External storage must be fast, reliable and compact. The OWC Envoy Pro mini promises to combine exactly that in one remarkably small housing.
OWC Envoy Pro mini
The OWC Envoy Pro mini is not your average USB stick. It is also not an external SSD with cable and large housing. OWC tries to combine the best of both worlds with this compact storage solution: the size of a USB stick with performance that comes close to a full-fledged external SSD. In this review you can read whether this is actually the case in practice – and whether the Envoy Pro mini is worth its price.
Positives
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Premium aluminum design
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USB-C and USB-A in one stick
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High transfer speeds
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Compact and light
Negatives
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Relatively high price
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Not as fast as NVMe SSDs
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Blocks other connections
External storage for all your devices
External storage for your Mac, iPad or iPhone comes in all shapes and sizes. Small USB sticks are easy to carry, but often not particularly fast. Larger external SSDs offer high speeds and a lot of storage, but are less portable. With the Envoy Pro mini, OWC wants to show that you do not have to compromise on performance if you opt for a compact size.
The Envoy Pro mini is available with 250GB, 500GB or 1TB storage. OWC clearly focuses on users who want to carry a lot of data, such as photographers, video makers or other creative professionals. At the same time, the size is so small that you can easily put it in your jacket pocket or hang it on your key ring. We tested the variant with 1 TB.
Smart design
What is immediately noticeable about the OWC Envoy Pro mini is the aluminum housing. This not only provides a premium appearance, but also helps dissipate heat. This is important because at higher transfer rates, heat development can affect performance.
With a length of approximately eight centimeters, the Envoy Pro mini is slightly larger than a standard USB stick, but still very compact. The weight is low enough to take it with you every day without any problems. OWC also supplies a lanyard, so you can attach the stick to your bag or key ring, for example.
The design is cleverly thought out. On one side is a USB-C connection that is protected by a secure cap. On the other side you will find an extendable USB-A connection that you can pull out with a rotating movement. That mechanism feels sturdy and makes a solid impression. It gives confidence that the construction can withstand intensive use.
Connections and compatibility
One of the biggest advantages of the Envoy Pro mini is that it supports both USB-C and USB-A. This means you can connect it directly to modern MacBooks, iPads and iPhones with USB-C or Thunderbolt, as well as to older Macs and PCs with a traditional USB-A port.
This is particularly useful for those who regularly switch between old and new devices. You don’t need any adapters and can easily exchange files between different systems. For example, this makes the Envoy Pro mini ideal as a transfer station between an older desktop and a new laptop.
We did notice that the housing is relatively wide. On a MacBook it fits next to another cable, but it is sometimes a bit tight. When removing the stick, you may accidentally loosen an adjacent cable slightly. That’s not a big problem, but something to take into account.
Good performance
OWC promises maximum speeds of up to 946 MB/s when reading and writing sequentially. In practice, the speeds are slightly lower, but still remarkably high for a device of this size. USB 3.2 Gen 2 usually achieves speeds of around 540 to 600 MB/s for both reading and writing.
That’s more than enough for editing photos directly from the drive, working with 4K video projects with light compression, and transferring large files quickly. The Envoy Pro mini is clearly faster than the average USB stick and feels more like a compact external SSD in use.
It doesn’t reach the extreme speeds of external NVMe SSDs via Thunderbolt, which easily exceed 2000 MB/s. For most users, however, that difference is less important than the compact size and versatile connection options. Moreover, you can make the drive bootable, which makes it suitable as a portable work environment or emergency drive.
What are the alternatives?
Those who are purely looking at performance per euro can consider combining a separate NVMe SSD with an external housing. This often gives you higher speeds for a comparable price. However, such a solution is larger, requires a loose cable and is less suitable for quickly putting in your pocket.
The Envoy Pro mini is all about portability and convenience. OWC has clearly opted for a combination of compact size and relatively high capacity. The price is therefore higher than many standard USB sticks, but you also get significantly better performance and more flexibility in return.
OWC Envoy Pro mini review: conclusion
The OWC Envoy Pro mini is an impressive piece of technology in a small package. The aluminum design feels premium, the combination of USB-C and USB-A is particularly practical and the performance is high for a device of this size.
The price is steep and it’s not as fast as the fastest Thunderbolt SSDs on the market. Yet that is not what this product is about. The Envoy Pro mini is intended for those looking for a compact, fast and versatile storage solution without the hassle of cables or adapters.
If you are looking for maximum speed at the lowest price, there are better alternatives. If you value size, flexibility and solid performance in a premium housing, then the OWC Envoy Pro mini is an excellent choice.
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