congratulations, it's clear and understandable! Thank

[@rogerseng]

You are welcome!

[@mariog1441]

Very informative article. Keep them coming!

[@NiGHTSaturn]

There were a lot of concerns with the SanDisk Extreme SSD series, has anybody tested the drives after the firmware updates? No data loss?

[@SupertechUSA]

Thanks! I wonder how your setup is doing now. Is the magsafe charger overheating the phone while recording?

[@franzilimmbrunner6208]

According of the Data sheets the Thumb drive 256 GB has a write speed of only 110 MB/sec not 400 MB/sec , so its to slow for Prozess 4K 30/60 fps!

[@rogerseng]

Yeah there were different specs I found in different places. Some said 300 and some said 400. Pretty much my conclusion was that I wanted something faster.

[@fredriktessem]

But it is not USB 2.0, but 3.2 gen 1, so it should be 5Gbps, and not 480Mbps.

[@joelmadison7952]

Thanks for making this video! I've been trying find a solution for this. I'm going to use the Shield version of the Samsung S7 drive.

[@dukedevaiah]

the perfect video for my doubts. beautifully done but i am a little confused with the flash drive since its a little slower do we get frame drops in the video.

[@johnnythegeek]

Yeah that usb drive is not usb 2.0 if it transfers speeds at 400 megabytes. Samsung site says it's usb 3.2 gen 1. Also remember that these are speeds of UP to. Not sustained speeds. Even ssd's play that way.

[@WeiweiGaoVideo]

Thank you for providing such useful information.

[@OsamaEG]

The Kingston DataTraveler Max usb flash drive with 1000/900 MB/s R/W would fit your need

[@nikilragav]

7:38 Hey. I think you made a mistake here too. GB/s is not the same thing as Gbps. GigaByte / s is 8x of a Gigbit per second

[@technik-sam]

if you get a ssd with the speed of 2000 megaBIT and divide by 8, your going to get 250 megabyte. that should be enough to record properly. thanks for the video

[@bonsaratbu8498]

Which is best when it comes to warranty for all those ssd’s???

[@aitch_tv]

What about the Apple SD card reader? - Does that work?

[@AlexOnTheInternet9]

I may have missed this in the comments, could you do me the favour of confirming how many minutes the 256gb thumb drive can record at 4K 60 ProRes. Thank you!!!

[@AlexOnTheInternet9]

Turns out it is 48 minutes at 4K 24 and 18 minutes at 4K 60

[@holytheodore6338]

This video is so good. Subscribed!

[@johnhuron5989]

Good solid info. Thanks. Any recommendations for shooting Pro Rez footage with a DJI Mobile 6 gimbal and external SSD?

[@Coatsey007]

Thank you, through your links, I bought the two cables but couldn't see one for the MagSafe charger?

[@rafaelmolina5751]

Awesome video, thank you so much!

[@Reviews4fun1]

I’m seeing complaints of frames dropped with those thumb drives (not sure if they’re using h.265 or full ProRes). I’ll be getting a SSD with a small enclosure to try it. How often are u using NDs? I’m considering a clip on setup for occasional videos in harsh sun.

[@rogerseng]

Got a video dropping soon with a pretty sweet ND from SmallRig. I use it occasionally when I know I’m going to be outside. But it’s nice to pop them off. FreeWell has some great NDs as well.

[@wavecheck8882]

Hello what wireless mic are you using is it DJI? what setup would you recommend when using wireless mic and iPhone

[@MichaelJirochVisualArtist]

Is there a way to connect an external mic and SSD to iPhone 15?

[@cweb1988]

man there's no good solution for this with a case either. We need a handle/grip that can attach to the phone that has built in SSD or something. But that's not some crazy full rig.

[@robin81]

Can’t you use a USB split cable to connect both power and esternal drive at the same time?

[@phoenixbwp]

Thank you for the updated video! I did buy a two pack of the short cable, for use with a Small Rig Cage. I have longer USB3/4 cables and the SSK 1TB SSD. As far as power? Why not go for the: Selore&S-Global - 10Gbps USB C Hub, 5 Ports USB C Splitter with 100W Power Delivery, (No Support Monitor). Connect the power bank to the PD port, your SSD to one of the ports? The only issue is the length of the cable from the hub to the iPhone... but there are USB C extension cables to add more length. I'm in the process of ordering the hub for testing it out. But have to wait to get the 15 Pro on the Military/Veteran site (11/3 earliest day)

[@grimcity]

Great video, mate! I already have the thumb drive and a case, at the time of this writing I'll be receiving my phone tomorrow... I like your preferred kit a lot for walkabouts, I might look into something like that. I got the thumb because I'll have my phone mounted on an X-grip camcorder handle (recording skateboarders doing tricks while following closely on my own skateboard). We usually record super close and pretty low with the wide angle, so the lighter the better. Having a dedicated walkabout/cinematic rig would be sweet though. Sorry for babbling, I'm just thinking out loud, lol. Cheers!

[@xRav3n]

Hi man, I'm thinking about getting that thumb drive too but I've heard that it looks choppy with 4k 60Fps on Log Footage, did u tried it?

[@grimcity]

@@xRav3n - Not yet! Literally just got the phone!

[@carlix8035]

Alright for some. I’ve still got at least another 2 weeks to wait till my 15 pro max arrives.

[@grimcity]

@@xRav3n - hey Raven, I've had good luck so far (recording Pro/Log at 60 fps)! One thing of note, everything gets hot! Not uncommon though, my GoPro gets hot when shooting like this. Also, I found out if you use the Blackmagic camera app, you can record internally, then just use the drive to move files!

[@xRav3n]

@@grimcity heeey, thank you so much for keeping me updated! Really happy that it's working for you and thank you again, I'll buy it

[@ericfulmer2546]

Great Video👍🏼 have you seen the OWC Envoy Pro mini?

[@evullo]

Thanks for the great video. Quick question, can you access the video saved on the external hard drive to edit / create a movie in the iMovie app on the phone?

[@niniengineering]

How much faster the phones battery drain with the SSD attached? Is it remarkable or not?

[@stoolin9706]

please don’t suggest the sandisk pro. it’s been well documented that these drives are defective and there’s no fox despite the claim. is the reason these things are always on super sale

[@carlix8035]

Well, I’ve already bought the exact same short cable. Don’t think it’ll be an issue with clothes (I wear stuff with multiple pockets and the weather here in the UK is colder than say Florida or LA. Still think it’s a better solution for recording to an ssd with a long cable in a pocket.

[@Windsurfingaddict]

Enjoyed watching, did you consider Micro ssd cards as the card holder and cables are small, not tried myself as do not have this phone yet and would they work 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@AdriDwitomo]

I'm getting a small 2230 ssd enclosure and 2tb storage. Will be best case scenario I think