There isn’t any scarcity of alternative in the event you want a dwelling NAS, and you do not have to depend on typical HDDs both — all-flash NAS servers are gaining momentum, and the F8 SSD Plus is a terrific showcase on this space. However what in the event you want a conveyable possibility, one which’s tailor-made to work on the go?
You will get an SSD enclosure, slot in a drive, and join that to your cellphone, and whereas that may be a respectable various, you do not get a lot in the way in which of options. That is the place UnifyDrive’s UT2 is available in; the NAS is designed to be a really transportable answer, and it comes with the flexibility to again up pictures and movies out of your cellphone, simply make that information accessible on your private home community, and even again up SD playing cards.
Whereas UnifyDrive is a brand new entrant on this class, the UT2 will get lots proper from the get-go, and having used the NAS for simply over a month, I believe it’s a nice alternative in the event you want a dependable solution to again up information whereas touring.
UnifyDrive UT2: Pricing and availability
UnifyDrive is crowdsourcing the UT2, with the NAS out there on Kickstarter. The UT2 is slated to retail for $599 when it begins basic availability, however throughout the crowdfunding part, you’ll be able to choose it up for $399 — a $200 low cost. The mission has obtained $695,062 in funding as of writing, and UnifyDrive notes deliveries will begin going out from November 2024.
UnifyDrive UT2: Design
UnifyDrive did an excellent job with the design of the UT2, and the NAS has a design that is just like an exterior HDD — albeit larger. There is a silicone case that offers much-needed safety to the chassis, and the diminutive design means the UT2 does not weigh a lot, coming in at simply 350g.
There is a vent on the facet to ship passive airflow to the innards, and the UT2 can maintain two M.2 2280 SSDs. The drive slots are situated on the underside, and the drive cowl has a slotted design to forestall overheating. The design is refreshingly utilitarian, and the dimensions together with light-weight nature of the UT2 makes it extremely handy to take anyplace. It’s roughly the identical dimensions as a 20000mAh energy financial institution, however does not weigh as a lot.
Contemplating the dimensions, you get an exhaustive collection of ports. The UT2 comes with a devoted USB-C port to energy the gadget and cost the inner battery, and there is a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port together with HDMI 2.1 connectivity. The HDMI port is a good addition, because it means that you can join the NAS to a TV — UnifyDrive even bundles a distant with the UT2.
On the opposite facet, you get a USB-C port, CFexpress slot, customary SD card slot, and a USB-A port. The connectivity provides the UT2 a sizeable benefit over conventional exterior drives, and the truth that you’ll be able to add as much as 16TB of whole storage — 8TB in every M.2 slot — makes it extremely engaging. I did not see any usability points with the UT2; the NAS does not overheat even below load, and the silicon cowl does an amazing job defending the chassis.
UnifyDrive UT2: Options
The UT2 has an honest set of options, and what I like essentially the most concerning the gadget is the flexibility to simply again up SD playing cards with a single button. Simply slot in an SD card, hit the PlugBackup button twice, and it’ll begin backing up the contents of that card. It’s a nifty use case, and one I utilized extensively within the month I examined the UT2.
You’ll be able to arrange the UT2 with the UnifyDrive app on Android, and it has a clear design and comes with a ton of helpful options. Contemplating UnifyDrive is a brand new entrant, I figured it might have a fundamental cellular utility, however that is not the case in any respect. You’ll be able to simply entry the info on the NAS, again up pictures and movies in your cellphone to the NAS, monitor system and reminiscence use, and a lot extra.
The exhaustive management is a particular edge, and UnifyDrive deserves credit score for getting this proper on the preliminary attempt. Just like each different NAS server, you’ll be able to entry the info by way of SMB — that is how I moved information to and from the NAS with my Home windows machine — and there is a flash drive mode that successfully turns the UT2 into an exterior drive.
In flash drive mode, information is partitioned into exFAT so it may be readable as a drive on Home windows and macOS machines, and what’s nice about this mode is that you may set the quantity of storage you need to be accessible. Once more, this can be a function that is thought out nicely, and also you get all the opposite standard connectivity choices to entry information on your private home community, together with DLNA, WebDAV, NFS, and so forth.
The UT2 comes with a built-in battery that safeguards information; it routinely kicks in while you take away the facility connector, and you’ll set shutdown limits. The battery lasts below 90 minutes, and that is greater than sufficient if you might want to switch pictures throughout a shoot.
UnifyDrive UT2: Efficiency
UnifyDrive did not depart something out in relation to the {hardware}, and the UT2 is powered by a Rockchip platform that has 4 Cortex A76 cores mixed with a quartet of A55 cores clocked as much as 2.4GHz. There is a Mali-G610 that has six shader cores, and 32GB eMMC flash reminiscence. You get 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM, however it’s soldered, and there isn’t any solution to enhance reminiscence down the road.
The twin M.2 2280 slots are primarily based on the Gen 3 customary, and UnifyDrive bundled two 500 WD SSDs with the bundle for testing — the retail bundle does not embody any storage. I did not run into any points when transferring information to the built-in SSD, and I obtained bandwidth just like that of different all-flash NAS gadgets I examined.
The two.5 Gigabit Ethernet port is a welcome addition, and it means that you can slot within the NAS in a house setting with ease. There’s additionally Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and also you get the choice to arrange the UT2 as a hotspot. It holds up nicely as an exterior drive when utilizing the flash drive mode, and as I discussed earlier than, the flexibility to again up SD playing cards with the press of a single button is simply handy.
There are a number of options lacking; UnifyDrive is including a function that permits you to again up the contents of the NAS to a cloud server, and a built-in music participant and e-reader aren’t out there as of writing.
UnifyDrive UT2: The competitors
UnifyDrive has a novel product within the UT2, and there is not one other NAS that does fairly as a lot and is designed to be transportable. If you happen to want an excellent all-flash server to make use of in your house, I like to recommend TerraMaster’s F8 SSD Plus. It has eight M.2 slots, 10GbE connectivity, and higher software program options. However you do not get any portability with the NAS.
If you happen to want a solution to again up information on the go, an exterior SSD continues to be one of the simplest ways, and I like to recommend Essential’s X10 Professional. I used this drive for the higher a part of a 12 months now, and it has been dependable.
UnifyDrive UT2: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You need a transportable NAS to again up your cellphone information
- You want a dependable solution to again up SD playing cards
- You need a NAS that doubles as an exterior drive
You should not purchase this if:
- You want a sturdy feature-set
The concept of a conveyable NAS is very alluring, and to its credit score, UnifyDrive delivered the fundamentals. The UT2 makes it simple to again up information, and the inherently transportable design provides it a particular edge. You get all of the connectivity choices you may ask for, and the {hardware} itself is highly effective — rivaling that of home-based NAS gadgets.
The most important differentiator is its capability to again up SD and CFexpress with a single button, and the built-in battery permits it for use on the go with none problem. It holds up simply in addition to a house NAS because of 2.5GbE connectivity, and in the event you want an all-flash server that you should utilize on the street to again up pictures and movies, the UT2 is a good general alternative.