When Apple introduced the iPhone 15 Pro models, one of the features that it highlighted is the replacement of the Lightning port with USB-C. In addition, Apple's camera application can save ProRes videos to USB-C-connected external drives. Personally, I thought that getting the entry-level 128GB model and pairing it with fast external storage would be a better deal. Was it?
I rarely shoot video because of the storage constraints of the device. With external storage support, that changed the game. I got a couple of fast 256GB USB-C thumb drives to start. I did not expect to have issues with this setup - it should have been straightforward, right? Well, I encountered a couple of issues: 256GB is not that much; I need a short USB-C male-female cable since the USB-C thumb drive does not sit flushed to the iPhone port due to the case I'm using. Going naked is an option, of course; and with an external storage connected, you cannot charge the iPhone at the same time. Yes, wireless charging is an option, but I don't like using it.
To solve these issues, I tried different things. First, the capacity issue is simple to solve: get a small, fast USB-C portable SSD storage. I got a couple of 1TB drives from Sandisk, Crucial and Kingston.
The new drives sit flush on the iPhone without the need for an adapter or an extension cable. However, I still purchased an extension cable, just in case.
Solving the power issue is a bit trickier. As mentioned above, wireless charging is out of the question. I got a Belkin splitter - a USB-C dongle that splits into two USB-C ports, one for data and another for power. This worked! Clunky, yes, but it worked. One cable connecting to the iPhone, two cables hanging from the dongle, one for the storage and another to the battery pack! Yep, I look like a Borg! Haha
Recently, there are new products that address this issue. MagDrive connects via USB-C and attaches to the iPhone via MagSafe, but has no provision to power the iPhone. Lexar approaches it differently with a two part solution - one part is the storage, and another a hub that you connect to the storage - and is crowdfunding it with a week to go as of this writing. I ended up with one from Hagibis because it comes with a magnet on both sides, one side connects to the iPhone via MagSafe, and other side can be connected with one of those magnetic cooler fans. Downside, is that I need two cables to power the iPhone through the external storage, and to power the fan. Luckily, a USB-C cable with a splitter exists. Nice, eh?!
Now I have enough storage for ProRes/4K videos. For non-ProRes, I use BlackMagic Cam or Final Cut Camera applications, both of which have external storage support.