When it comes to purchasing Mac accessories, OWC is one of the most-respected and well-known brands out there. For several decades the company has offered top-tier aftermarket upgrades to Apple hardware. We’ve reviewed several OWC products over the years and tend to walk away impressed.
The new OWC Envoy Pro EX brings yet another ultra-fast external storage solution to market. It’s fully compatible with Mac and PC hardware alike and delivers top speeds of up to 980MB/s. This is achievable thanks to the use of an NVMe SSD instead of many common alternatives that sport a 2.5-inch form-factor.
OWC Envoy Pro EX: Fast and rugged
With PCs and MacBooks becoming harder to modify after the fact, consumers have been pressured to buy a new laptop when they run out of storage or need more memory. As this has happened, technology like USB-C has thankfully progressed in such a way that we can buy external gear that provides desktop-class performance. With speeds up to 980MB/s, the OWC Envoy Pro EX is one of those products.
“Today we are delighted to expand the lineup on behalf of our customers who prefer a USB-C interface, yet still demand the absolute top of the line in blazing throughput, rugged performance and extreme reliability. This is unquestionably the fastest USB-C SSD ever produced…period,” said OWC CEO and Founder Larry O’Connor.
Fast speeds are phenomenal, but the durability of external hardware can be just as important. OWC’s new USB-C SSD faces this challenge head-on with an enclosure that is 100% dustproof and capable of withstanding 30 minutes of submersion in 1 meter of water. It’s also remarkably resistant to extreme temperatures ranging from freezing to 158-degrees Fahrenheit.
OWC touts that its new SSD able to connect directly to USB-C cameras and save footage with no middle-man required. This is fantastic as the OWC Envoy Pro EX is available in up to 2TB capacities and the majority of SD cards tend to top out at 1TB. The ability to plug USB-C storage devices directly into Apple’s latest MacBooks and iPad Pro (when iPadOS 13 ships) is yet another reason this type of interface will be preferred by many.
Pricing and availability
The OWC Envoy Pro EX comes in a variety of sizes that range from 0GB to 2TB. Prices start at $94.99 and max out at $429.99. It’s available for order today directly from OWC, but we anticipate it will make an appearance at Amazon in relatively short order.
Electronicsforward’ Take
With speeds up to 980MB/s, there’s no doubt that the OWC Envoy Pro EX with USB-C is snappy. OWC claims it’s ‘the fastest USB-C SSD ever produced’, but recent announcements from companies like Sony have us left us wondering. At any rate, compelling speeds, rugged build, and ability to buy just the shell make it a worthy contender in the cut-throat external SSD market.
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