Review: The G-Tech Mobile Pro SSD is nearly as fast as the storage in your 15-inch MacBook...

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2021
There are endless options when it comes to external storage, but getting the right one for you can be a tough task. If you're looking for a quick, on-the-go SSD, the G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD may be perfectly suited.

G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD
G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD


The G-Technology's Mobile Pro SSD features a Thunderbolt 3 connection and a fast NVME drive inside. If you're a video creator like a few of us at AppleInsider are, and you're looking for one of the best external SSD solutions, this should be your next pickup.

A fast-moving market






In 2019, storage prices have dropped significantly across the board, and with new technology and disk solutions hitting the shelves almost every month, there are lot of options to consider. Late in 2018 we took a look at Samsung's X5 which is also another Thunderbolt 3 external SSD solution, and as a big fan of its design and portability, we think G-Technology's Mobile Pro SSD has it beat when it comes to raw performance and looks.

The Mobile Pro SSD

The color scheme is subtle, with black and aluminum silver and a hint of teal inside the grill vents, which in our opinion, look amazing. The chassis itself feels durable and has a nice matte-like texture. G-Technology says that it features a 1000-pound crush-proof rating so you don't ever have to worry about messing up your new portable storage solution even in the worst scenarios.

G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD
G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD


The Mobile Pro SSD has one Thunderbolt 3 port at the top, and a tiny light indicator to let you know the drive is up and running at the bottom. Power is provided by the Thunderbolt 3 bus.

G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD
G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD


That sharp, electric blue colored aluminum casing inside these vents are a protective aluminum core that prevents overheating so that heat doesn't transfer to the outside of the case when you're editing huge 4K or even 8K files off this SSD. That's a really nice thing to have, especially if you're solely working off this external drive.

Performance

We've been editing a few of our videos off this new SSD, and while yes, we could be editing directly from our MacBook Pro, we like to have our files readily accessible. When we're on the move or if we need to jump to another machine, we have those files ready to go. So far, we haven't had any issues or playback issues in Final Cut Pro X or Adobe After Effects. Everything about it is blazing fast.

G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD
G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD


For the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, we wanted to compare it against our 2018 MacBook Pro's internal drive as well as our trusty Samsung T3 we've around.

G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD results in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test
G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD results in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test


The G-Technology Mobile Pro SSD got around 2200MB/s to 2300MB/s on the write, and 2500MB/s on the read speed. That's two gigabytes a second which is ridiculous for an external storage solution. Our 2018 MacBook Pro's internal NVME SSD is a little bit faster at 2600MB/s for both the read and write speeds, however. While it's not getting that full 2800MB/s transfer rate that they promised, it's pretty close to that nonetheless.

Our older Samsung T3 is getting around 420MB/s for its read and write speeds, which is definitely more than enough for everyday tasks and editing 4K videos, but it's definitely nowhere near the speeds from G-Technology's Mobile Pro SSD.

Transferring 150GB of archived project files from the external drive to my desktop took a little bit over one minute, and from the desktop back to the SSD, it took a little bit longer, but it transferred those files in under two minutes. The Samsung T3 which uses USB 3.1 type C at 10 gbit/second maximum will take well over 15 minutes if I were to do the same task.

G-Technology's Mobile Pro SSD Thunderbolt 3 SSD is great for video editing as well. We edit most of our videos with Final Cut Pro X, and haven't run into any issues whatsoever. Loading project files and scrubbing through the timeline all worked well at 4K resolution -- just make sure to transcode your media before editing, and you shouldn't run into any problems.

If you need some new external storage and you want something that is going to be blazing fast and takes advantage of the latest tech, we easily would recommend the G-Tech Mobile Pro SSD.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Where to buy

G-Technology's 1TB G-Drive can be ordered from third party resellers on Amazon with free shipping. MacMall also stocks the Thunderbolt 3 portable drive for $449.95, with units shipping the same business day.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,036member
    The teal looks tacky. It is subjective, but is as jarring as the ugly nail polish combos tweens and teens wear.

    As far as ruggedness, these devices are usually ruined where the cables plug in.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    The chassis, while obviously quite compact, seems larger than necessary. Similar products from other suppliers are about 2/3 or less the size of this one. I'd be interested in peeking inside to see what all that volume contains.
  • Reply 3 of 13
    davgreg said:
    The teal looks tacky. It is subjective, but is as jarring as the ugly nail polish combos tweens and teens wear.
    I didn't even get as far as the color combination. I can't stand products that secretly wish they were Christmas trees or flashlights. I don't need a light show, nor do I want to be blinded by a power/activity light that's brighter than a supernova.
    hexclockStrangeDays
  • Reply 4 of 13
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    That sharp, electric blue colored aluminum casing inside these vents are is a protective aluminum core that prevents overheating so that heat doesn't transfer to the outside of the case when you're editing huge 4K or even 8K files off this SSD. 
    Your reviewer has a strange idea of how thermal management works. The point is not to prevent internal heat from transferring to the outside, but to ensure that it does. Otherwise the drive’s internals would become ever hotter and fail.
    flydogneo-techfastasleep
  • Reply 5 of 13
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    davgreg said:
    The teal looks tacky. It is subjective, but is as jarring as the ugly nail polish combos tweens and teens wear.
    I didn't even get as far as the color combination. I can't stand products that secretly wish they were Christmas trees or flashlights. I don't need a light show, nor do I want to be blinded by a power/activity light that's brighter than a supernova.
    Oh god yeah. I have a pair of Alesis powered monitors that has the brightest blue power LED I have ever seen. A piece of black gaff tape made short work of it. 
  • Reply 6 of 13
    DuhSesameDuhSesame Posts: 1,278member
    I don't know what advantage it holds to an M.2 enclosure, which can be made smaller and faster if you have the money.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    kimberlykimberly Posts: 427member
    neilm said:
    That sharp, electric blue colored aluminum casing inside these vents are is a protective aluminum core that prevents overheating so that heat doesn't transfer to the outside of the case when you're editing huge 4K or even 8K files off this SSD. 
    Your reviewer has a strange idea of how thermal management works. The point is not to prevent internal heat from transferring to the outside, but to ensure that it does. Otherwise the drive’s internals would become ever hotter and fail.
    I did not interpret the reviewer's remark that way at all.  The reviewer made no comment related to preventing internal heat from transferring to the outside.  The statement was that the aluminium casing inside prevented overheating (a non-functional design requirement).  The use of the aluminium casing removes the outside casing as the sole thermal dissapation function of the SSD.  With the buffer of air between the aluminium casing, adequate ventilation and the outside casing, it stands to reason that the device would be cooler to pick up when working hard.  
  • Reply 8 of 13
    kimberlykimberly Posts: 427member

