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Ultra Portable Backup Storage on the Go with the RAVPower External SSD

External SSDs have been getting smaller, with higher capacities, and cheaper. The new RAVPower Portable SSD is the smallest and most portable I've used yet.

RAVPower Portable SSD RP-UM003

Categories: Backup, Gear
Tags: RAVPower
Last updated about 3 weeks ago // Originally published about 2 years ago

Portable SSD drives have been getting smaller, cheaper, and coming in higher capacities in recent years. More resilient against bumps and knocks than traditional magnetic hard drives, and much faster as well, solid flash drives are especially well suited to taking on the road. I use them routinely for backing up my photos on the road or providing fallback backup storage for my laptop. And I rely on them quite a lot—on work shoots, I often end up taking many more photos than I can safely store on memory cards alone.

For a while, SSDs didn’t have the kind of storage capacities that made them practical for me for this kind of use—at least, none that were reasonably priced. But in the last few years, the price of 512GB, 1TB, and even 2TB drives have been falling markedly. I’ve been using mainly Samsung and Western Digital external SSDs, but for the past few weeks I’ve been trying out a new model from RAVPower.

The first thing you notice is that it’s tiny. Much smaller than the other drives of similar storage capacity I’ve used. The long, thin shape also helps. Just the thing to include in my kit when I travel light (i.e. most of the time).

RAVPower Portable SSD RP-UM003

For a sense of scale, this is side by side with an iPhone 7.

It’s a standalone drive, meaning that it draws its power from the device you plug it into and doesn’t require its own separate power supply. It comes in 1TB and 512GB versions; the one that the folks at RAVPower sent me to try out is the 512GB version. I’ve been using with a MacBook, iMac, RAVPower 6-Port USB FileHub, and RAVPower FileHub. It works with Windows and Mac. It’s also designed to work with Android and iOS; I haven’t tried those interfaces.

I’m most concerned with its performance in real-world, practical use than milking speed data in lab conditions, so the most important things I expect out of an external SSD are that it’s small, fast enough, and reliable. Having been using for a while when traveling, the RAVPower Portable SSD has been ticking those boxes comfortable for me.

Free Encryption App

It comes with an encryption app (Windows and Mac). You’re not required to use it, and it’s not enabled by default. You can use it as a regular non-encrypted drive out of the box, which is how I’ve mainly been using it.

It’s a RAVPower-branded encryption app. The package is named WDEnSSD, but it’s not the same as the much more feature-rich app WD SSD Dashboard for Western Digital drives.

It uses an ATA security lock with a password lock. I’m no expert on encryption and can’t speak to the level of security it provides against a determined snooper, but at a minimum, it provides a useful layer of defense against your files falling into the wrong hands if you accidentally misplace the drive.

Specs

Model: RP-UM003
Dimensions: 3.9 x 1.2 x 0.4 inches / 9.9 x 3.1 x 1 cm
Interface: 1 x Type-C port that supports USB 3.1 Gen2 and Gen1
File Formats Supported: NTFS / FAT32 / exFAT; supports SATA III Data Transmission
Speed: Rated for up to 540Mbps when connected via USB 3.1 Gen2 interface
Warranty: 18-month
Made in: China

What’s in the Box?

In addition to the SSD, there’s a small fabric pouch, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-A to USB-C cable.

RAVPower Portable SSD RP-UM003

It comes with a small fabric pouch, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-A to USB-C cable.

Things Worth Knowing

I haven’t run into any overheating issues even with large data transfer operations. RAVPower’s marketing materials boast of its efficient heat sink, and so far it has performed well for me.

Where to Buy

You can find them at Amazon.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2021-04-17 at 21:09. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

By David Coleman
Instagram: @havecamerawilltraveldc

Last updated on March 25, 2021

Categories: Backup, Gear
Tags: RAVPower

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News & Deals

New Firmware for the Ricoh GR III. Ricoh has release firmware v1.31 for the GR III. Release notes are: “Corrected — When shooting with the multiple exposure, in rare cases the live view may not display correctly. Improved stability for general performance.” You can download it here.

New Canon 1D X Mark III Pro DSLR Announced. Canon has announced their new flagship model of pro DSLR, the 1D X Mark III. They’re sticking with a 20.1MP CMOS sensor, but it’s a new and improved version and boasts an incredible native ISO range of ISO 100 to ISO 102400 and an extended range that goes up to a jaw-dropping ISO 819200. With revamped autofocus, a new image processor, and all sorts of other bells and whistles, it’s no wonder that Canon is billing it as “The Ultimate EOS.”

New Manfrotto Pro Rugged Memory Cards. Manfrotto, an Italian probably best known for their tripods and studio accessories, has launched a new Pro Rugged range of high-end SD, microSD, and CompactFlash cards. While they don’t have a huge selection of sizes and speeds, the cards are aiming for very fast cards that can put up with rugged demands. For instance, they claim that their V90 rated SD cards can withstand three times the force (20kg / 45 lbs) of a regular SD card. I’ve ordered some to run through my speed tests.

New Sony Alpha a7 firmware released. A firmware update for the Sony a7R IV now lets you control external Sony flashes from the camera’s own menu system. Up to 15 flashes in five groups can be controlled via the camera. It also applies to the a7R III and a7 III.

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I take photos. I travel. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between.

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