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Small Package, Fast Performance
Review Summary
The Teamgroup PD20M Mag Portable SSD is a great option for content creators, offering fast storage with speeds up to 20Gbps thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface. Its slim, lightweight design and MagSafe compatibility make it an ideal match for iPhone users. It performs well in real-world use, though the small cache may cause occasional dips in write speeds. Overall, it’s a great value for anyone looking for a dependable, portable storage solution for high-quality videos and photos.
Hours Tested: 4
Overall
-
Quality - 9/10
9/10
-
Performance - 9/10
9/10
-
Features - 9/10
9/10
-
Value - 9.5/10
9.5/10
Pros
- 2000MB/s Sequential Read & Write Speeds
- Good IOPS in Random 4K
- Excellent Performance
- MagSafe-Compatible
- Good Thermals
- 3-Year Warranty
- Pricing
Cons
- Slow cache at times
Having fast, on-the-go storage is a requirement of modern lifestyles. Content creators who constantly shoot high-quality videos and pictures are limited by the available storage options. We have seen many brands address this issue and come out with large-capacity, portable, and fast storage solutions.
Teamgroup PD20M Mag portable SSD is one such example that not only provides a cutting-edge, fast, and portable storage solution but also does not cut too much on your wallet. These SSDs are available in 1TB and 2TB sizes, and their size makes them a perfect companion for your iPhones. Teamgroup seems to be focused on Apple users in particular since there is no mention of Android on the product page.
You can still use these drives on Android devices, but in my testing, these magnetic drives could not be securely attached to the backside of the Samsung Galaxy phones, unlike an easy attachment on the Apple iPhone.
I am testing the 1TB variant.
Key Takeaways
- Teamgroup PD20M is driving the competition crazy by offering good performance at pocket-friendly pricing. This portable drive is an excellent candidate for your high quality video and picture shooting and recording everything on the external drive for easy handling.
- You should buy the Teamgroup PD20M if you want a value-packed portable SSD that is not only MagSafe compatible for iPhones but also offers rock solid performance.
- The only reason to skip the Teamgroup PD20M is if you want the fastest cache speeds at all times.
The key specs are:
| Capacities | 1TB / 2TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2* |
| Voltage | 5V DC |
| Operating Temperature | 0ᵒC to 70ᵒC |
| Storage Temperature | -40ᵒC to 80ᵒC |
| Performance | 2000 MB/s Sequential Read, 2000 MB/s Sequential Write |
| Weight | 40g |
| Dimension | 70x62x8.2mm (LxWxH) |
| Warranty | 3 Years |
*It is mentioned that this drive is compatible with iPhone 15’s USB 3.2 Gen 2 x1. There is no mention of the TBW rating of this drive, so I am not sure what the actual warranty terms would be. Either it is years or TBW, whichever is met first.
Packaging And Unboxing
The product is shipped inside a standard paperboard container. The following are provided:
- 1x Drive
- 1x USB-C Cable
Design
Let’s start with the salient features of this drive:
- This drive is a MagSafe-compatible portable SSD.
- Teamgroup holds a patent on this drive
- The drives stand at Ultra-Thin at 8.2 mm and Super Lightweight at 40 g
- A maximum of 2 TB Storage Capacity is available for Continuous Recording in ProRes Format
- The transfer speeds are rated for 20 Gbps High-Speed Transmission
- USB Type-C’s Compatibility with Various Devices Offers Plug and Play
The Teamgroup PD20M MAG is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities. It is in titanium gray, which looks quite pleasant in person. It also blends in well with the iPhone colors. The drive has a dimension of 70xx62x8.2mm. The thickness of this drive is 8.2mm, which is even less than the thickness of the iPhone 15.
This SSD’s weight of 40 grams is even better. This makes it ideal for easy carriage anywhere. I think Teamgroup is using a 2260 or 2240 form factor NVMe SSD in this product. There is probably a PCIe Gen3 NVMe SSD inside.
The product is designed in Taiwan. PD20M Mag Portable SSD is printed on the backside. This portable drive has a powerful magnetic force of over 800g. This makes sure that drive does not budge in case of any sudden movement.
This drive has a USB Type-C port. It is capable of USB 3.2 Gen2x2 delivering up to 20Gbps transmission speed. This is impressive because next big thing is USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt series drives. Since USB 4.0 is still new, USB 3.2 Gen2x2 is a perfect interface for fast storage speeds.
Teamgroup has used a bent, ribbon-style flat USB-C cable. You can use this drive on any device with a USB Type-C port. However, there is no USB-C to USB-A adapter cable with this product, so you are limited in that sense. I can choose to ignore this shortness since this product is designed primarily for mobile phones.
