I tested this iPhone SSD and it’s the best ProRes storage I’ve used

ORICO FlashPod Portable SSD: 30-second review

I like many to own an iPhone, and the common issue that has always frustrated me is the lack of internal storage. It seems I'm not alone, and for that reason, there are a good number of portable SSDS that have been specially designed for iPhone use. The ORICO FlashPod is a great example, and it actually stands out in a crowded market with its dual fixing options: either directly to the base of the phone or through a link cable, where it uses MagSafe to attach to the back.

In use, I found it to be a neat solution, and considering its relatively low price, it offers not only the valuable extended storage but also the ability to shoot ProRes video footage and, of course, expand the iPhone's internal storage.

Orico has made the use of this drive as straight forward as possible, with the USB Type-C connector on the side enabling the SSD to simply plug directly into the base of your smartphone, and there's a small shim that provides a slight gap between the device and the phone, meaning that if you have a case fitted, then it can stay in place.

Unlike some of the best portable SSDS for iPhone, one of the things I really like here is the fact that it comes with a small ribbon cable, two, in fact. By connecting to the bottom, you can then loop the cable around the back of your phone and connect it to the portable SSD, which then uses MagSafe to attach. What this also means is that, depending on your use, you have plenty of options.

If it's handheld, you can use the MagSafe connector, which is very small and lightweight, making it very easy to handle. But if you're using a handheld gimbal stabiliser, such as the DJI OSMO Mobile 6, then you can connect directly into the base, and it'll then fit into most gimbals without any issue, unlike MagSafe-only options.

The design is really well thought out, and really one of the only quibbles with the design is that the ribbon cable needs a bit of flexing and wearing in before it sits neatly around the phone, but even this doesn't take too long.

What I really like about the FlashPod is its pure simplicity. It's designed for one job — to expand the storage of your iPhone — and it does this exceptionally well. It's simple plug-and-play, and the fact that it gives you two options for connecting into your iPhone just makes it that much better than the vast majority of other iPhone-designed drives on the market.

ORICO FlashPod Portable SSD: Price & availability

The ORICO FlashPod is widely available and can be purchased through most major online retailers such as Amazon.com. The 1TB version reviewed here retails for just $79 / £79, and for that price, you get a decent amount of capacity that enables you to easily shoot ProRes footage to your heart's content. There are also options to buy other capacities, as well as the 1TB version, from the official site by clicking here.

• Score: 5/5

ORICO FlashPod Portable SSD: Design & build

If you compare the ORICO FlashPod against most other portable SSDS, the first thing that really stands out is the size. It's incredibly small and robust, meaning that when it's plugged into the base of your phone, it's only marginally smaller in width — and if you have a case on your phone, then that can stay in place as theres a small shim that enables the drive to sit slightly proud of the phones base.

The design is extremely simplistic, and the small rectangular box measures 58 x 26 x 11mm; it's also incredibly lightweight at just 32g. What's good here is that although it is lightweight like many other portable SSDS, it feels really solid. There's nothing plasticky or flimsy about the design.

When it comes to materials, it's a mixture of alloy and plastic with strong alloy surrounds and plastic top and base, all of which feel of exceptionally high quality. On the device itself, there is very little — just a USB Type-C connector that sticks out of the top, and on the back edge is a status light that highlights blue when the drive is inserted and flashes to indicate it's in use.

Other than that, it's a basic design. Unlike other portable SSDS designed for iPhone, there's another way to connect this to the phone — through a USB ribbon cable. In the box, there are two options provided — one for the standard iPhone and one for the Max. This cable features a right-angle USB connector that plugs directly into the base of your iPhone, and the cable wraps around the back and clicks into the FlashPod, which also features a MagSafe connection so that it sticks to the back without any type of fixing.

While this MagSafe connector isn't unusual, the fact that it offers both options — direct connection and MagSafe — is quite unique and opens up plenty of other opportunities when it comes to use, giving you far more flexibility than most other portable SSDS designed for iPhone.

• Design & build: 4.5/5

ORICO FlashPod Portable SSD: Features

The great thing about these portable SSDS is that they are, in themselves, a feature expansion. Whilst they can expand what your iPhone or Android smartphone can do, usually there's very little to most portable SSDS that have been designed for smartphone use.

The most notable feature of the feature set is that it's smaller and more compact than most. This makes it especially easy to attach to your iPhone, or, for that matter, any other portable device. It's worth mentioning that while it's designed primarily for use with the iPhone, it's equally at home being plugged directly into your laptop, whether that's a Mac, PC, or Android device, which gives it a good amount of compatibility.

