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The new Angel Bird SSD to Go PKT is this the mini SSD that filmmakers have been waiting for? Let's find out. You're watching Cinety, supported by B&H and CVP.
Hey everyone, welcome back to Cinety. Today we're taking a close look at Angel Bird's brand new SSD to Go PKT portable SSD that just dropped on the market. This pocket-size powerhouse comes in 2 TB and 4 TB variants and promises some impressive performance for the on-the-go filmmakers. Let's dive into what makes this new generation of the SSD to Go PKT series worth your attention.
Right off the bat, this thing is incredibly compact—about the size of a business card and weighing less than two AA batteries. It's ultra-slim at just 9.5 mm thickness, with dimensions of 70 x 45 mm. The Austrian-designed, CNC-worked aluminum exterior feels premium and very durable in your hand. Now, what's impressive is how it's now possible to pack this level of performance in such a small form factor that literally fits in your back pocket. The build quality is extremely robust. This drive is certified to be extreme temperature resistant, X-ray proof, magnetic proof, splash proof, shock proof, and dust proof. It's even protected against ESD and electrical overload—essentially built to withstand the rigors of field production.
The performance numbers are where things get really interesting for filmmakers. The new SSD to Go PKT boasts maximum read and write speeds of up to 1,800 megabytes per second, and sustained read speeds of 1,700 megabytes per second, and sustained write speeds of 1,600 megabytes per second. Now, that's what the manufacturer claims, but when running the device through various speed test apps, including Blackmagic Speed Test, I was really able to verify those claims. The sustained write speeds actually slightly overperformed in testing, with up to 1,650 megabytes per second at times. This level of sustained write speed is crucial for filmmakers recording high-resolution footage externally from a camera like this one. What Angel Bird calls Stable Stream Technology ensures consistent performance across the entire capacity of the drive, which means no dropped frames or interruptions during recording—something absolutely critical for professional video work.
Of course, the drive connects via USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2, delivering transfer speeds of up to 20 Gbit per second. While it's physically compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports, it doesn't support Thunderbolt speeds, which is something you need to be aware of.
There are several thoughtful features that filmmakers, I think, will really appreciate. First of all, there's a write-protect switch with an integrated LED indicator. This physically prevents accidental file deletion or formatting—something that can save a production when things get quite hectic on set. Next, the Solid Connect design features a recessed USB-C connection point within the SSD body itself. This provides a more stable connection and reduces strain on both the port and the cable—a common failure point with portable drives.
Speaking of cables, the included Solid Flex USB-C 4.0 cable is 32 cm or 12.6 in long. It's ultra-flexible, braided, and wrapped in a durable, color-matched fabric. It's also specifically designed to withstand those repeated connecting and disconnecting moments that happen all the time in production environments. The SSD to Go PKT works with Mac OS, iPad OS, iOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. Most importantly for filmmakers, it's compatible with any USB-C recording-capable camera or device.
Angel Bird also offers an optional mounting bracket PKT for attaching the drive to your rig, and just look at how well that works on this brand new Panasonic Lumix S1R II. And we actually tried it out on this camera, and we were able to get all kinds of formats recorded externally, including ProRes and the ProRes RAW recording mode that the camera is already supporting. This cable works perfectly; it's very flexible; the length is perfect; it's not too long, not too short; it just works really well with this camera.
Now, to summarize a little bit, this drive is particularly well-suited for external recording directly from cameras, fast offloading of footage in the field, editing directly from the drive, secure storage without the need for server access, and general storage expansion, of course, for mobile workflows. The small footprint of the drive and its ruggedness are really ideal to use it as a camera recording medium because it gives me confidence that it can survive a shoot, or many shoots, quite easily.
Angel Bird also includes a three-year limited warranty, which you'll need to activate within 30 days of purchase through their website, and the company also offers data recovery service and technical support from in-house experts. But let me show you something else. When you look in the box, there's a little treat inside for every one of you. You just take out—let me take it out—all the paper here, and below the drive, actually, there's this little folder. You open it up, and ta-da! What you find is—oh, it's still in there—a little discount code for MZ, our education platform containing hundreds and hundreds of hours of the best filmmaking workshops and courses in the world. Now, this is the only way to get a 10-day free trial. There's a unique discount code printed on each one of those cards, and you can just check out our entire library for 10 days. Isn't that amazing? That's inside every drive and also inside every Angel Bird memory card when you buy it.
To sum this all up, the SSD to Go PKT represents a significant upgrade in Angel Bird's portable SSD lineup, with impressive sustained write speeds that should handle even demanding external recording scenarios. The robust build quality, thoughtful features like the write-protect switch, and the secure connection design make this an appealing option for filmmakers who need reliable external storage in challenging environments. What stands out most for me is how Angel Bird has managed to combine this level of performance with such a compact and rugged form factor. At just 50 grams, this is truly a portable powerhouse that won't weigh you down.
Now that's it for our first look at the new Angel Bird SSD to Go PKT. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions, or if you'd like to see a more in-depth field test on this drive in various recording scenarios. Thanks for watching, and see you in the next video. [Music]