When Apple first introduced MagSafe to the iPhone 12 lineup, I knew it was going to be a hit. This immediately allowed a modular accessory ecosystem to flourish for the iPhone. But then they gave us USB-C, and that opened the floodgates. Between MagSafe and USB-C, the type of accessories you could mount on your iPhone was virtually limitless. One of the most interesting examples is the Lexar ES5 magnetic portable SSD. Spending some time using the ES5 with the Blackmagic Camera app, I can confidently say that it’s one of the most convenient MagSafe storage accessories I’ve tested recently. Here’s what you need to know.
I’ve been using Lexar SSDs for years. They are compact, well built and, above all, extremely reliable. To date, one of my primary SSDs is the Lexar SL500. The ES5 Magnetic SSD takes all of that and makes it incredibly convenient to use on the go. We’ve seen a number of SSDs marketed to creators, but they appear to be standard SSDs that aren’t ergonomically optimized for iPhone videography. But now this ES5 seems designed specifically for iPhones, whether for content creation or simply storing videos and photos easily accessible on your iPhone. It also brings some insane specs.
- Read and write speeds up to 2000 MB/s
- USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 support
- MagSafe compatible magnetic mount
- An additional magnetic metal ring is included if you want to mount it on the back of your laptop or other non-MagSafe surfaces
- Apple ProRes and ProRes RAW support
- IP65 dust and water resistance
- Resistance to drops from 3 meters
Although this SSD can work like a normal SSD with any device with a USB-C port, it seems designed for the iPhone as it natively supports ProRes RAW recording. It allows you to save incredibly large, high-quality files directly to the SSD without consuming your phone’s internal memory. The other thing that stood out was how compact it was. It weighs only 80g and measures 11mm thick. It also has a soft-touch rubber finish that makes it very comfortable to hold.
My experience
When it comes to professional videography on my iPhone, I’m a big fan of the Black Magic Camera app. It gives you all the tools, toggles, features, and manual customizations you get from a regular camera, but on your iPhone. Although the original iPhone camera app has improved over the years, it still lacks many of the features you’d expect from a dedicated camera. One of the features of the Black Magic Camera app is that it allows you to record directly to an external SSD. You can do this on the stock iPhone camera app, but only for ProRes RAW footage. If you want to shoot normal video, it won’t allow you to shoot directly to SSD.
So this is my primary use case for the Lexar SSD. I plug in the ES5 SSD, open the Blackmagic Camera app and start recording directly to the SSD. Because it supports those high read and write speeds of 2,000 MB/s, it performs so flawlessly that it almost feels like the storage is internal. Once I’m done recording, I simply disconnect the SSD and plug it into my MacBook Pro or iPad Pro, and since I’m also editing the SSD, I can start my editing process. This removes many steps from managing media files. My workflow therefore benefits from a real gain in efficiency.
As I mentioned, this can also record in ProRes Raw natively from the iPhone Camera app. I personally don’t use this type of media because I just think the file sizes are too large to work with, but if you do, then this SSD is a no-brainer. The iPhone Camera app is also well optimized for this. When you plug in the SSD and switch to ProRes mode, in the upper right corner of the app you get a USB icon along with an estimate of how long you can record based on the amount of storage available. I love this feature.
Build quality
I also wanted to briefly mention the build quality. This SSD is ultra compact and fits so well on the back of the iPhone. I use the smaller iPhone 17 Pro and it fits perfectly in my hand. The soft-touch rubber gives you confidence when holding it and feels great to the touch. The magnets are strong even without a MagSafe case. They also include a perfect length USB-C cable that doubles as a lanyard. If you want a cleaner look, you can also remove it completely, which is a nice touch. I was just surprised at how small, compact and nice to hold in the hand.
Pricing and availability
We all know that storage prices have increased. But it’s still much cheaper to buy external storage than to upgrade your internal storage from Apple (at least for now). The Lexar ES5 is available in 1TB and 2TB options, with a 4TB option coming soon. The 1TB version costs $199 and the 2TB version costs $399. If I wanted a 1TB iPhone, I’d have to spend $400 more to get the extra 750GB. Then if I wanted the 2TB iPhone, it would be another $700. So for now, external storage remains much cheaper.
Final Thought
If you’re still running low on storage on your iPhone or creating content on it, this is a great storage solution to consider. I think the ES5 is one of the best examples of how MagSafe and USB-C open the door to truly useful accessories. This SSD is clean and compact; it delivers the performance needed to let you use your iPhone at peak performance, and Lexar’s reliability is unmatched. It’s one of those products that integrates unobtrusively into your setup because it solves a real problem without adding friction. And honestly, these are usually the best types of accessories.
What do you think? Do you still get the base iPhone? Do you give Apple more money for more storage? Have you used an external SSD with your iPhone? Let’s discuss it below!
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