G-Technology G-Drive mobile Pro SSD Review: The New Thunderbolt 3 SSD Champ

G-Technology's Thunderbolt 3 and NVMe external SSD is ready to take the performance crown from Samsung's speedy X5. With performance numbers peaking at over 2.8GB/s read and 2.5GB/s write, G-Technology designed the mobile Pro to be a media eating beast that can even handle multi-stream 8K footage editing. With killer build quality and a five-year warranty, the G-Drive mobile Pro is a media professionals dream come true.

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G-Technology, now a brand owned by Western Digital, is no newcomer to high-speed storage devices. The company has designed external storage devices specifically for creative professionals for years. It should come as no surprise, then, that the company's latest device sports some of the fastest speeds in the industry and has the looks to match.

The G-Drive mobile Pro has an aluminum heatsink at its core to keep it cool, even under the heaviest of workflows. It was designed to take a beating, too: The drive has a 1000lb crush-proof rating and can survive a three-meter drop in its durable shock-resistant case.

While Thunderbolt 3 devices are typically aimed towards Apple fanatics that have workflows dominated by multimedia editing, Windows support for the interface is coming along, abet slowly. By default, the G-Drive mobile Pro SSD comes plug and play for Mac with the HFS+ file system, but it also comes with Paragon's HFS+ for Windows software that provides compatibility with Windows. If you don't plan to use an Apple device, G-Technology’s Format Wizard can format the drive for native Windows use, too.

PROS

• Sleek aesthetics
• Thunderbolt 3 interface
• Media file transfer/editing performance

CONS

• Expensive
• Small file transfer performance could be improved
• No hardware-based encryption support

VERDICT 4/5

G-Technology's G-Drive mobile Pro SSD is pricey, but its peak speed of 2.8 GB/s can crunch through multi-stream 4K, 8K, and VR media editing with ease. The durable drive speeds up workflows, making this Thunderbolt 3 drive particularly attractive for professionals.