OWC Envoy Pro FX

High–performance and versatile storage

There are fast SSDs and versatile SSDs, but only OWC’s Envoy Pro tries to be both, and more. How can in be rugged yet fit into a pocket, and push nearly 3GB/sec over Thunderbolt 3 while still connecting to Macs with only USB 3 support?

The Envoy Pro FX is the same size as most SATA SSDs and significantly heavier at 90z in its heat–dissipating aluminum case. OWC claims IP67 rating for resistance to dirt, dust and water, and military standards for robustness to dropping. These were good enough to take it into space in one of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin New Shepard rockets. Its deeply recessed USB–C port and 27.5in combo cable enable it to connect to any Thunderbolt 3 or 4, or USB 3 port, the latter via USB–C or the supplied USB–A adaptor.

To do this SSD justice, you really want to drive it through Thunderbolt 4. Benchmarks are then impressive: Amorphous returns a read speed of 3GB/sec and write of 1.8GB/sec, although in use you’re more likely to see towards 2.2GB/sec when writing to it, as reported by Stibium. While 3GB/sec might seem a long way from the 40Gbps promised by Thunderbolt, it’s the practical limit reached by surprisingly few external SSDs.

Most importantly, the Envoy Pro FX performs excellently when it counts. Throw 100GB or more of video at it, and it won’t run out of high-speed write cache or suffer thermal throttling. You can install macOS on it to use as an external boot disk with an Apple silicon Mac, when it will start up almost as quickly as from the internal SSD.

It comes with essentials, such as full TRIM support to ensure its performance is sustained, and a year’s free subscription to the Acronis back–up and protection service. OWC has great ambitions in the Envoy Pro FX, and it achieves them.

Features: High–performance SSD, Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB 3 compatible, water, dust and drop resistant

Needs: Thunderbolt 3/4 preferred for best performance

Price: $179 (240GB), $199 (480GB), $249 (1.0TB), $369 (2.0TB), $699 (4.0TB)

Thunderbolt 4, rugged, and very flexible compatibility.