The data requirements for ProRes are staggering when compared to the standard HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) files that most casual users are accustomed to. In a professional shooting environment, ProRes files can be up to 30 times larger than their compressed counterparts. When filming in 4K resolution, this translates to a consumption rate of approximately 7 GB of storage space for every single minute of footage captured. At these rates, even the most generous internal storage tiers offered by Apple are quickly exhausted. For a filmmaker capturing an hour of raw footage, the storage requirement exceeds 400 GB, making it nearly impossible to complete a day’s work without offloading data multiple times or relying on high-capacity external drives. This pressure is compounded by the introduction of higher frame rates, such as 60 fps and 120 fps, which were designed to offer smoother motion and better slow-motion capabilities but demand even more throughput and storage capacity.
The current economic climate has only added to the difficulty of managing these storage needs. As of 2026, the price of solid-state drives (SSDs) has reached historic highs, driven largely by the insatiable demand for high-speed memory from global AI data centers. The massive infrastructure required to train and run large-scale artificial intelligence models has diverted a significant portion of the world’s NAND flash supply, leaving consumer-grade electronics and professional storage accessories at a premium. In this environment, finding high-performance storage at a reasonable price has become a rare occurrence for the creative community. However, a significant opportunity has surfaced at B&H Photo, where the Lexar Professional Go Portable SSD has seen a substantial price reduction. The 1TB model, which has recently been retailing for as much as $379.99 due to market volatility, is currently available for $229.99, marking the lowest price point observed since the major memory price hikes began earlier this year.
The Lexar Professional Go is not a standard external hard drive; it is a specialized, modular storage accessory specifically engineered for the rigors of mobile videography. Designed to interface with any Apple or Android device equipped with a USB-C port, its primary value proposition lies in its minuscule footprint and direct-connection capability. Unlike traditional portable SSDs that dangle from a cable—creating potential points of failure or snagging during handheld shoots—the Lexar Professional Go is designed to plug directly into the phone’s USB-C port. This allows the drive to become a physical extension of the phone itself, maintaining a slim and manageable profile that fits easily into gimbals or cages. For users of the iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and subsequent models like the iPhone 18 Pro, this direct connection is the key to bypassing internal storage limitations entirely. By saving video directly to the SSD as it is recorded, creators can film indefinitely, limited only by the capacity of the external drive rather than the internal flash memory of the handset.
