Key Takeaways
- Portable NAS with pocket-sized portability.
- Built-in UPS battery backup.
- Excellent connectivity options available.
When I used to think of a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive, I pictured a big, clunky metal box filled with noisy hard drives. But the UnifyDrive UT2 totally changes that. It’s not much bigger than my iPhone 15 Pro Max or a standard power bank, and could easily slip into a large pocket. Even better, it can run without being plugged in, thanks to its built-in battery, and it can handle some tasks all on its own, making it an ideal companion for any creative professional who finds themselves in the field often.
The UnifyDrive UT2 is more than just a regular NAS — it’s perfect for backing up files if you’re a content creator on the go, and you can even hook it up to your TV to play movies and video content with an HDMI cable. If you just need it as a regular USB drive, you can plug it directly into your computer or phone. It’s packed with features that make it like a high-tech multi-tool, but does all this functionality really hold up in everyday use?
Editor’s Choice
UnifyDrive UT2
The UnifyDrive UT2 is a compact, high-performance portable NAS (Network-Attached Storage) designed for users on the go. Featuring ultra-fast data transfer rates, secure wireless connectivity, and a robust storage capacity, it allows you to access, share, and back up your files anytime, anywhere.
- Pocket-sized portability
- Built-in UPS battery backup
- Excellent connectivity options
- Short battery life
- Expensive
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Price, specs, and availability
The UnifyDrive UT2 portable NAS is currently only available for pre-order from UnifyDrive’s Kickstarter page. After November 1, it will begin shipping and become available from Amazon for a MSRP of $600. If you purchase any of the pre-order bundles from UnifyDrive’s Kickstarter, you can save a bit of money on the total, with up to 25% off for pre-orders, bringing the total down to $450.
Design: UnifyDrive UT2
A rugged rubber case and an effective cooling system
UnifyDrive designed the UT2 with creative professionals, particularly photographers and videographers, in mind. As such, it comes in a rugged rubber sleeve that is reminiscent of the sleeves that LaCie external hard drives come with. The device itself features a durable all-metal chassis. The backplate is slotted for ventilation, and there are proper cutouts in the rubber casing that wraps the device for exhaust vents and all your ports. You can remove the slotted section of the backplate with a simple screwdriver that comes with the UnifyDrive UT2, which reveals the UT2s circuit board and its dual M.2 NVMe 2280 slots. Two M.2 NVMe slots mean you can throw two 8TB SSDs in the UnifyDrive UT2, maxing out its internal storage capability at 16TB.
Speaking of ports, for such a compact device, I was surprised at the great port offerings of the UnifyDrive UT2. There’s a high-speed USB-C port alongside a USB-A port which can be used for file transfers. There’s also a CFexpress card reader and an SD card reader. Flipping to the other side of the device, there’s a 2.5GbE Ethernet port, a USB-C power port, and an HDMI port, and the UT2’s power button.
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The UnifyDRive UT2 measures at 6.8 x 3.5 x 1.1″ and weighs just 0.8 lbs. Its rugged and compact design makes it great for stowing away in a camera bag or backpack — or even a jacket pocket — without having to worry about damage.
You get almost everything you need to get started in the box. There’s a USB-C cable, an Ethernet cable, an HDMI cable, a remote with batteries included and a power block. You will need to provide your own M.2 SSDs, which can add up quickly if you don’t already own them. If you want to max out the UnifyDrive UT2 with two 8TB M.2 SSDs, you will be looking at spending roughly $1600 for just the drives.
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Software and hardware features: UnifyDrive UT2
Real-time backups and wireless connectivity
For such a small package, the UnifyDrive UT2 is jam-packed with hardware and software features. Starting off with the hardware, there’s a RK3588C4 Cortex-A76 + 4 Cortex-A55 CPU, paired with an ARM Mali-G610 MC4 GPU hiding under the circuit board, providing ample processing power for creative workloads. If you install two M.2 drives into the UT2, you can set up a traditional NAS RAID configuration of your choosing.
As a photographer and videographer, I was extremely happy to see both an SD card reader and CFexpress (type-B) reader. You can also plug in an adapter to both the SD card reader and CFexpress port for CFexpress-A cards or microSD cards. Both card readers allow cards to automatically back up to the NAS by double-clicking the side button on the UnifyDrive UT2. I thought this was an awesome feature — it let me shoot a session and upload everything to the NAS as soon as I was done, without even needing to touch my laptop.
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In addition to backing up your SD cards, you can also use the companion UnifyDrive mobile and desktop app to back up your smartphone to the NAS. I wasn’t able to test out the cloud backup feature as it’s still currently under development, but UnifyDrive told me it will be available on day one once the UT2 ships in November. Cloud backups will be a great way to further backup the NAS by connecting your Google Drive as a second fail-safe backup.
The app enables full access to the UnifyDrive UT2, and it provides users with an immense number of features.
