Nextorage NX

Wednesday August 2, 2023

By Ali Jennings

Price when reviewed

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO CFexpress Type B Memory Card establishes itself as a well-priced if not widely available CFExpress choice. The card offers fast read/write capabilities and handles that data from high-resolution photo and video files with ease, notably during testing with the Canon EOS R5 C.

The card features pSLC technology that ensures heat management, a crucial feature for maintaining performance during extended periods of high bitrate recording. Although the 165GB model that I looked at in this test has limits due to the storage capacity, the range offers solutions up to an impressive 1330GB, which would be better suited for video production.

Looking at the card as a whole with the tested performance, robust data integrity features, recovery software, and competitive pricing, this card stands out as an attractive choice for photography and videography enthusiasts.

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO CFexpress Type B Memory Card is a CFExpress memory card design to cater to the high-resolution needs of both video and photo capture. Engineered with pSLC technology, it ensures reliable heat management and reduced power consumption, which if you use any mirrorless camera to record 4 or 8K video is always a concern.

The card is compatible with major mirrorless camera brands such as Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic. Standout features include rapid read speeds of 1950MB/s and write speeds of 1900MB/s, facilitating quick data backups and review processes — a major advantage for professionals.

What makes the Nextorage NX-B1PRO so interesting aside from the transfer speeds is that it is priced competitively and coupled with Nextorage’s data recovery software, the NX-B1PRO is an attractive option.

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO CFexpress Type B Memory Card arrives unformatted so a quick initialization in the camera is required before you start. It’s worth noting that formatting/initialising the card is always best done within the camera to ensure optimal file system condition. The general reason for this is that all manufacturers create an individual file and folder system on the card upon installation; re-formatting in-camera ensures this process is carried out correctly.

The NX-B1PRO is nicely built, boasting a high-quality finish typical of CFExpress cards. Its pSLC technology deals with the heat management, a crucial factor for high-resolution and high-bitrate operations.

While the storage volume of the 165GB version may limit the quantity of footage or images stored, it does not detract from the card’s excellent performance and wide compatibility with the steadily increasing volume of camera brands that support CFExpress .

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO CFexpress Type B Memory Card has four capacities: 165GB, 330GB, 660GB, and 1330 GB and uses a PCIe 3.0 × 2 and NVMe 1.4 interface for data transfer. A feature that is definately worth a note is the pSLC NAND Flash technology, which offers high endurance and reliable performance which is important if you’re thinking of using this card for capturing high-resolution video.

Nextorage state that the card has a maximum sequential read speed reaches 1,950 MB/s, and a write speed is up to 1,900 MB/s, with a minimum sustained write speed of 1,800 MB/s. Importantly, the card supports VPG400.

The operating voltage is 3.3V, and the card can work in temperatures ranging from 14 ℉ to 158 ℉ (-10 ℃ to 70 ℃), while its storage temperature spans from -40 ℉ to 185 ℉ (-40 ℃ to 85 ℃).

The card’s dimensions are approximately 29.6 mm × 38.5 mm × 3.8 mm, weighing around 9 grams. The package includes an instruction manual and warranty, offering coverage for five years from the date of purchase. The Data recovery software needs to be downloaded from the Nextorage website and is available for Mac and PC systems.

Through this test, I used the Nextorage NX-B1PRO CFexpress Type B Memory Card in the Canon EOS R5 C and the performance met expectations, easily handling the high-resolution demands. The card didn’t cause any errors or issues through recording, maintaining a consistent read and write speed that aligned with the manufacturer’s transfer claims. However, I obviously couldn’t check that it was hitting the upper end of the write speed in the camera.

On that, it is worth noting that it’s important to remember that the card’s speed performance might be limited by the device it’s paired with. When testing in camera the Blackmagic Disk Speed test, the performance of the Thunderbolt 4 port on the MacBook Pro was found to be the limiting factor, not the card itself. Consequently, the actual transfer speeds achieved during this test were lower than the card’s potential with a write speed of 1267MB/s and a read speed of 1445MB/s.

Heat dissipation, a crucial aspect in high-speed data transfers, is well-managed in the NX-B1PRO due to its pSLC technology, ensuring the card stays within safe operating temperatures even during extended periods of high-resolution recording.

A really nice touch from Nextorage is that they supply data recovery software for Mac and PC that can be downloaded from their website. It’s powerful and can be a lifesaver in recovering accidentally deleted files, although the recovery success rate may decrease after formatting the card in-camera.

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO is an extremely well-priced solution, especially compared to similar CFexpress Type B cards in the market, like Lexar. However, the smaller capacity of the 165GB version may prove to limit if you’re shooting video but couples well with the Canon EOS R5 for stills and occasional video use.

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO CFexpress Type B Memory Card is an excellent option for enthusiasts and professionals. Its robust performance, coupled with the value-added data recovery software, underscores its reliability. While the capacity of the 165GB of the review sample may be restrictive for video there are larger capacities available and 165GB is still a huge amount of storage for video.

This card balances price and performance, making it an overall great choice. Considering its features and capabilities, it seems most suitable for enthusiasts and professional photographers and videographers. However, this is a relatively unknown brand at present so we’ll have to see how the card fairs in longer-term tests. Beginners may not fully utilise the full speed of the card or its potential, but at this price, it’s a worthwhile investment over an SD UHS-II card.

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO offers outstanding value for money and from my test, I’ve been impressed by the build quality and the performance it has provided.

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