Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD review

Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD: 30-second review

The Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD is a portable hard drive designed to withstand conditions that would cause most other portable SSDs to fail. The drive's overall aesthetic reflects its robust nature, and its triple defence shield ensures that it's waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof, all helping to protect Yata even in harsh environments. 

We've tested out the best portable SSDs and the best rugged hard drives, so we were keen to get our hands on the Orico Mecha to find out what it offers. Performance-wise, the SSD supports speeds up to 20Gbps, with read speeds up to 2050MB/s and write speeds up to 1800MB/s. This makes it suitable for transferring large files, such as video and image files quickly, and can be used as a working drive to both store and edit creative work. As well as the tough outer casing the internals feature advanced electronics with a high-performance SSD chip that features temperature lock technology that will prevent the drive from overheating, and sure enough through the test for short on-site edits of 4K video from the Canon EOS R5 C the drive handle the footage and edit with ease.

Compatibility is worth mentioning with the drive supporting USB 3.2 Gen2x2 protocol, which instantly makes it compatible with various devices, including laptops, desktops, and smartphones. In the box is a 2-in-1 data cable (C to C/A) maximising the options for connection. One issue to note is that if your computer is USB 3.2 Gen 1 or uses Thunderbolt 3 or 4, then the maximum transfer rates will be reduced to that of USB 3.2 Gen 1 which is around 1000MB/s. 

While the price is relatively high for a 2TB drive, the fact that it's quite so robust and, with the right connection, offers outstanding speeds, this is a great option, especially for creative professionals such as photographers and videographers. 

Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD: Price & availability

The Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD is priced at £121/$149 and can be purchased from online retailers like eBay and Amazon.

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• Score: 4/5

Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD: Design & build

Orico's SSD features a decidedly outdoorsy and robust design, which reflects its intended use as a portable SSD that can be used in tough environments. The exterior of the drive features a high-strength alloy and silicone shell that you can feel with, providing excellent protection against being dropped, sudden shocks and being bashed around in a kit bag. What's more, with the USB Type-C cable removed, there's a silicon plug that protects the port making the drive completely water-resistant. While Orico states that the drive is waterproof, there is no IP rating for the drive, so although it is well made and seemingly sealed, it's worth taking care over water ingress. 

However, the design is robust, and with the hanging loop, the drive can easily be tethered to the inside of a backpack so it can be located when needed. To connect to a computer, a USB cable with a C to adapter is included. This can be swapped and changed, but it is of high quality and will help to maximise those transfer speeds with the right equipment. 

Overall, the materials used in the construction are all of high quality, and while it may not have any official ratings for water or dust ingress, the drive feels reassuringly durable. 

• Design & build: 4/5

Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD: Features

This SSD is aimed at professionals working in the field, and in environments that would test most portable SSDs to the point of destruction. Taking a look at the features, it's possible to see just how robust this drive appears to be and raises a high standard for real-world tests. Firstly, the outer shell, made from alloy and silicon, is well-made and finished and feels incredibly durable. There's nothing lightweight or flimsy about the build, and unlike some other metal enclosures, this drive feels solid with no flex.

The alloy case will inevitably aid with the cooling of the drive when put under load editing video and images, but to ensure that the drive doesn't overheat and burn out it features a high-performance chip with temperature lock technology

In order to reach impressive transfer speeds, a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 connection is utilised, which has wide compatibility with various devices. It's worth checking to see if your hardware has this exact configuration, which is mainstream. However, Mac users, along with some high end laptops, may find that the performance will be throttled due to the backward compatibility of thunderbolt ports to USB 3.2 Gen2x1 rather than USB 3.2 Gen2x2.

• Features 4/5

Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD: Performance

The stated performance is impressive with the quoted speeds highlighting rates of up to 20Gbps. However, tested on a MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 (still one of the best MacBook Pro laptops for our money), those transfer rates looked more like read 989MB/s and Write 919MB/s; this is due to the downgrade in performance for the Gen2x2 connection going through the Thunderbolt 4 ports. However, switching over to one of the best mini PCs - the Intel NUC 9 Ghost Canyon with a PCIe USB 3.2 Gen2x2 card - performance rates were far more impressive. 

In continuous test, the drive was put under strain for several hours in an environment of around 20ºC. The drive continued to perform extremely well, with the transfer speeds keeping up the pace with little overall effect on the performance. 

Switching the testing from the studio to the field, the drive was first used as a backup drive for images and video during a day's shoot. Due to the Thunderbolt to USB 3.2 Gen2x2 downgrade, transfer speeds were slightly slower than expected. However, at nearly 1000MB/s, those speeds were still impressive, enabling 200GB of data to transfer from an OWC CFExpress card in 5 minutes and 37 seconds.

Doing the same on the Intel NUC 9 Ghost Canyon sees a leap in performance, although, in the field, the computers are connected to a Bluetti AC180 with a compact monitor to monitor the download speeds. Here again, with the Thunderbolt 3 connection for the OWC CFExpress to the ORICO Mecha Portable SSD 2TB, the transfer rate is more impressive at 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Switching the drive's use from storage to editing in Final Cut Pro X on the Mac and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve on the Intel NUC 9, the drive is able to keep up with the demands at an impressive rate. Despite being used as a working drive, the enclosure stays impressively cool, and intermittently checking the transfer rates with AJA System Test Lite shows little, if any, drop in performance. 

With the transfer test completed, it was time to put the drive through a few additional tests, including being dropped from a height and sprayed with water. In both tests, the drive, although cosmetically affected with some slight wear and tear, continued to work well. Overall, it was an impressive all-around performance.

• Performance: 4/5

Should I buy the Orico Mecha 2TB portable SSD?

The Orico Mecha SSD is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a durable, high-performance storage solution that can be used for storage or as a portable working drive. The rugged build quality with the strong alloy to protect the delicate electronics surrounded by the silicon provides an impressive amount of protection, and throughout the test, the high-speed capabilities impressed and proved that this is a great drive for a variety of environments and uses, from the office to the great outdoors. 

Looking at a few points about the drive that are worth considering, while the drive is impressively robust it doesn't have any official certification or rating so some care will need to be taken when using it in adverse conditions, then there's the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 issue, especially for Mac users, although you'll have a fast drive it will be about half of its overall potential. Still, although the price might be a consideration, the SSD's performance and durability do justify the investment.

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