The HybridDrive is a USB-C dock with an SSD built in and your MacBook Pro will love it

News
By
published
HybridDrive Lifestyle
HybridDrive Lifestyle (Image credit: HybridDrive)

What you need to know

  • The HybridDrive is a USB-C hub and SSD in one.
  • The Indiegogo project offers storage up to 2TB.
  • It even looks the part, too.

With 15 days left and at 1424% of its original starting goal, it's probably fair to say that the HybridDrive expandable storage hub is popular. And as well it should be – offering an SSD, HDMI, USB-C, microSD, SD, and two USB slots in one package? Well, that's worth taking a deeper look at.

Starting at $69 for a 128GB model, the HybridDrive's Indiegogo is already well beyond needing help to get over the line. But if you haven't already come across this thing, you're probably going to take a gander at it soon. The people behind the campaign expect to begin shipping in July.

So what exactly is this thing? On the surface, it looks pretty impressive.

HybridDrive Colors

HybridDrive Colors (Image credit: HybridDrive)

As more laptop devices are converting to USB Type-C, many gadgets and devices have not. HybridDrive acts as a bridge to connect, providing a smooth connection to gadgets that are incompatible otherwise. Besides, up to 2TB SSD storage is included for your disposal.HybridDrive solves all your missing ports and storage needs.

Lofty claims indeed!

The first thing that stands out about this hub isn't the SSD that's built in, although that's certainly cool. It's the fact that it not only offers 4K HDMI connectivity, but it does it at 60Hz, too. That isn't something most of these kinds of hubs are capable of so to see it here is intriguing. Couple that with 10GB/s USB-C and the SSD that's said to be good for 450MB/s transfers, and you have a hub that looks like it will be well worth the price. You could even forget the SSD component and it would still be worth considering!

HybridDrive Ports

HybridDrive Ports (Image credit: HybridDrive)

Oh, and you can use it with a USB-C-equipped iPad Pro, too.

I'm really keen on the idea of this, but I haven't had a chance to test one for myself. If you can get an early bird order in the prices make a ton of sense right now. Assuming this isn't one of those Indiegogo campaigns that disappears into a cloud of smoke, of course!

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.