Network-attached storage (NAS) devices have grown too large and feature-rich to become portable, but there is a brand out there attempting to create just that — a truly portable NAS. Enter the UnifyDrive UT2, a new portable NAS not much larger than a smartphone. Unlike most other NAS enclosures, this is a device that would fit inside your backpack with a laptop and some other equipment. While it is possible to create inexpensive portable storage with an external drive, this does limit what can connect to the internal drive and how many clients can move data simultaneously.

The UnifyDrive merges traditional tower NAS devices with the portability of an external drive. The built-in battery is a nice touch that helps you keep your storage online even at the most remote photoshoots. The two M.2 NVMe 2280 slots ensure only the fastest SSDs are used for high transfer rates. Whether you need somewhere to stash photos and video or even take content from SD cards and other digital hardware, the UnifyDrive UT2 ticks many boxes. It's an early release and there are a few hiccups here and there, including the lack of support for specific filetype playback.

These are minor gripes that will be worked out with future updates and I'm a fan of pretty much everything else. It's not the most rugged device on the market, even if the padded shield would suggest otherwise. Having beefy internals requires a fan and access to cool air, which won't be an issue if you don't go swimming or wish to move media during a downpour with the UT2. It's slightly on the pricey side, but there's plenty to appreciate here with the portable UnifyDrive UT2.

About this review: UnifyDrive supplied XDA-Developers with a sample but had no input to its contents.

Price, specs, and availability

The UT2 is currently available as a crowdsourced product from UnifyDrive. Costing $599 at retail, you can buy the UT2 for just $399 during its Kickstarter campaign. The company expects to commence shipping units in November 2024. It's worth noting that this price does not include any storage drives. Just like your typical NAS device, these must be purchased separately and M.2 NVMe SSDs are not cheap. Inside the UnifyDrive UT2 is an 8-core Rockchip RK3588C4 with four Cortex A76 and A55 cores. There's even a Mai-G610 GPU with six shader cores.

32GB of eMMC flash memory joins the processor with 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It's quite the powerhouse for a portable NAS and even puts some tower models to shame. Everything powers UnifyDrive's custom UDOS operating system. No expenses were spared with the port layout either. There are two USB-C ports, HDMI 2.1, 2.5GbE, an SD card slot, and even CFexpress Type B.

What I like about this portable NAS

Compact, powerful, and user-friendly

The UnifyDrive UT2 resembles an external drive and that's precisely the look the company was going for. It weighs 350g and measures 170 x 85 x 21 mm, so it's not much larger than modern smartphones. The sleek metal casing is surrounded by a silicon case, but it doesn't feel like it adds much to the bulkiness of the device, yet it's clear there's a good level of protection here for outdoor usage. All the ports are located around the edges of the device with one side clean and the other rocking the single access panel to the two M.2 NVMe 2280 slots.

A quick SD card extraction mode, automated cloud synchronization, and the ability to output to a screen are the icing on this sweet cake.

The single USB-C port is used to provide power to the internal battery pack, and the 2.5GbE and HDMI make connecting the UT2 to other devices painless. Included with the device are an 8K HDMI cable, ethernet cable, remote control, a few screws, and some batteries. UnifyDrive is marketing the UT2 for those on the move, the type of folk who rely on external storage. This is much more than simple flash storage with an operating system, wireless connectivity, and an internal power source. UnifyDrive makes it easy to get started too. Simply fire up the companion app and follow the on-screen guide.

The app itself is more feature-rich than you'd expect at launch, especially one part of a Kickstarter campaign, but there's plenty to utilize and get the most out of this portable NAS. Depending on the immediate requirements, the UnifyDrive UT2 can act as a NAS, external drive, wireless hotspot, or camera dump. A quick SD card extraction mode, automated cloud synchronization, and the ability to output to a screen are the icing on this sweet cake.

Where the UnifyDrive UT2 could improve

SSD installation and software support

It's pricey and there's no other way of looking at the price. $600 for a two-slot Arm-powered NAS is a tall order, but you're paying for the versatility. This NAS isn't designed to go up against the TerraMaster F series of value-focused SSD enclosures. The UnifyDrive UT2 is in a class of its own. I didn't find much to complain about through my extensive testing. Performance was rock solid with no apparent slowdowns. The fan can handle the heat produced by the Arm chip and the two SSDs ran as expected. It would be good to see the UT2 not require tools for the SSDs, however.

The initial setup process was simple but the device did have some minor connectivity issues, but these were overcome by connecting the UT2 to the LAN using the included CAT cable and Bluetooth. The fan was also at full speed during the initial setup, which included the installation of some updates. Once connected, the UT2 cooled and walked me through the formatting of the SSDs and configuring RAID. It's a shame that it cannot handle the playback of specific file types, but most of what you can store on the UT2 will work fine. They've also stated this will be fixed post-launch.

Should you buy the UnifyDrive UT2?

You should buy the UnifyDrive UT2 if:

• You require a portable NAS for storing media from smartphones and cameras.
• You use SD cards for capturing photos and video.
• You need a NAS with an integrated battery and plenty of features.

You shouldn't buy the UnifyDrive UT2 if:

• You won't make full use of all available ports and features.

Not everyone needs a portable NAS and I'd probably recommend against buying one such as the UnifyDrive UT2. This is because a NAS is fairly niche already and a portable all-SSD enclosure is even more unique. That said, should you spend hours outside with cameras or your smartphone, taking thousands of photos and recording hours of video, the UnifyDrive UT2 makes almost perfect sense. This is the best portable NAS I've used hands-down, but it's also the only one I've used. Brands such as Synology have attempted to create something similar, but this is one-of-a-kind.

This is the best portable NAS I've used hands-down, but it's also the only one I've used.

Connecting photographic equipment is painless thanks to the array of ports available. You're good to go with SD cards and direct links through the USB ports. There's even an HDMI output at hand though we'll need to hold off for a few software updates for the company to nail filetype support so you can enjoy playback of all stored content. Everything works as intended and it's a great companion device, so long as it's primarily used in the field. For office use, there are far better options available. The UT2 allows seamless and unimpeded workflow for shoots and other collaborative efforts.