Testing
This drive was operating at USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) speeds on a Thunderbolt 4 port on MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX, which seems to be a limitation of this drive. I have tested this drive on the AMD X670E platform. One observation on the AMD platform is that it does not run the drive to its full potential on 4K performance. Here is the test configuration:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
- GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER
- Kingston Fury Renegade 32GB 6400MHz CAS32 DDR5
- ARCTIC Freezer 36 Black A-RGB Air Cooler
- Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD [Data Drive]
- XPG S50 Lite 1TB NVMe SSD [OS Drive]
- ASRock Radeon RX 7600 Phantom Gaming OC 8G [For Display]
- be quiet! Straight Power 11 1000W Platinum PSU
- Open-air Test Setup
We have used the following software:
- ATTO Disk Benchmark 4.0
- CrystalDiskMark 6
- DiskBench
- 3DMARK Storage
- PCMARK10 Storage
- Blackmagic Disk Benchmark
Microsoft Windows 11 23H2 is used for the testing.
I am showing a run of CrystalDiskInfo above. This drive’s firmware is X0206AM0. It supports UASP, meaning it does not need a dedicated power supply. Listed standards are ACS-2 and ATA8-ACS version 4C. The drive features S.M.A.R.T., NCQ, TRIM, and GPL.
I have checked the Device Manager properties of this drive. This drive is set for Quick Removal by default. This makes sense as it would avoid the hardware damage or data loss in case of removing the drive without unmounting it first. However, you could lose a better performance without write caching.
Teamgroup PD20M Test Results
It is time to take a look at the test results.
Real World Testing
I prepared a 97GB highly compressed file. This data was copied to the Teamgroup PD20M Mag Portable drive, and from there, we used DiskBench to perform the various operations mentioned below.
We first read a 97GB compressed file. The operation took 1.03 minutes and was completed at an average speed of 1546 MB/s.
Next, we copied the file from Sabrent Rocket 4P 2TB NVMe SSD to the Destination Folder on the PD20M drive. This would mimic the continuous writing from the iPhone to the PD20M portable drive. The average speed was 436 MB/s for this operation, and it took 34.487 seconds to complete.
All three tests show a good performance gain in the real world.
Thermals
We saw a maximum temperature of 66°C at an ambient temperature of 30°C on this drive.
Should You Buy It?
Buy It If
✅You are looking for a fast, portable drive: the Teamgroup PD20M uses a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface capable of 20Gbps transmission.
✅You want MagSafe compatibility and magnetic handling: If you are a content creator and use your iPhone regularly, then this drive is a perfect candidate to increase storage space. Its magnetic force is over 800 g, making sure it will stick like glue to your phone.
✅You prefer great value: This 1TB drive retails at USD 82.99, making it the best value for your bucks.
Don’t Buy It If
❌You are not happy with the slow cache at times: Honestly, I don’t see a reason why you should not get this drive. However, if you absolutely want the fastest cache speeds at all times, you may dislike it. But again, my experience has been great, and I will recommend it to everyone.
My Thoughts
The need for fast, portable storage solutions is ever-present, and with advancements in technologies enabling content creators to drive fast-paced competition, this need is even more glaring. Brands are coming out with their products, allowing heavy users to add fast portable storage solutions to their setup.
However, there is a catch. Most of these portable drives are expensive. This is no longer the case, as Teamgroup has provided PD20M Mag portable SSDs available in 1TB and 2TB capacities. These drives are not only fast, meeting or even exceeding the permitted transmission speeds on the host devices, but they also cost less.
I have tested a 1TB version of PD20M. This drive is MagSafe compatible, making it an ideal candidate for Apple users. However, you can use these on Android devices. These drives use USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 protocol, hence capable of doing 20Gbps. This is impressive as 20Gbps data transfer speeds on portable drives are still in a drive because USB 4.0 is still in its infancy, and the next big thing is Thunderbolt devices.
Little is known about the SSD used in these drives and the controller. However, it seems like the cache size is limited on these drives, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could slow down in the long run with heavy data.
Up to a 93-minute clip can be recorded on a 1TB drive using Pre-Res 4K 60 FPS settings. This duration is mentioned to be 144 minutes for a 2TB drive. This is coming from Teamgroup’s internal testing. I could not test myself.
In my testing, this drive had a spectacular performance. Since write caching is not enabled by default, you would be at a bit of a disadvantage, but it is a fail-safe mechanism since the drive operates in quick removal mode by default.
In my real-world testing, a compressed file of 96GB was copied from the PCIe Gen 4 NVMe drive to the PD20M, and the average transfer rate was 436MB/s. The maximum temperature was 66ᵒC at an ambient temperature of 30ᵒC. Teamgroup is offering a 3-year warranty on this drive.
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[Reviews Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
8+ years of specialized PC hardware coverage
6+ years of in-depth PC hardware analysis and reviews
Lead PC hardware expert across multiple tech journalism platforms
Certified in Google IT Support Specialization
Get In Touch: usman@tech4gamers.com
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