OWC releases a new mini SSD that has amazing storage and flexibility, the Envoy Pro ELEKTRON.
Everybody these days—from toddlers to seniors—is always looking for more storage for their technology. Whether it be pictures, videos, applications, or games, we devour more digital real estate by the day.
So upping the storage while shrinking the physical size is something that is very attractive. That is where the new OWC Envoy Pro ELEKTRON SSD comes into play. With a width of only 2.1 in (5.2 cm), this drive is not just portable… it is hyper portable. It not only fits in your pocket, it may get lost in there.
The Envoy Pro ELEKTRON is also a rocket in your pocket with speeds of up to 10Gb/s using USB 3.2. That is some blazing speed for a drive of this size. Inside of this little pocket rocket you can choose between 240GB, 480GB, 1.0TB, or 2.0TB of storage. To have a 10Gb/S drive that is 2.1 in and 2.0 TBs is flat-out awesome and incredibly useful. If you had shown me this when I began doing non-linear editing in the ’90s, I would have thought it was witchcraft.
That being said, I have a very specific and special purpose for my Envoy Pro ELEKTRON NVME SSD. This December I have pre-ordered the new Steam Deck and, not being a wealthy man, I decided to go with the $399 64GB model to save money, and also because it is the first model to be delivered. The versions with greater speed and capacity will not come out until the 2nd quarter of 2022. My patience will simply not allow me to wait that long to play my Steam library of over 600 titles!
Initially, I was just going to purchase a high-speed SDHC card like the SanDisk Extreme Pro Micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30, which is a great card and has a transfer rate of 170MB/s. But when you compare that to the insane 10Gb/s the Envoy Pro ELEKTRON has, it is a knockout blow. I am already brainstorming how to create a harness to stick it to the back of my Steam Deck.
System Requirements
- Operating System
- Other: iPadOS 13 or later, Chrome OS, Android 10 or later, Linux
- PC: Windows 10 or later
- Mac: macOS 10.12 or later
- Hardware
- Any Mac, PC, or tablet, with a USB or Thunderbolt 3 or later port
- Bootable
- Mac: macOS 10.13 or later
- PC: Booting not supported
Interface
- (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) Type-C
Available Capacities
- 240GB, 480GB, 1.0TB, 2.0TB
Certification
Power
- Bus powered via USB
Dimensions
- Width: 2.1 in (5.2 cm)
- Height: 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
- Depth: 3.0 in (7.6 cm)
Weight
- 3.1 oz (89.0 g)
Environmental (Operating)
- Temperature (°F) 41° to 95°
- Temperature (°C) 5° to 35°
- Relative Humidity 8% to 90% (non-condensing)
Environmental (Non-Operating)
- Temperature (°F) -4° to 140°
- Temperature (°C) -20° to 60°
- Relative Humidity 5% to 95% (non-condensing)
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Look, there is no sugar coating needed, and the OWC Envoy Pro ELEKTRON SSD is a flat-out great little piece of technology that will solve a myriad of problems for millions of users. Prices range from $99 for the 250Gb version all the way up to $399 for the 2Tb version, so grab one that best fits your budget and needs.
A sample of the OWC Envoy Pro ELEKTRON SSD was made available by the manufacturer for this review. Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s alone and not of the manufacturer or editorial staff.