    davgreg said:
    The teal looks tacky. It is subjective, but is as jarring as the ugly nail polish combos tweens and teens wear.
    I didn't even get as far as the color combination. I can't stand products that secretly wish they were Christmas trees or flashlights. I don't need a light show, nor do I want to be blinded by a power/activity light that's brighter than a supernova.
    The reviewer's comment "tiny light indicator to let you know the drive is up and running at the bottom" makes no mention of a supernova.  In fact, looking at a youtube video  review, the activity light is specifically mentioned as "not overly bright and obnoxious".  Looking at another youtube video review, it doesn't look like the "sharp, electric blue colored aluminium casing inside the vents" is backlit.  If a bright light is shone directly down thru the vents (understandable if doing a video review) then the electric blue definitely 'pops'.  I personally prefer subtle coloring but when lying flat on a desk, it looks like the angle of viewing thru the vents is such that the electric blue isn't visible at all.  Both youtube reviews back up the AI reviewer in that the device is very impressive.
    edited April 2019
  • Reply 9 of 13
    kimberly said:

    davgreg said:
    The teal looks tacky. It is subjective, but is as jarring as the ugly nail polish combos tweens and teens wear.
    I didn't even get as far as the color combination. I can't stand products that secretly wish they were Christmas trees or flashlights. I don't need a light show, nor do I want to be blinded by a power/activity light that's brighter than a supernova.
    The reviewer's comment "tiny light indicator to let you know the drive is up and running at the bottom" makes no mention of a supernova.  In fact, looking at a youtube video  review, the activity light is specifically mentioned as "not overly bright and obnoxious".  Looking at another youtube video review, it doesn't look like the "sharp, electric blue colored aluminium casing inside the vents" is backlit.  If a bright light is shone directly down thru the vents (understandable if doing a video review) then the electric blue definitely 'pops'.  I personally prefer subtle coloring but when lying flat on a desk, it looks like the angle of viewing thru the vents is such that the electric blue isn't visible at all.  Both youtube reviews back up the AI reviewer in that the device is very impressive.
    I didn't mean that THIS product is blinding, What I should have written is "while we're on the topic of product lights, another thing that bugs me is super-bright power/activity LEDs."

    This particular product still offends my aesthetic sensibilities with the nerdy light show, but I guess if it's subtle it might not be that bad. To me, electronic products with flashy lighting are on about the same level as Radio Shack disco lights.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    Yet the Sonnet Fusion 1TB drive is faster still, achieving the same speed as the Mac’s internal drive,  and it’s $50 less. 
    neo-tech
  • Reply 11 of 13
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    This particular product still offends my aesthetic sensibilities with the nerdy light show, but I guess if it's subtle it might not be that bad. To me, electronic products with flashy lighting are on about the same level as Radio Shack disco lights.
    If you mean the blue part, that's the metal heatsink, it looks like lights because of the way it's reflecting. It has a small white light on the front but shouldn't stand out too much in normal lighting.



    It would be nice to see Apple-designed external storage with space-grey metal and subtle white activity light like on the MBPs. As long as they charged a reasonable price for it. This drive is around $0.45/GB (including enclosure and cable), Apple currently charges around $0.80/GB for the raw drive. Apple could even allow it to be used with iPads to more easily share large files with the Mac like video edits.

    For average external use, G-Tech make an equivalent SSD with USB C for $210 for 1TB ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0765QBGZZ/ ). That runs at 560MB/s. That's fast enough for 4K ProRes. The TB3 drive is marketed for multi-stream 8K.
    edited April 2019
  • Reply 12 of 13
    Marvin said:
    If you mean the blue part, that's the metal heatsink, it looks like lights because of the way it's reflecting.
    Oh, okay. I thought the blue area was LEDs. I misunderstood what I was seeing and reading. I'm glad I'm wrong! :)

    Marvin said:
    It would be nice to see Apple-designed external storage with space-grey metal and subtle white activity light like on the MBPs
    That would be nice. It would be less nice if it used the not-at-all subtle white light from the 4K TV. That one is bright enough to be a night light.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    BriantiumBriantium Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    I had a 500GB model for a couple days, but I returned it because it kept disconnecting and I couldn't figure out why. I read several other users on BH Photo and elsewhere had the same problem. Is anyone here familiar with this and has it been fixed? I'd love to have one but unless it's been addressed I'm inclined toward the Samsung.
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