One of the most important novelties of this year’s iPhone 15 series is the long-awaited USB-C connector, which of course enables easier data transfer in addition to more convenient charging. However, there is a big difference between the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro models, namely that the former are capable of USB 2.0 and the latter of USB 3.2 Gen 2.
In practice, this means that technically the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are also suitable for data transfer via USB-C, but they do this much, much slower than the Pro devices. I brought a couple of external data storage devices from Kingston, with which you can make maximum use of the data transfer capabilities of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Why is this important?
There is no need to explain too much why it is good to be able to move data faster via USB, but what makes this interesting in relation to the iPhone 15 Pros is the ProRes LOG video recording. This is a high-bitrate, raw format that can be shaped and colored much more freely in post-production.
However, 1 minute of 4K ProRes LOG video is approx. It takes up 6 GB, which is why Apple does not even allow LOG video recording in 4K on the 128 GB iPhone 15 Pro, unless you record it on external storage.
For the average user, the 4K ProRes LOG video is, so to speak, an unnecessary function, but in the event that you don’t have time to put the rig on your camera or you’ve already packed it, but you still need a cutting image, then you’ll be able to combine it with the iPhone and in post-production, also in colors like the with camera footage that no one will notice.
How should the external data storage be used for this?
It’s very simple. As soon as you plug the external data storage into the phone and if you have the right speed, open the camera and turn on the ProRes LOG, the USB-C inscription will appear at the bottom of the screen, and at the top, how much you can record this way.
Kingston XS2000
External SSDs have become more and more popular in recent years, this is also due to the fact that, unlike the old HDD, they are much smaller, do not leak from an accidental drop and are brutally fast. Kingston offers it XS2000 one of the fastest external SSDs I’ve been using for years, especially for storing my videos.
With its dimensions of 69.5 x 32.5 x 13.5 mm, it is absolutely compact, portable, and it is actually worth choosing this if you would not only use it for iPhone. Of course, it is also excellent for this purpose, but the XS2000 uses the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 standard, which has a theoretical speed of 2000 MB/s in both reading AND writing. If your device supports this, then writing will be extremely fast, but iPhone 15 Pros and e.g. the Thunderbolt 4 connector of MacBooks can “only” reach the speed of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard, which is 2000/1000 MB/s. There will be no complaints about this either, but you cannot use the full potential of the Kingston XS2000 only with the iPhone.
The pictures show the speeds the XS2000 is capable of, if you use it with, say, a MacBook or a machine capable of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. I have a 2 TB model, this storage space is enough for about 295 minutes of ProRes LOG.
Kingston DataTraveler Max
Another equally good option for the iPhone is the Kingston DataTraveler Max device, which looks more like a flash drive, but with the speed of an external SSD.
It exists from this USB-A and USB-C a version equipped with a connector, of course you won’t be able to use the former for iPhone, but you can for everything else. Nowadays, all devices have a USB-C connector, so I would choose the USB-Cs DataTraveler.
The DataTraveler Max uses the same USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard as the iPhone 15 Pro pair, so if you’re primarily using it for that, it’ll be a more cost-effective solution. The capacity can be chosen from 256 GB up to 1 TB.
The theoretical maximum speed here is 1000 / 900 MB/s in reading and writing, which the drive achieves perfectly based on the tests. I chose the 512 GB version, which will be enough to record 73 minutes of 4K ProRes LOG video.
Which one should you choose?
Kingston XS2000 and DataTraveler Max are both fast and available in various capacities, but there is a fundamental difference between them. The former is an external SSD, and the latter is a flash drive on steroids, with all its advantages.
The XS2000 represents a slightly higher price category due to the faster data transfer standard, and it can also be connected to USB-As devices with another cable. The disadvantage when using it for an iPhone is that it has a long cable, which can be confusing.
The connector of the DataTraveler Max can be pulled out with one hand, there is no need to deal with cables, but there is also the risk that if you use it with an iPhone and accidentally drop something or drop the phone, it can break more easily at the connector, because there is no more flexible cable here. which can dampen it.
I built the article on how to use which one with the iPhone 15 Pro, but of course they also work with any other device. Both are great choices, depending on what you’re looking for.
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