Never delete another photo on your phone with this magnetic SSD upgrade, now just $46 for Black Friday
Orico's A20 Plus is one of the best SSDs available today, and it's designed to be used with your phone.
I don't generally use external storage that much — I have a 100TB home server — but I'll admit that having an external SSD is the easiest way to carry plenty of data on the go. In fact, that's what I did when I traveled earlier in the month; I downloaded about 300GB of data onto an SSD, and it was significantly easier than having to transfer said data into my phone.
I have over a dozen external drives, and while I'm keen on stick-based SSDs like SK Hynix's Tube T31 (which is on sale, by the way), Orico's latest product may just be one of the best I've ever used. It's called the A20 Plus, and it is basically a standard external SSD with a unique difference: it has strong magnets on one side, and attaches to the back of your phone.
The addition of magnets makes it a great choice if you're looking to extend the storage of your phone. I used the external SSD with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and didn't run into any issues whatsoever. The best part is that there's a magnetic ring bundled with the package, so you can attach it to any case (or phone back) with relative ease.
I've been using the 1TB model of the A20 Plus, and it usually costs $109 — it's now down to $87 ahead of Black Friday, and you can get an additional 15% by using the code FRZQS9NQ, bringing it down to just $73. That's a fantastic deal on what is a standout SSD, and if you need more storage, there's a 2TB model that's down to $135. If you don't want as much storage, the base 512GB edition is just $46 right now.
Orico A20 Plus Magnetic SSD (512GB): $69 $46 at Amazon (with code FRZQS9NQ)
Orico's external SSD is just as small as other external SSDs, and you get a strong magnetic connection that ensures it doesn't dangle when used with a phone. It's available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB variants, and you can save an additional 15% when you use the code FRZQS9NQ.
The biggest differentiator with the A20 Plus is that it uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector, so it is able to deliver 20Gbps bandwidth — double that of most external SSDs. The standard isn't widely used, and there aren't many Windows machines that leverage it. That said, I was able to easily get 10Gbps bandwidth when connecting the drive to my Windows gaming rig, and it held its own against the likes of Crucial's X10 Pro.
But the key use case with this drive is to extend your phone storage, and given the bandwidth, you can easily shoot ProRes video on the iPhone 16 Pro Max at 4K60 and save footage onto the drive without any issues. I didn't see any problems connecting the drive to Android devices, and having used it with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Find X8 Pro, it does a great job in this regard.
The A20 Plus has a plastic chassis, and it weathered tumbles without any problems. The drive is lighter than its rivals, and that makes a difference in mobile use — and the fact that you can attach it to the back of your phone makes things tidier. The bundled cable has a decent amount of flex, and it has no issues with bandwidth.
Overall, the A20 Plus is one of the best ways to extend the storage of your phone, and with the Black Friday sale now live, this is the best time to pick up the drive. If you don't need that much storage, the 500GB model is a stellar deal at just $45.
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Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.