Meet the DJI Copilot: the hard drive that holds everything
Accessories are changing to the same extent as technology, and today there is no doubt that evolution is mobility. We work more and more with our iPads or iPhones, almost to the extent or more than with our Macs. And there are accessories that have adapted to this trend, one of the most popular have been external hard drives.
Traditionally used to expand the capacity of our computers, or even to transport large amounts of data from home to the office, these devices have always been one of the first choices of users if they think of an accessory for their equipment. The advent of devices like iPhone or iPad has changed how we work with technology: more comfort-oriented when traveling, or working beyond the office.
Apple made real one of the requests that users had been asking for years: a common file system for all apps, allowing to work comfortably from the operating system and not from each of the applications. With the advent of iOS 11, «Files» combines not only on-premises or cloud files with iCloud, but also other services such as Dropbox or OneDrive, allowing users to use external devices to better manage their files on the go. Today we will talk about an interesting proposal from LaCie, great experts in this type of devices.
-The arrival of «Files» with iOS 11 facilitates the management of files with external hard drives and makes the use of such devices more interesting-

DJI Copilot, absolute all-in-one and off-road
The device created by LaCie surprises with its versatility. From the moment we took it out of the box: it is an external unit – it is certainly not exactly thin (11.1 cm wide by 13.6 cm long), with a weight of about 0.5 kg… but don’t be fooled by its dimensions: it’s a 2TB external hard drive case, similar in appearance to LaCie’s Rugged (well known) with a fall, dust and splash resistant design.
The hard drive itself comes embedded in a rugged silicone case that protects it throughout its perimeter, even the rear ports are not only covered with a protective cover so that they do not get dirty moving, also included in the package a series of cables with a design that allows to use the cover on top of them when connected, are these:
- Lightning cable (for iOS devices)
- Micro USB cable for Android
- USB-C cable for Android
For when we’re at home, a USB-C (USB 3.1) cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable are also included, which we can use to connect the device to our Mac. This is because the product is designed to be a substitute for the outdoor laptop talking in terms of storing, uploading files or downloading them. You don’t need a computer, because it connects directly to your iPhone or iPad and allows you to export or import files from the LaCie/DJI app itself, or from the iOS itself using the system extensions (for example to add images directly to Lightroom mobile).
-This external hard drive is designed to be completely independent: it has 2TB storage, battery, display and all kinds of connections-
Not only is it that easy to connect a device, it also incorporates an SD card slot, which the manufacturer recommends to use when we don’t have the cables at hand – for example if we are flying our drone and want to download the videos. By inserting the card you can import all its contents at a speed of about 45-50MB/s for a Category 10 SD-HC card. And here comes another surprise: how will we know if the transfer is over, or the speed of it without connecting to any iPhone/iPad or laptop? Very easy, this unit incorporates a small screen where it informs us of the whole process.
It is a monochrome screen with backlight (in case we work outdoors at night) where we will know the free memory, the transfer speed, the files of the medium that we have connected, the remaining time of the process, or even the battery. And yes, another of the surprises that is also double: not only does it have built-in battery to be able to work offline to anything, we can also use it as a power bank to charge our iOS devices. It is possible to charge it directly to the power with the included cable, or with the USB-C cable connected to a charger or to the Mac itself while transferring files, for example.
The perfect companion for adventures

I must say that laCie’s product is very surprising for its versatility, and it has almost everything: display, battery, different connection interfaces, anti-splash cables including Lightning, USB-C, USB-A, waterproof, dust, shocks, an internal space 2TB storage but also features memory card slot so its versatility is amazing.
To ask you for more, that the internal hard drive would have been SSD – although that would have made the price very high, far from the 360.99 USD with which we can find it. The hard drive is bulky but not too heavy to carry in the backpack and in the case, which we can also have the confidence that it is safe and prepared for occasional shocks without buying any additional case.
A good discovery, which you can complement for your new MacBook Pro – for example – and largely geared to professionals who have to deal with outdoors but need the security and confidence of a good backup device with resistance to blows and scares. Of course, the surname «Copilot» is more than successful on this device.