Let's face it, most portable SSDs follow a pretty similar recipe: take a standard NVMe m.2 SSD and wrap it in a slick outer housing, then connect via a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface, or Gen 2x2 if you want something a little faster. But at the NAB Show 2025, Symply unveiled three new SSDs that stand out from the crowd: the ION series.
The baby of the range is the ION Mini portable SSD, yet its specs still outdo the vast majority of rival drives on the market. Thanks to a rapid USB4 interface, the ION Mini is capable of up to 3.8GB/s read and 3.4GB write rates, while still only measuring 73 x 42 x 20mm and weighing 100g. What's more, that distinctive lattice outer casing has been designed from the ground up to effectively dissipate heat, avoiding the potential for thermal speed throttling during large file transfers. The ION Mini is available in either 2TB or 4TB capacities.
For even faster transfer speeds, there's the regular ION (non-Mini) portable SSD. It benefits from an ultra-fast Thunderbolt 5 interface, enabling awesome read/write speeds of up to 6.7/5.3GB/sec. The ION comes in 2TB, 4TB or 8TB capacities, and though its 110 x 55 x 25mm dimensions make it larger than most portable SSDs, it's still easily portable. IP68 dust and water protection, along with 5-year warranty, add extra peace of mind.
The third member of the ION trio is the ION XT. At 145mm x 105mm x 38mm and 490g, this is designed as a desktop SSD rather than a portable device, though it's still powered by a standard USB-C connection, so no external power brick required. Connectivity is again via lightning-fast Thunderbolt 5, enabling speeds of over 6GB/s. But even more remarkable than this is the ION XT's storage capacity, which starts at 7TB, and tops out at a barely-believable 122TB, with 15, 30 and 60TB versions in between.
For really serious storage, there's the Symply Spark HNV and Spark CEL RAID drives. The Spark HNV supports either 8 Enterprise HDDs (from 48TB to 240TB), or 4/8 NVMe SSDs up to 128GB total capacity. The Spark HNV connects to your computer via Thunderbolt 5 and supports 140W device charging. Another nice touch is the user-serviceable power supply and cooling fan.
At 240mm x 150mm x 318mm, the Spark HNV is a fairly typical size for a desktop RAID/NAS drive, but if you'd prefer a more compact desktop RAID drive, there's the Spark CEL. Its compact desktop design measures just 205mm x 210mm x 65mm, with space inside for up to eight NVMe drives, alongside dual CFexpress Type B slots for direct data transfer. The Spark CEL can also store up to 128TB, transferring data over Thunderbolt 5, again with up to 140W device charging. All eight drives can also be removed in one go inside a secure, lockable cannister for transportation to different locations.
We await further details of availability and pricing for ION and Spark devices.
