OWC has been one of my favorite brands when it comes to enclosures and storage devices. Their build quality and performance have always been top-tier, and that’s no different with the OWC Express 1M2 80G. This SSD enclosure comes in various SKUs. From an empty “bring your drive” version all the way up to one that houses an 8 TB SSD. That 8 TB version is pretty pricey, though, with the 2 TB version hitting a more comfortable price point. The OWC Express 1M2 80G the company sent over for review is the empty one, and I added the 8 TB Samsung 9100 Pro Series I already had to this enclosure.
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The OWC Express 1M2 80G seemed like it would make an excellent enclosure for portable use and for use between my frequently moving between laptops and desktops. The 8 TB Samsung SSD helps too; having more storage is always a great thing. Before we get into this review, I should mention that I tested this enclosure on my M1 Pro MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 4 ports, and those ports do have limitations. I haven’t gotten review units in for 2026 laptops, so I haven’t tested Thunderbolt 5 connections. Let’s get into this full review and see if this enclosure is worth it.
Note: I will update this review with a speed test from newer laptops once I have some in-house to review. For now, testing was done with an M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which cannot utilize the full potential of this enclosure and my chosen SSD.
The OWC Express 1M2 80G is a fantastic enclosure with great speeds, especially if you have Thunderbolt 4 or better connections. The enclosure alone has a quality build and is even small enough to be moveable. Because it is BUS powered, there is no need for an external power supply. Probably the biggest hurdle for some will be the price.
The enclosure alone is 219 USD, and if you want the 8 TB SSD included, you’re looking at 1,799 USD. The middle-of-the-road 2 TB version is a more reasonable 599 USD. While it is expensive, it really is worth the asking price. You could always get an SSD from Samsung or other brands for a bit cheaper and save money that way.
The bottom line is that the OWC Express 1M2 80G is incredible. But you do have to set your expectations based on the hardware you’re plugging it into. I knew that my MacBook M1 Pro doesn’t support the full speeds of this enclosure, so I was not surprised to not get the full speeds. I get laptops in for review all year, so I know I will eventually get full speeds once I start bouncing around between review units. Here are my key takeaways of the OWC Express 1M2 80G.
Overall, the OWC Express 1M2 80G is an excellent enclosure with excellent performance. But it is pricey, and you may not even be able to take full advantage of the speeds if your hardware doesn’t support it.
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It’s interesting to me that what amounts to basically a heat sink can look so sleek. The enclosure is a simple design. The top is basically a heat sink, and the bottom holds the board, bus, and slot for the SSD. There is a single Thunderbolt/USB-C port on the back and an LED light on the front.
The OWC Express 1M2 80G is larger than I expected. It’s portable, but barely. It has some weight to it, and the heat sink design can cause it to hang up when placing it into a bag or pocket. The heat sink fins aren’t sharp, but they can snag on some materials.
Because this is bus-powered, there is no need for an external power supply, and the OWC Express 1M2 80G pulls power from your device. Something to keep in mind when using this with a laptop. It will draw power and affect your battery life. How much it will impact it, I can’t really say. I think it’ll be different for everyone.
Overall, I like this design. It has an industrial look to it while maintaining a nice, minimal aesthetic. It is heavier than expected, and while it can be portable, it may be on the top edge of portable comfort.
Using the OWC Express 1M2 80G is straightforward, and setting it up is even easier. The enclosure comes with a screwdriver and 3 rubber foot pads. Just use the screwdriver to remove the two screws on the bottom, slide the bottom portion from the heat sink, slide in your SSD, and reassemble. Then plug it into your machine; that’s literally it.
Setup of the Samsung SSD I used is simple too. I chose to format mine in exFAT so I could move it between my MacBook Pro, my Linux laptop, and the various Windows laptops I usually get throughout the year for review.
Overall, the OWC Express 1M2 80G is dead simple to use and set up.
Performance is going to vary and depend on the SSD you use and the machine you plug this into. I used a modern SSD in the Samsung 9100 Pro, but my MacBook Pro M1 Pro does not support the full speeds this drive is capable of. So according to various disk test apps, I was getting almost 3,500 MB/s up and down, not quite 3,500, but close.
I think, when I get the new batch of 2026 laptops in for review, that I will be testing the speeds on those as well. For now, I think the performance is excellent, given the limitations of my 5-year-old laptop. So be aware of the capabilities of your machines before buying this enclosure. You may end up buying more power than your machine can actually use.
Overall, the OWC Express 1M2 80G performs well, and (if) you have modern hardware that can take full advantage of the performance specs of this enclosure. You will be happy. I should mention heat as well. I never felt this enclosure create too much heat or become hot.
The OWC Express 1M2 80G without the SSD is priced at 219 USD. That’s not cheap, but you are getting some of the best-performing hardware on the market, you don’t need an external power supply, and it is rugged and well-designed. It gets even pricier if you buy OWC storage. You can save a lot if you buy the enclosure and then buy a different SSD. I think the value is here, but you need to have matching hardware to take full advantage of it.
The bottom line is that the OWC Express 1M2 80G is incredible. But you do have to set your expectations based on the hardware you’re plugging it into. I knew that my MacBook M1 Pro doesn’t support the full speeds of this enclosure, so I was not surprised to not get the full speeds. I get laptops in for review all year, so I know I will eventually get full speeds once I start bouncing around between review units. Here are my key takeaways of the OWC Express 1M2 80G.
Overall, the OWC Express 1M2 80G is an excellent enclosure with excellent performance. But it is pricey, and you may not even be able to take full advantage of the speeds if your hardware doesn’t support it.
