OWC has launched the Express 1M2 80G, a portable SSD that promises to hit real-world peak speeds above 6000MB/s. The palm-sized drive is Thunderbolt 5 compatible, works without a fan, and is aimed at creators, mobile professionals, and gamers who need high performance on the go.
The company is offering the drive in two flavors: a bare 0TB enclosure for DIY users and ready-to-run models with capacities up to 8TB. Unlike many external SSDs, the Express 1M2 80G is easily upgradeable, supporting both 2280 and 2242 NVMe M.2 drives.
Compatibility spans across Macs, PCs, Chromebooks, iPad Pros, and Microsoft Surface devices. It supports Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 connections, and even works with older Thunderbolt 3 Macs.
The enclosure itself doubles as a heatsink. OWC built it from solid aluminum with a finned design that passively dissipates heat. That means users should get sustained peak performance without throttling, all while keeping noise levels at zero.
Larry O’Connor, OWC’s founder and CEO, explained the thinking behind the product: “This is more than just an update – it’s a next-gen tool for anyone who refuses to settle for slow. From on-the-go creatives, to tech-savvy DIYers, to portable gaming pros – we built the Express 1M2 80G to deliver unmatched performance, flexibility, and reliability.”
OWC says the drive can handle everything from day-to-day data transfers to professional creative workloads, effectively matching the speed of internal storage. It’s also bus-powered through the included USB4 cable, eliminating the need for an external power source.
The Express 1M2 80G is available now. The bare enclosure can be purchased on Amazon, while the ready-to-run variants up to 8TB are available directly from OWC. Pricing starts at $219 for the empty enclosure, $349 for 1TB, $499 for 2TB, $699 for 4TB, and $1,299 for the 8TB model.
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