I have said this before, and I will say it again. Bringing USB-C to iPhone with the iPhone 15 lineup completely changed how I use and view these phones. When talking about the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, specifically, the power and versatility of that port open up so many new use cases for the iPhone. One use case, in particular, is the ability to record ProRes footage from the iPhone and save it directly to an external SSD without taking up valuable internal storage space. I have found the perfect SSD for this; let me elaborate.
The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max were the first iPhones to be able to record true ProRes footage. ProRes is a video codec or file format that is used for capturing and editing high quality videos. It basically is the best and rawest form of video capture. It is used as a preferred file format for big-budget movies and shows. But one HUGE issue is that a one-minute clip at 4K 30 will be about 6GB in size. If you start to think, that means that a 256GB iPhone 15 Pro can only house 30 to 40 minutes of footage before it runs out of space.
Before the iPhone 15 lineup, you would need to get an iPhone with much more internal storage, making it unnecessarily expensive, or offload that ProRes footage via AirDrop or lightning. These methods were very slow and unreliable.
In steps the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max with its USB-C port and ultra-fast transfer speeds. Now, we can plug in an external SSD into the iPhone and directly record that ProRes footage into that SSD. You don’t even have to set anything up; the iPhone will recognize the SSD, and when you are in ProRes shooting mode, it gives you an indicator on the bottom that says ‘USB-C’, and then on the top, it will let you know how much footage you are able to record based on available storage. Its a wonderful setup
As mentioned earlier, I found the perfect accessory to make this experience the best! The Qwiizlab Magsafe SSD enclosure is the perfect companion for someone who uses their iPhone as their main camera and uses that ProRes footage. The Qwiizlab enclosure is made of aluminum and feels very sturdy and well-built. As the name implies, it has MagSafe magnets, so you can just attach it to the rear of your iPhone. It also brings a perfectly sized 10Gbps USB-C data cable, so it all comes together in one sleek package.
Here is everything you get in the box:
- Qwiizlab enclosure
- 10Gbps USB-C data cable
- silicone thermal pads for heat dissipation
- Necessary screwdriver and screws
- Supports 2230 M.2 SSD Storage
- Supports up to 2TB of storage
- 100W PD port
Now, this is an enclosure, meaning that you have to buy the storage separately. Below are a few options to choose from for a compatible SSD.
Installing the SSD is extremely easy. You use the included screwdriver to open up the enclosure, place the SSD, put a thermal pad on, and screw it shut.
My new workflow
My new workflow with Qwiizlab is very efficient. I record my ProRes footage directly onto the Qwiizlab SSD. Then, when I am done, I plug it into my iPad and edit off of that SSD inside of Luma Fusion. Then, I export the video on the SSD and upload it to YouTube. No more AirDrop or transferring out of internal storage. None of my internal storage is used on either my iPhone or iPad, and it is magical!
Pricing & availability
The Qwiizlab enclosure is on sale for $36.99 on Amazon. However, a 10% off coupon on the page brings that price down to $33.49! As I said, you do need to purchase the SSD separately, but for about $100, you can have a well-made, ultra-fast, convenient, MagSafe-enabled, 1TB SSD that turns your iPhone into a pocket studio!
Let me know your thoughts on this. Is this something you would get? Are you in the market for a new SSD? Do you record in ProRes? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
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