Lexar SL500 Magnetic Set review: iPhone SSD ideal for videographers

Macworld

At a glance

Pros

Powerful magnet for attaching the MagSafe iPhone

Shockproof

Cons

Non-Pro iPhones have USB-C ports that limit SSD performance

Our Verdict
The SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is a well-rounded storage solution for iPhone filmmakers. The form factor with the magnetic rubber cover fits perfectly and its use as a data storage device for filming leaves nothing to be desired. The SL500 also cuts a fine figure on the Mac.

Price When Reviewed
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Price When Reviewed$109.99 (1TB), $199.99 (2TB), $309.99 (4TB)

Videographers know the problem: you only shoot a few short films on holiday and your iPhone’s memory is full again. How nice would it be if you could record directly onto an external storage device? That’s exactly what the Lexar  SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is designed for. All you need is an iPhone with a USB-C port (iPhone 15 or later).

The  SL500 with Magnetic Set is about the size of a credit card, has an aluminum casing, and attaches to the iPhone via MagSafe. The SSD plugs into the iPhone with a USB-C connection, which is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 with 20Mbps, capable of data transfer rates of up to 2,000 MBps. Unfortunately, Mac and iPhone users cannot benefit from this speed. Measured on the M3 MacBook Air, we end up with a typical 869MBps write and 959MBps read rate for the USB-C connection.

The SL500 with Magnetic Set comes with a special rubber case and a short USB-C cable. The USB-C cable is flat and therefore does not hinder the operation of the iPhone. The rubber sleeve offers shock protection and a magnetic back that corresponds to the iPhone’s MagSafe magnets. This way, the rubber case fits perfectly on the iPhone. Lexar specifies impact protection for a drop of two meters and IP54 for dust and water tightness.

The iPhone 15 Pro and later supports Apple ProRes, a professional video codec. This video codec is reserved for the Pro models and makes it possible to record a maximum of 4K resolution at 60 frames per second directly on external drives. The iPhone 16 Pro is even capable of 120Hz at 4K. To cope with these high data rates, the iPhone 15/16 Pro and iPhone 15/16 Pro Max are equipped with a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 port.

Users of standard iPhones can also benefit from the SL500 with Magnetic Set. However, due to the USB connection being castrated to 480Mbps, the speed isn’t as fast as on the Pro iPhones. On the iPhone 15, video recordings with 4K resolution, HEVC (H.265) codec, and 25 frames per second are possible without any problems.

The iPhone’s camera app has to be changed to a camera app that can select a drive as the recording target. I used the very good Blackmagic Camera app.

The Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is available with 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities.

Should you buy the Lexar SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set?

15 minutes of 4K video in HEVC (H.265) is over 4GB, and if you’re using the iPhone for a video shoot, those big files are going to fill up the iPhone quickly and an external SSD like the SL500 Portable SSD with Magnetic Set is essential. Lexar’s SSD has a nice rubber cover, attaches magnetically, fits on the iPhone, and the USB-C cable also cuts a fine figure. It can also be used with Macs and other devices.