The iPhone Pro's ProRes 4K recording feature needs a plug-in SSD, and the new Planck SSD claims to be the "world's smallest with a phone-first design" and up to 2TB capacity. If it comes to pass, that is.
The Planck SSD Kickstarter launches today, and, assuming the design is final, it can plug into the bottom of a ProRes capable iPhone (like the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro with USB-C port) and record uninterrupted recording at up to 10 Gbps.
That is fast enough to unlock ProRes 4K at 120fps without dropping frames, all powered using a NVMe chip. The USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 is also widely compatible with Android phones, including (as specifically noted by Planck) the Google Pixel and those from Samsung.
Planck, in case you've never heard of them was set up by the co-founder of ShiftCam, a mobile photography accessories company with a good few innovation and design awards in the bag for devices like the ShiftCam Pro Grip.
Planck has been getting some traction from its page on prelaunch. Certainly, SSDs that attach to phones are a useful technology that I expect to see becoming more prevalent as creators want to take advantage of ProRes and edit on laptops.
The wire-free approach (USB-C in the top of the device) is tidy, and one I've already seen on the Lexar Professional Go (though that is slightly bigger). Lexar, incidentally, also went down the Kickstarter route!
One thing that's interesting though – both this new Planck and the existing Lexar (which you can buy from Amazon today) claim a similar write speed (1050 MB/s for Planck, 1000 MB/s for Lexar), yet Lexar states 4K60fps compatibility, while Planck also mentions Apple's newer 4K120fps option. Interesting, but we can't say anything without testing the Planck.
In terms of ProRes, though, you're looking at 69 minutes of storage of 4K60 on the 1TB version, or 45 minutes of 4K120.
Planck SSD is available for $125 for the 1TB version or $199 for the 2TB version.
If you're interested, check out the Kickstarter. Remember, though, that Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform, not a retailer. We can't guarantee that the products you see there will make it to market, or live up to the marketing promises. It's possible to lose money or, sometimes, the products are re-designed before the end.
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Check our guide to the best phone for photographers and the best SSDs, as well as the best portable SSD.
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