The OWC Envoy Ultra is one of the few Thunderbolt 5 external SSD options on the market today.

With a maximum transfer speed exceeding 6000 MBps, the OWC Envoy Ultra is undoubtedly the best portable storage solution for content creators today. Thanks to Thunderbolt 5, the OWC Envoy Ultra is twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, allowing professionals to work comfortably with extremely large data, from backups to 8K video editing right on the SSD.

Eco-friendly packaging

Compared to the price of 329.99 USD for the 2 TB version and 499.99 USD for the 4 TB version, OWC (Other World Computing) packaged the Envoy Ultra very simply and especially environmentally friendly. The box of this portable SSD model uses cardboard material, the white - blue color tone typical of the OWC brand. The front has an image of the Envoy Ultra - Thunderbolt 5 Ultra-Portable SSD. The size of the box is quite large but the SSD inside is relatively compact.

On the back of the box are some of the highlights of the OWC Envoy Ultra such as: super durable design, high reliability, speed over 6000 MBps, bus powered (direct power supply via integrated cable).

The OWC Envoy Ultra comes with no accessories, just a plastic bag to protect the hard drive, which is fixed in a frame made of compressed pulp. Migovi appreciates this simple packaging because it is very environmentally friendly and does not cause waste. Normally the product's packaging will be thrown away, so the less expensive and the easier it is to recycle or decompose, the better.

OWC Envoy Ultra

The OWC Envoy Ultra is quite large and heavier than current portable storage solutions, which often focus on miniaturization to be as compact as possible. The Envoy Ultra measures 130 x 75 x 20 mm and weighs 341 grams. The manufacturer integrates the Thunderbolt 5 cable into the SSD body for ease of use. This Thunderbolt 5 cable is quite soft and flexible, with a rubberized outer shell and a length of 233 mm.

The frame or outer armor of the OWC Envoy Ultra is made of aluminum, which the manufacturer likens to a tank (Built Like a Tank). This shell is crafted from solid aluminum, giving it a premium, sturdy feel and impact resistance, almost resistant to all external physical impacts. Around the body, OWC designed deep grooves, which act as heat sinks to increase the air contact area. This is a suitable passive heat dissipation solution for portable SSDs based on the Thunderbolt 5 protocol, which has very high speed and high heat.

In terms of durability, the Envoy Ultra is IP67 certified, ensuring complete dust protection and water resistance when submerged at a depth of less than 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Its rival, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5, is known for its durability, which is IP68 (slightly more water-resistant), but it is prone to overheating, leading to a decrease in read and write performance. In contrast, the OWC Envoy Ultra adopts IP67 to optimize its thermal design for more efficient cooling, ensuring stable performance.

The bottom of the OWC Envoy Ultra is also designed with grooves to increase the air contact area. There are 2 rubber feet to help the drive fix well on many surface materials, while also preventing the aluminum case of the SSD from scratching the table surface. OWC placed a blue LED to show the operating status of the Envoy Ultra here.

Thunderbolt 5 Cable

The integrated Thunderbolt 5 cable on the Envoy Ultra will certainly make many readers wonder why OWC designed this. Given Intel's stringent Thunderbolt 5 certification standards , the integration of the cable is necessary. There are two aspects to the decision to integrate the cable: signal integrity and bus power. Taking full advantage of the 80 Gbps bandwidth, maintaining signal integrity is difficult, especially if using a device with a non-standard cable. Therefore, OWC will optimize the short cable to reduce signal loss and ensure the Envoy Ultra achieves the best performance. In addition, the SSD's integrated cable is also a necessary factor to achieve IP67 dust and water resistance.

But don't worry, even if it does get damaged, OWC says the integrated cable is user serviceable. Spare replacement cables will also be available starting this year, 2025.

Other specifications

In addition to Thunderbolt 5, the OWC Envoy Ultra is also backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 (Mac only) and USB4. Note that because of its bus-powered design, you won't be able to use the Envoy Ultra with a regular USB-C port due to lack of power.

OWC Envoy Ultra works on devices running ChomeOS, macOS 15.x or later, Windows 11 (22H2 or later), Linux and iPadOS 17/18. It's plug and play, driver-free and delivers sequential read speeds of up to 6000+ MBps.

The unfortunate thing is that users do not have other color options, such as a silver aluminum case to match the MacBook. The OWC Envoy Ultra only comes in a black version, with a very sturdy and luxurious matte finish.