Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure

Modern cameras are amazing–it does not matter if you are using them as part of your profession, you are using them for the sake of your hobbies. They do allow you to capture some of the most memorable moments that one can think about. However, the one issue that most people have with modern cameras is the file sizes. Whether you are recording videos or taking photos, storage can be a big issue, and while carrying an additional memory card is always a good thing, Dockcase wants to revolutionize things with its Pocket Smart SSD enclosure.

The Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure is a must-have to make offloading footage and photos easier

Dockcase reached out to me and asked me if I would like to review their latest Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure. I was a bit skeptical at first because, at the time of writing this, I did not own a camera. However, given my history with Dockcase products, I said yes and received this brilliant and rather small SSD enclosure that would make it super-easy for any photographer when it comes to offloading content.

The idea behind the Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure is rather simple–it is a handy tool that allows you to install an M.2 2230 form factor SSD inside it, and it comes complete with a screen and up to 10Gbps of transfer speed. Everything that you need to install the SSD into this enclosure is already provided to you, and the enclosure itself is small enough to fit in the pocket. If you are talking about whether it lives up to its name or not, you can check how small it is, and it will start making sense to you.

Now, considering how it is made for iPhone 15 series that can offload footage directly onto external storage devices and other cameras that can do the same, the Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure actually comes with 1/4-inch screw holes on the left and right sides. This would essentially allow you to mount the SSD onto the phone and even the camera when it is mounted on the tripod. This is actually a very clever implementation that should make it super-portable, and given its small form factor, you do not even have to bother with taking it off. It connects with a USB type-C to type-C connection, and the provided cable offers up to 10Gbps of transfer speed.

Now, Dockcase would have decided just to make a simple, no-brainer SSD enclosure, and it would have made perfect sense. However, the Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure does look like it is a well-thought-out product. The screen might look like a vanity addition to some, but it displays all the useful information, such as the PLP status, the SSD model, SSD health, operating speed, and how much data has been read and written on the drive. It also comes with a button at the bottom that lets you cycle through a bunch of options, but if you just want to have a simple experience, plugging it in and forgetting about it would work just fine.

All of the fanciness of the Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure would go to waste if it fails to perform well. After all, no one would want to drop a dime on something that does not even deliver adequate performance. Well, the good news is that this enclosure only gets better with the type of SSD that you put into it. Dockcase was generous enough to send the enclosure with a SK Hynix BC711 SSD installed already. I ran the trusted CrystalDiskMark to see how the enclosure performs, and it gave the numbers that were listed on the SSD’s specification.

To make sure that the performance is not just good on benchmarks but in real-life scenarios as well, I connected the Dockcase Pocket Smart SSD Enclosure to my OnePlus 10 Pro and decided to copy my entire music folder from the phone to the drive and vice-versa. The entirety of my 108GB of music was copied to and from the drive without any issues, and the variable file size was handled with ease. The enclosure did get a little hot during transfers and testing, but the back of the enclosure acts as a heat sink and is good at dissipating heat and ensuring that the SSD is running within safe tolerances.

Overall, the Dockcase Pocket M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure is a tool that is tailor-made for photographers. However, that does not mean that it is not useful for anyone else. Even if you are taking photos and videos using your phone, this device is incredibly useful and, with the right SSD, can give you the results that you are looking for. I am not sure when I will finally get my hands on a camera, but I do know that this SSD enclosure is going in the camera bag. The enclosure is now live on Kickstarter, and you can check out the campaign here.