This NAS drive combines the functionality of NAS and the portability of a hard drive into one device

When you think of NAS drives, you’re likely picturing a large, bulky device that isn’t particularly portable, needs continuous power, and is more at home on a desk. And while external hard drives are great for portability, they usually lack the numerous features you get with network-attached storage. What if there was a way to bridge the gap between the two? That’s the question UnifyDrive answers with the UT2.

It’s a light, compact, and portable NAS you can carry with you. With support for 16TB of storage and AI-powered data management, the UnifyDrive UT2 is packed to the gills with features that will equally excite creatives, photography enthusiasts, professionals, and home users. Here’s what you need to know!

Is it a NAS drive? Is it an external hard drive? Why not both?

The first thing you’ll notice, of course, is its incredibly compact size. The UT2 looks far more like an external hard drive than a NAS drive and fits in the palm of your hand. It’s only slightly bigger and thicker than a large smartphone and weighs a little more than 306 grams. The optional silicon case keeps the drive safe but barely adds any thickness or weight and is a fantastic addition since the UT2 is meant for travel.

While the UT2 might look and feel like an external hard drive, and it can function as one, it’s anything but. With internet access, it transforms into a full-featured NAS. The drive comes with the Rockchip RK3588 CPU, 8GB RAM, and up to 16TB storage via dual M.2 slots with support for blazing-fast NVMe SSDs. The UT2 supports Wi-Fi 6, giving you data transfer speeds of up to a whopping 8Gbps.

Of course, you can still use the UT2 to almost its full capacity, even without internet access. It also comes with an AP mode that turns it into a personal hotspot, allowing you to access your files with ease through the app. A physical button on the device makes it quick and easy to switch between Wi-Fi and AP modes. You can also use the UT2 as a plain old external hard drive by plugging it into your computer via a USB-C port. It won’t need external power and supports up to 8TB of storage for seamless file and media backups.

Speaking of ports, the UT2 isn’t lacking. It comes with multiple USB-C ports with DisplayPort support, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, and an SD card reader to cover all kinds of needs and use cases.

The UT2 is also easy to keep powered on. Apart from plugging it in for a more permanent setup on a desk, you can also use any standard power bank, which is perfect for when you’re out and about. It even comes with a built-in UPS that gives you an additional 40 minutes of power when you don’t have access to a power source.

Impressive software features take excellent hardware to the next level

There’s plenty you can do with all that hardware. To start, it’s an ideal companion for content creators and photographers on the go. To back up your SD card, all you have to do is plug the card in and push a button. The one-tap backup will save all your files on the drive, and you don’t need an internet connection for this to work. You don’t have to worry about running out of storage on your SD card when taking photographs, shooting video, or running a drone. With support for up to 312MB/s transfer speeds, you can quickly back up your SD card and get back to work.

Its HDMI port allows you to directly plug the UT2 into any TV or projector and enjoy up to 8K HDR playback. The device also has a remote control, so you can easily change subtitles, switch audio tracks, and manage other video and audio features for a seamless entertainment experience.

It’s not just great for home use, either. HDMI and DisplayPort support lets you plug the drive directly into projection screens and computers to make your presentations a breeze. With the remote control, you can easily move pages on a document, switch to the next slide on slideshows, and control other playback aspects during a presentation. Non-wired access to files on the drive ensures excellent team collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit and share files simultaneously.

The UT2 also comes with enhanced AI-assisted data management, making organizing and searching through files completely effortless. For example, you can use natural language search to find documents, files, photos, and videos, and the AI’s scenario matching will quickly find what you’re looking for. For photos, it uses facial and scene aggregation to make sorting and searches easier. It can also do both AI-generated speech-to-text and AI-generated captions.

How to get the UnifyDrive UT2?

If you were ever looking for a device that combined the functionality of a NAS drive with the portability of an external hard drive, the UnifyDrive UT2 is the one for you. It is packed with excellent hardware and software features, making accessing your files and media a breeze in any situation, and data backup is as quick and simple as it is with any hard drive.

UnifyDrive’s Kickstarter campaign for the UT2 will start tomorrow, September 25, with estimated deliveries in November this year. All tiers come with discounts between 17% and 33%, so don’t miss out on a great deal while the UT2 is still in its campaign phase.