ProGrade Digital Expands SSD Options With Two New Compact Offerings

Apr 03, 2025

Jaron Schneider

The image shows a ProGrade card reader on a laptop and a hand placing a smaller ProGrade device into a backpack pocket. The card reader has a cable attached, and the devices are dark grey with the brand name visible.

ProGrade Digital is expanding its product line with more SSD products, expanding its business further beyond memory cards. The company’s new SSDs promise high speeds and reliability despite their small form factors.

ProGrade Digital PG10.5 Pro Mini USB 4.0

ProGrade’s new Pro Mini SSD shares the same familiar square shell that the company’s many stackable card reader options do, indicating that it is meant to accompany that line of products.

A gray ProGrade memory card reader with a cable connected, placed on a white surface. The device features an engraved arrow design and slots for different card types.

“Our new PG10.5, Pro Mini SSD, allows imaging professionals to uniquely integrate high-speed SSD storage into their desktop workspace, which includes the ProGrade PG20, Thunderbolt 4, 4 port hub. Leveraging the small physical size of the ProGrade workflow card readers and a patented magnetic base, the PG10.5 leverages a USB 4.0 interface that provides industry-leading read and write speeds — critical to high-speed post-production editing and storage. The PG10.5’s small physical size and robust design also allow it to be easily removed from the workstation, studio environment, and easily used in more mobile, non-studio environments”, Wes Brewer, CEO and founder of ProGrade Digital, says.

The compact SSD promises read speeds of up to 4,000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,500 MB/S. More importantly, ProGrade says it will sustain 1,250 MB/s, which is a more critical statistic for data-heavy workflows like high-resolution video. The aforementioned form factor is meant to work in tandem with the ProGrade Digital PG20 Thunderbolt 4 Hub.

A close-up of a laptop connected to a card reader with two SD cards on the desk. The card reader has multiple ports and cables attached, and the laptop keyboard is partially visible. The scene is on a white surface.

The ProGrade Digital PG10.5 Pro Mini USB 4.0 will be available in three capacities — 1 TB, 2TB, and 4TB — and will ship starting at the end of April for $179.99, $299.99, and $549.99, respectively.

ProGrade Digital PG30 Ultra-Portable SSD

ProGrade’s other compact SSD is what most would colloquially call a “thumb drive,” but ProGrade’s decision to call it a portable SSD points to a promise of greater reliability. Standard thumb drives are typically great for getting data from one place to another one or two times, but their long-term reliability is usually poor. They’re not meant to be used as a working drive either, as their controllers are typically not designed to handle repeat data loads, and while ProGrade doesn’t market its new PG30 as any different, it does call out that its option will last longer than typical drives of this design.

A hand plugging a ProGrade USB device into a silver laptop. The laptop's keyboard is partially visible, showing keys like shift and ctrl. The white background contrasts with the device and laptop.

“Our new PG30 Ultra-Portable SSD provides imaging professionals with a highly portable SSD that is perfect for quick and easy, ad-hoc file transfer needs. The PG30’s relatively small die-cast aluminum body, dual USB Type A and C connectors, coupled with an impressive IP65 dust and water rating, make it an ideal choice for all imaging professionals seeking the compatibility and reliability that ProGrade is known for,” Brewer says.

The stick-shaped SSD promises read and write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s and sustained speeds of 300 MB/s. Using USB-A and USB-C connections, the PG30 utilizes USB 3.2 Gen 2 which isn’t as fast as Thunderbolt 4 but will suffice for sending data between two machines.

ProGrade backs the PG30 with a three-year warranty (far exceeding the norm for a thumb drive) and will offer it in three capacities: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. It will be available starting at the end of April for $99.99, $139.99, and $249.99, respectively.

A New Memory Card Reader, Too

In addition to the new SSD options, ProGrade also announced a new CFexpress Type A single-slot memory card reader called the PGM12. While the shape is familiar to ProGrade users, this new reader is more compact than ProGrade’s other offerings and is meant to work in tandem with the iPhone 16 line to support 4K 120p video recording.

A person holding a smartphone with a rugged case and an attached stabilizer, featuring two grip handles. The phone camera is facing forward. The background is blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting.

“Our new PGM12, CFexpress Type A mobile card reader is designed to ensure content creators can reliably utilize the full capability of their iPhone 15 or 16 Pro/Pro Max, which requires external storage for up to 120 frames/second, ProRes video recording. Our customers can now record video onto low-power, CFexpress Type A memory cards, at the highest possible quality, and not have to worry about running out of storage space, which might be experienced with a fixed-capacity storage device. As a key differentiator, the PGM12 reader is designed to utilize our patented magnetic base mounting system and is small enough to be affixed to an iPhone without impeding the use of MagSafe™ charging while recording”, Brewer says.

The PGM12 includes a flexible cable and magnetic base and promises transfer speeds of up to 1.25 GB/s through its USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection — perfect for iPhone. It will be available at the end of April for $79.99.

Image credits: ProGrade Digital