The featherweight SC735 weighs just under half an ounce and measures just 0.5 x 1.1 x 2.2 inches (HWD) — about as long as a typical USB thumb drive and about twice as wide. It comes in your choice of two color schemes, dubbed Blue and Gray by ADATA. The “blue” version we reviewed is actually mostly black, with three diagonal blue stripes across the top, along with the ADATA name and the word “SSD” — presumably, so you don’t mistake the little thing for a thumb drive or a dongle — in tiny white letters.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The “grey” version of the drive is the same, but the stripes are, as you might guess, dark gray instead of blue. In both cases, the drive enclosure is made of textured plastic. It doesn’t feel as sturdy as a metal case, but it still meets MIL-STD-810G 516.6 impact resistance standards to survive 1.22-meter (4-foot) drops.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
At the bottom of the SC735, you’ll find a sliding switch to extend or retract its USB plug, which locks into place once extended. To withdraw the plug, press the switch with your thumb and pull it back. I found the procedure easy to manipulate.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The connector supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, making it compatible with Windows, macOS 10.6 or later, Linux Kernel 2.6 or later, Android 13 or later, or recent iPhones. (You can plug the SC735 into a USB Type-A port by adding a female-to-male C-to-A adapter, but none are included.) The drive is formatted in exFAT, but you can reformat it as needed.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
One of the SC735’s biggest selling points is its handling of phone videos: you can store your movies directly to the drive while shooting them. This is especially useful for recording in Apple’s ProRes format, which uses a lot of space on the iPhone’s drive. Apple switched from its Lightning connector to USB-C starting with the iPhone 15. I had no problem connecting the SC735 to my iPhone 15 Pro.
(Credit: Tony Hoffman)