In this review, I'm looking at the 1TB version, although it's also available in 512GB and 2TB versions, offering up to 20 Gbps transfer rates. It's worth pointing out that 20 Gbps transfer rates aren't really used by the iPhone, but when you plug it into your desktop machine — if it offers USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 — then you'll be able to make use of those ultra-fast speeds.

The other main feature — covered in the design section — is that it has two options for mounting: directly into the USB Type-C port on your iPhone, or through the link cable that plugs into your iPhone and connects to the portable SSD via MagSafe.

As previously mentioned, while the SSD is primarily designed for iPhone, I was able to use it on my MacBook Pro M1 Max, Asus ProArt P16, and an Asus Prime-based desktop PC.

• Features: 4.5/5

ORICO FlashPod Portable SSD: Performance

For straightforward use, the ORICO FlashPod works exactly the way you'd want. It's nice and simple — to get started, all I needed to do to get up and running was to take the SSD from the packaging and plug it into the base of my iPhone 15 Pro. The SSD was almost instantly ready to use. When I opened the Camera app and tapped on Video, the ProRes option at the top of the screen was ready to go.

The direct connection into the base of the iPhone was easy enough, and I was able to leave my Mous iPhone case in place. Unlike some other portable SSDS, this SSD has a small shim that enables the drive to sit a little proud of the base of the phone, so it doesn't get in the way if you have a case attached — a great design feature.

Mounted this way, it's easy to fit into an Insta360 Flow gimbal to create professional-looking footage. Many MagSafe portable SSDS placed on the back of the phone prevent this, so this is a real consideration.

If you don't want the extra length on the phone, you also have the option to use the ribbon cable. Connecting this was extremely easy: push the connector into the base, the right-angle cable folds neatly around to the back, where the SSD connects and is held by the MagSafe.

The MagSafe connection is okay — just a little loose — so you need to be a bit careful, but it works well, and having the dual mounting option gives an advantage over many other iPhone solutions.

The USB Type-C port also allows it to work with Android devices, which gives it an edge over MagSafe-only options. For laptops and desktops, the compact size is ideal. You can just plug it in without searching for a cable, and at only 32g, it fits easily into a backpack without adding bulk.

With iPhone use, performance is impressive, and it keeps up with all the demands placed on it for storing and reviewing files, recording video, and capturing images.

As the SSD interface is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, you'll also need a machine with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 if you want to see those impressive top transfer rates of up to 2000MB/s. Other interfaces like Thunderbolt 3/4/5 or USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 4 will max out at 1000MB/s. Still, benchmarks showed excellent results with a 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface using the ASUS Prime-Z890-P-WiFi, exceeding 2000MB/s in CrystalDiskMark read tests and 1777MB/s write speeds.

While this SSD is a great option for both speed and capacity, it's really designed for storage rather than use as a working drive. I tested it with 4K video editing in Premiere Pro, and while performance held up, it did heat up, leading to some thermal throttling. This use is beyond the intended use.

Focusing on iPhone and mobile use, the ORICO FlashPod is one of the best storage expansion options I've seen, mainly due to its dual mounting options.

• Performance: 5/5

Should you buy the ORICO FlashPod Portable SSD?

Over the last year, I've looked at plenty of portable SSDS designed for iPhones. Many can also be used on Android and other devices, but since most Android phones allow storage expansion via microSD, the need for external storage is more relevant to iPhones.

Whilst there are several good options out there, the simplicity of the ORICO FlashPod makes it stand out. It's a simple device with full plug-and-play functionality and no complexity. Plug it into the base of your iPhone and it's instantly recognised. It can be used with a gimbal without issue due to its small size and the fact that it doesn't block the back of the phone like many others do.

If you prefer handheld shooting with MagSafe, that's also an option with the right-angle ribbon cable. It works well, keeping up with iPhone demands when shooting or managing files.

Overall, this is one of the best iPhone storage solutions available. It's well-made, solid, and the performance is spot on. Used with a laptop or mobile device, it performs well, reaching up to 2000MB/s via USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Even on older interfaces with half the transfer rates, it's still impressive.

The flexibility to mount it two ways and use it with any USB-compatible device is key. Best of all, the 1TB version is also priced very competitively. While similar drives are often £20/$20 more, the ORICO FlashPod offers better all-round value.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Feel the need for speed with the fastest external SSDs around.