SanDisk Creator Phone SSD plays a key role as an external drive, without which it’s impossible to fully utilize the new video recording capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro. Of course, it also makes sense for other uses — let’s explore.

On the market at the right time — new iPhones need external drives

Honestly, when I noticed a new “gadget” from SanDisk this past summer, I was a bit skeptical. The SanDisk Creator Phone SSD was initially offered mainly as a drive for external recording from high-end mobile devices.

Then the new iPhone 17 Pro appeared. I quickly remembered this drive. Apple introduced a new format for high-end video recording: Apple ProRes RAW. And it surprised some fans by stating that to use this format, you must record to a super-fast external drive — direct recording to the iPhone is not possible.

In short, SanDisk arrived at the perfect moment.

SanDisk Creator Phone SSD and iPhone 17 Pro

Writing a review of this type of external drive is not entirely simple — for users, the key point is just one thing: I took it out of the box, connected it to the iPhone and later to the computer, and tested the new features of the iPhone 17 Pro intensively.

I carried it in my pockets when traveling outside Prague, editing videos for my YouTube channel, and preparing an article about all the new features. Everything worked flawlessly. Not once did I experience any unpleasant issue or error during data transfer. Everything ran exactly as it should — which is the most important thing.

This is perhaps best seen in the video about the new video formats on the iPhone 17 Pro — especially the Open Gate video feature, which allows recording from the entire sensor in 4:3 format. This is excellent for further editing and cropping. And as we know, without an external drive, this wouldn’t be possible.

Video: How to use new iPhone 17 Pro features

SanDisk Creator Phone SSD — key features

The main characteristic is simple: it’s a super-fast drive that can connect via MagSafe to the back of the iPhone. And it can handle even complex shooting situations effortlessly.

The dimensions are really small: the drive has a flat shape roughly 8×7 cm with a height/thickness of about 1 cm. So it’s a very compact device weighing only 54 g.

The drive connects to the iPhone (or another phone) via a cable that is usable in various situations: either directly on the phone or in more complex tripod setups (see photo). At first, it seemed a bit impractical, but we got used to it quickly.

It’s worth noting that it uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 high-speed cable, which I recommend not underestimating. For connecting to a computer, a regular iPhone cable might work, but for video recording, only a full-speed cable handles huge data streams properly.

I tested the drive on an iPhone, but it will of course also work on Android devices — it’s formatted in exFAT, ensuring compatibility not only with phones but also with macOS and Windows computers.

I used the 1TB version, but there are also 2TB versions available, see manufacturer page.

SanDisk Creator Phone SSD — summary

As mentioned, this drive fully delivers on expectations: it works reliably, which is what matters most.

In the field, I was very satisfied with it. A stress test was a clip lasting about 17 minutes while the iPhone also recorded the screen. Both iPhone and drive handled it flawlessly. Those 17 minutes contained over 106 GB — which explains why an external drive is needed; such data would overwhelm even large iPhone storage.

I also happily used it in a more “ordinary” role — as an external drive connected to a computer. I even edited the video (see above) in Final Cut Pro. The space filled up quickly. Note: this is not a fully standard procedure — experienced users might argue that exFAT is considered less stable than Apple’s native file systems, which could theoretically risk data corruption. But it’s something to be aware of.

In one sentence: the SanDisk Creator Phone SSD fulfills its purpose: it provides content creators with a reliable tool for extreme data streams and experiments with new video formats on mobile devices.