Connecting to the UnifyDrive UT2 is easy — you can run the UT2 as you would a normal NAS by connecting to your router via the Ethernet jack, or you can connect to it wirelessly via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 support. Note that during initial setup, you’ll need to be connected to LAN in order to update the device for Wi-Fi connectivity to be usable.
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I love that the wireless connection also lets you use the NAS in the field. Multiple computers can connect to the NAS, with each connection being fully encrypted, making creative collaborative workflows an absolute breeze. I took it on a hike, backed up my images while still in the field, and my partner at home was able to edit the photos as they came in. It’s a newer way for me to use a NAS, and I was impressed with how streamlined and simple it felt to upload my photos out there in the wilderness while they were received at home for editing.
Of course, you will need some form of internet connection, but I was able to achieve this with my iPhone’s hotspot. There’s a built-in hotspot feature within the UT2.
Performance and battery life: UnifyDrive UT2
An endless number of use cases
The UnifyDrive UT2 runs on UnifyDrive’s own operating system called UDOS. When you get started, you’ll need to download the UnifyDrive desktop or mobile app, and connect the UT2 to a LAN connection to update the UDOS firmware. Once you launch the app, you’ll be taken through a guided setup which will take you through the process of formatting your M.2 drive(s) and setting up your RAID configuration and set up for additional features such as HDMI output and flash drive mode, which allows the UT2 to be recognized as an external storage device.
I found the guided setup easy to follow, although as I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of features packed into this tiny NAS. I’ve spent hours in the past few weeks testing the UnifyDrive UT2, and I haven’t made my way through all the features yet. However, I continue to be impressed by all the feature offerings of the UT2. While the device itself can fit in the pocket, don’t let its small size fool you — this NAS is as feature-rich as the largest desktop NAS.
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As a photographer and videographer, the UnifyDrive UT2’s ability to download media directly from media cards was my favorite feature overall. You can use the SD card slot, which accepts microSD and TF card adapters, or the CFexpress Type-B card slot for cards commonly used with Nikon and Canon DSLRs. To download media to the UT2 from the card, all you have to do is simply insert your media card into the appropriate slot and double-click the side button. Once the NAS beeps twice, it will begin downloading all the media stored on the card.
Throughout my testing, I found no problem with downloading media from CFexpress cards or SD UHS-I cards, but I did find some issues with SD UHS-II cards which weren’t always recognized by the UT2. You can manage and watch your download within the UnifyDrive app, and the UT2 gives off three beeps to alert you that downloading is complete. Once your files have been uploaded to the UT2, they can be accessed via LAN or Wi-Fi. Multiple users can connect to a single UT2 NAS, making the UT2 be an excellent collaborative tool. When it comes to read/write speeds of your uploads, your mileage will vary depending on which connection method you are using. The average write time when I had the NAS connected via Wi-Fi was about 5.5 MB/s with a read speed of 8.9 MB/s.
However, when I tested using the UT2’s built-in hotspot, I was able to take down an average write speed of 60 MB/s and 78 MB/s read. If you want the fastest possible speeds, you’ll want to transfer files via USB Type-C, which provides an average write speed of 298 MB/s and a read speed of 317 MB/s. Note that while there is a built-in UPS battery, it doesn’t provide the best lifespan. On average, I was able to get about an hour to an hour and a half out of the built-in battery. However, thanks to the wide connection options, I could keep the UT2 going while out in the field by connecting it to a power bank.
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Should you buy the UnifyDrive UT2?
The UnifyDrive UT2 has become one of my favorite devices I’ve had the opportunity to review in 2024. It’s an incredibly ambitious project with a ton of features, but it’s also an excellent portable NAS for creative professionals, and realistically, the best one available. As a photographer and videographer, I can already see how the UnifyDrive UT2 is changing my workflow, and while it takes some time to explore and learn all the features of this great device, it’s definitely worth the time.
As mentioned earlier in the review, multiple users can connect to the UT2 simultaneously and access files, making it a great tool for a production environment. I can see this being an indispensable tool on film sets and photo shoots thanks to how a photographer can shoot from their camera, upload everything quickly to the NAS, all while allowing others to view and work with the files uploaded. You can also use the included HDMI 2.1 cable to connect the UT2 to a projector or TV and present your files easily with the included remote.
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While it was a bit disappointing to see that not all UHS-II SD cards worked properly with the NAS, the team at UnifyDrive has been steady in releasing firmware updates for the UT2, so hopefully this is something that can be fixed in the near future. Overall, I think the UnifyDrive UT2 is one of the best productivity tools for a creative professional.
While it has a somewhat steep MSRP of $600, there’s no NAS on the market as small as the UT2 and packed with as many features. One of the beautiful things about NAS’s is that the possibilities of what you do with them are endless, and this is definitely the case with the UnifyDrive UT2.
Editor’s Choice
