Phison U18 Review: Performance & Value
- Enthusiasts often favor Sabrent's internal and external SSDs because the company is quick to adopt the latest controllers while offering excellent value.
- This review provides an in-depth look at the Rocket nano V2 external SSD, focusing on its performance consistency, power consumption, and thermal behavior. The portable SSD market has...
- The widespread adoption of the Type-C standard, along with protocols like USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, USB4, and Thunderbolt, has enabled palm-sized flash storage devices to deliver speeds exceeding...
Discover if the Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 is the best portable storage solution in our in-depth review. This article investigates a 2 GBps external SSD, powered by Phison’s U18 native controller, offering a comprehensive look at its performance, power efficiency, and thermal management. We dissect the rapid advancements influencing the portable SSD market, including 3D NAND and faster interfaces. the introduction of native UFD controllers presents a new pathway for external SSD design, with the Rocket Nano V2, and its secondary_keyword Rocket Nano V2, aiming to stand out. News Directory 3 provides all you need to know.Eager to learn more? What’s next for portable storage solutions?
Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 SSD: A Deep Dive into Portable Storage
Updated May 26, 2025
Enthusiasts often favor Sabrent’s internal and external SSDs because the company is quick to adopt the latest controllers while offering excellent value. Sabrent has a long-standing relationship wiht Phison, using their controllers in many products. The Rocket nano V2, a 2 GBps portable SSD, utilizes Phison’s U18 controller and has been available for over a year.
This review provides an in-depth look at the Rocket nano V2 external SSD, focusing on its performance consistency, power consumption, and thermal behavior. The portable SSD market has seen rapid advancements in flash technology, including 3D NAND and improved TLC reliability. Faster host interfaces for external devices have also contributed to increased storage capacity and speeds in bus-powered devices.
The widespread adoption of the Type-C standard, along with protocols like USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, USB4, and Thunderbolt, has enabled palm-sized flash storage devices to deliver speeds exceeding 2 GBps. However, thermal management remains a notable challenge for high-speed storage devices.
Historically, high-performance portable SSDs relied on bridge-based solutions with multiple protocol conversion chips, leading to increased power dissipation. The introduction of native UFD controllers from Phison and Silicon Motion, capable of reaching 10 Gbps and 20 Gbps, has provided a new avenue for external SSD design.
Silicon Motion’s SM2320-based products have gained popularity due to their ability to maximize interface speeds for sequential accesses in both 10 Gbps and 20 Gbps categories. While phison’s U17 and U18 controllers offer slightly lower peak performance, they have seen adoption in products like the Crucial X6. Faster flash technology has since enabled portable SSDs using Phison’s native UFD controllers to achieve higher speeds, leading to increased adoption.
The PNY EliteX-PRO, Sabrent Rocket Nano v2, and Corsair EX100U, all based on the Phison U18 controller, showcase this trend. Despite sharing the same hardware platform—Phison’s U18 controller with 128L 3D TLC NAND from SK hynix—these devices differ considerably in firmware configuration, thermal solutions, and case design. Sabrent’s Rocket Nano V2 aims to stand out with its unique implementation.
The Rocket nano V2, measuring approximately 72mm x 32mm x 14mm, features a solid aluminum construction and weighs 50g. A silicone cover provides protection against dents and scratches while adding a degree of ruggedness.
The Rocket nano V2 supports S.M.A.R.T passthrough.TRIM commands are successfully processed from Windows on an NTFS volume, despite not being explicitly listed as a feature. All S.M.A.R.T features, including temperature readouts, function correctly.
| S.M.A.R.T Passthrough - CrystalDiskInfo | |
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| Comparative Direct-Attached Storage Devices Configuration | ||
| Aspect | ||
| Max. Sequential Reads | 2 GBps | 1 GBps |
| Max. Sequential Writes | 2 GBps | 1 GBps |
| Bridge chip | Native UFD | Native UFD |
| Typical Power Consumption | TBD | TBD |
| NAND | SK hynix 176L TLC | Micron 176L TLC |
| Use-Case | DAS | DAS |
| Controller | Phison U18 | Silicon Motion SM2320 |
| Dimensions | 72mm x 32mm x 14mm | 68mm x 34mm x 10mm |
| Weight | 50g | 65g |
| Bundled Cables | USB Type-C to Type-C | USB Type-C to Type-C |
| Warranty | 1 year | 5 years |
| price | $170 | $180 |
What’s next
Further testing will reveal if the Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 can truly distinguish itself in the crowded portable SSD market.