Sanho HyperDrive UDMA3 Review

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If you are looking for a portable photo backup solution, Sanho’s new HyperDrive UDMA3 is the best option out there. It lets you backup your CF and SD cards on the go without a computer. It has dual SD card slots, built in WiFi and is compatible with SSD hard drives. Compare to some other similar devices that I have used (My Passport Wireless | Sanho iUSBport HD), the HyperDrive UDMA3 is a more complete portable backup device.

[REWIND – Travel photo backup with My Passport Wireless | A travel tip on Photo backup with Sanho iUSBport HD portable wireless hard drive]

Order the Sanho HyperDrive UDMA3 here 500GB | 750GB | 2TB

The HyperDrive UDMA3 is quite a step up from its predecessor UDMA2. It is slightly smaller in size and has built in WiFi instead of needing a plug-in wireless adapter. It feels comfortable in the hand and is even smaller than the iPhone 6s plus.

Primary features

• Import – Backup from memory cards or connected USB device
• File Manager – Browse photos & manage files on memory card & hard drive
• Sync – Synchronize data with another USB hard drive for additional backup
• WiFi – Wirelessly share hard drive over an ad-hoc or existing WiFi network
• Recover – Recover accidentally deleted memory card files
• Settings – Format hard drive, monitor hard drive health, update firmware etc.

One of the step up features in the new HyperDisk UDMA3 is that it add supports to SSD hard drives. This is a great addition which eliminates any moving parts of the device, so you don’t need to worry about the devices being shaken while it is in use. The use of SSD is mainly for security rather than speed, the transfer speed remains limited by the Direct Memory Access interface and not by the type of hard drive is being used.

The HyperDrive UDMA uses the Ultra Direct Memory Access interface method to transfer data at speeds up to 30 MB/s. When I was testing it, I was able to pull off a transfer speed of about 28.8 MB/s (1.7GB per minute). This is considered fast compare to many other devices out there. It supports incremental import which is convenient to those who are using large capacity memory cards and wants to backup regularly without deleting the photos on the card. Upon importing, the HyperDrive UDMA3 can provide data verification to verify the date is imported correctly by comparing the data in the source to the imported date in the backup destination.

The HyperDrive’s color LCD screen enables you to view JPEG and RAW photos on the device. It has a couple of different decoders for RAW photo viewing. The true Raw decoder tends to take some time to decode the RAW photos, but it is supposed to decode the RAW photo accurately. This feature is less useful since the LCD is fairly low resolution to notice any difference.

It is great to see the new UDMA3 has included built in WiFi, the plugin WiFi adapter on the UDMA2 was inconvenient as it increases the overall foot print and the need to carry the adapter around. The viewing of the photos can be done via Wifi using the iUSBport iOS app. The problem I have with the Wifi function is that, once it is turned on it disables the HyperDrive from being used for browsing photos or importing, you will need to exit Wifi first.

Another great feature on the HyperDrive UDMA3 is the inclusion of a USB 2.0 OTG port. I highly praise this, the OTG port can be used to provide additional backup/sync to any external hard drive, flash drive. It is a very convenient way to duplicate your backup without a computer – It is not a backup unless you have at least two copies of everything.

In Use

The HyperDrive UDMA3 is the most complete portable backup device for photographers/videographers. It has a small footprint with built in Wifi. Via the Wifi, I can transfer a photo out to the smartphone and have it on instagram/facebook within seconds. It supports both CF an SD or you can connect a card reader to the USB port if are using other media like XQD, XD, MS DUO.  Its transfer speed is also the most respectful. The new HyperDrive UDMA3 offers is a significant improvement over the UDMA2 not from the transfer speed sense but from extra supports and capability. The new UDMA3 now supports SSD hard drives which allows it to be used in any harsh environment. With that, the HyperDrive UDMA3 essentially contains no moving parts,  once I have setup the import I can leave it in the camera bag without worrying about it being shaken or moving while it is importing.  The additional USB 2.0 OTG port creates additional backups with ease, all I need to do is to connect an external hard drive to the USB 2.0 OTG port and it will automatically sync between the two devices to create another backup for me.

Specification

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