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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The Planck SSD gives your connected instrumentality speedy entree to up to 2TB of storage.
- It has work and constitute speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s, giving it enactment for Apple 4K ProRes recording.
- It's not inexpensive astatine a starting terms of $125, and owed diligence is required for immoderate Kickstarter project.
We don't often screen crowdfunded products astatine ZDNET, arsenic the imaginable for accumulation issues and undelivered promises acold outweigh the extremity merchandise that readers volition put their clip and wealth in. The objection is for products that onslaught the close equilibrium of quality, performance, and attainability.
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Enter Planck, the world's smallest phone-first SSD. I archetypal discovered the mobile accessory astatine CES earlier this year, and much recently, it's been successful my mundane transportation arsenic I traveled to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress.
After investigating it for astir 2 weeks, I tin confidently accidental that it's changed however I seizure and edit videos, a workflow that typically involves signaling 4K footage connected some my telephone and Sony camera and piecing it each unneurotic connected my MacBook.
I'll get pricing retired of the mode first, arsenic it's the origin astir backers volition highly see for the Planck. Right now, you tin bid the 1TB exemplary for astir $125 and the 2TB exemplary for $200. These SSDs aren't inexpensive by immoderate means.
But considering Apple charges astir $500 to upgrade eligible iPhone models to 1TB of storage, the disbursal whitethorn beryllium worthy it for contented creators who genuinely request the added memory. (If lone modern-day flagship phones inactive supported MicroSD cards, right?)
It helps that utilizing the Planck is simply a elemental plug-and-play affair; astir immoderate instrumentality that supports USB-C information transportation -- including a MacBook, iPhone oregon Android, and camera -- volition enactment with the accessory. In fact, I connected the Planck to each 4 of those devices passim my testing, and the SSD worked arsenic intended.
To trial the speeds, I benchmarked the SSD with Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test, with read/write speeds averaging astir 980 MB/s, conscionable shy of Planck's 1,050 MB/s claims. That's plentiful for transferring high-resolution footage crossed devices and surpasses Apple's 440 MB/s request to grounds 4K ProRes video straight to the SSD from the iPhone. That includes 4K astatine 120fps, which astir videographers trust connected for slow-panning, smooth-motion footage.
Here are my results from the Blackmagic velocity test.
During my MWC trip, I changeable each of my footage for ZDNET's social channels with an iPhone-Planck combo that resulted successful nary excess clips hogging my interior storage. My telephone lone has 128GB of interior storage, truthful the 4K recordings would've easy drained it each out, leaving nary country for pictures of tapas and artisanal buildings. Just marque definite to store the SSD securely, arsenic its tiny physique makes it casual to misplace.
Planck says it's embedded thermal pads and a vigor descend enclosure successful the SSD to forestall overheating, but I wouldn't accidental the accessory ever stays cool. A fewer minutes into contented capturing, the SSD, which presses against my manus arsenic I clasp up the phone, tin consciousness somewhat warm. Not capable to warrant unplugging it and letting it rest, but capable to marque maine hesitate for a infinitesimal astir signaling different video.
The Planck comes with labels for erstwhile you're logging footage from a circumstantial event.
Lastly, I'd similar to springiness a motion to Planck's case-friendly design, which is conscionable gangly capable to plug into most encased phones. I utilized the SSD with assorted wide and bumper cases and didn't conflict to get it to drawback successful place. But you mightiness privation to see different SSD solutions if you're utilizing a dual-layer protective lawsuit similar an Otterbox.
ZDNET's buying advice
Ultimately, the Planck does what it claims and fits the measure arsenic an ultraportable SSD for mobile. While the institution is targeting telephone contented creators with the accessory, I've recovered it conscionable arsenic utile for mirrorless and DSLR cameras, particularly if your laptop oregon machine has a USB-C larboard but not an SD paper slot.
For readily disposable alternatives with much forgiving instrumentality policies, I'd urge the Lexar Professional Go, which is connected merchantability for $120 astatine the clip of writing, arsenic good arsenic the Samsung T7, which is not arsenic portable but inactive gives you 1TB of retention astatine 1,050 MB/s speeds for astir $90.
Also: The champion camera telephone of 2025: Tested by experts
I'll reiterate that the Planck is presently successful its crowdfunding stage, with a Kickstarter that has amassed much than $400,000 from astir 2,000 backers. The institution says it plans to afloat present orders by leveraging its streamlined fulfillment process, single-product focus, and committedness to transparency (read: timely updates and messaging for immoderate issues).
Still, you should bash your probe and owed diligence earlier backing any beta project. The merchandise I tested whitethorn not beryllium precisely the aforesaid arsenic what you person successful the future. But if it is, I'm hopeful it'll service immoderate contented creator well.
This nonfiction was primitively published connected March 12, 2025, and was updated connected April 3, 2025.
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