Best of all, it’s fast: The My Passport zoomed through all of our performance tests, invariably showing up somewhere in the winner’s circle for each. The My Passport SSD's software application gives you access to My Cloud Home Storage and lets you download other WD utilities. It’s small (3.9x 2.2x 0.4 inches) and attractive, with its shiny ridged surface and choice of five snazzy colors (blue, gold, gray, red, and silver). The WD My Passport SSD with USB 3.2 doesn’t look like its travel-enabling namesake, the My Passport Go, but it’s all ready to go places. But there’s no better choice if you want the bleeding edge and are willing to pay for it. You can save money on other drives that will still be darn fast, so the X5 won’t be worth it for most people. If you don’t have Thunderbolt 3 (which uses the same ports as USB-C), you won't see all it can do.Īnd, yikes, is this drive expensive, starting at $200 for 500GB and going up to $600 for the 2TB configuration. The catches? The Samsung X5’s performance was inconsistent, veering between mind-blowing and merely above average (and it did not top every test). It’s larger and heavier than a typical external SSD, but sportscar stylish, with a glossy exterior, sloping lines, and a fiery-red undercarriage. It’s rated for stratospheric speeds (2,800 MBps read, 2,300 MBps write), and it delivered on them in our tests.

If your computer has a Thunderbolt 3 port and if money is (more or less) no object, the Samsung X5 Thunderbolt 3 Portable SSD is the best external hard drive for you. Requires Thunderbolt 3 for best performance The newer version costs twice as much, but if super-fast reads are your game, then go for it. Since we tested the Extreme Pro Portable SSD, SanDisk has released a second version that integrates USB 3.2 to get speeds of up to 2,000Mbps but looks exactly the same as its predecessor. The drive is a shade expensive, and the integrated carrying loop is too big to easily fit on a standard keychain. Otherwise, this is an excellent storage device that's ideal for heavy everyday use. The SanDisk Secure Access application applies general encryption, too.

Ok, how about speed? The USB 3.1 version of the Extreme Pro Portable SSD is rated for sequential reads of 1,050MBps, and in our own performance tests, it routinely came out at or near the top of the rankings. Suave looks? Its rounded corners, black-and-red coloration, delicately pockmarked front and soft-touch back give it an appearance and feel that are both thoroughly modern and refreshingly classic. No matter what you want from the best external hard drive, the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD delivers it.Ĭonvenient design? It’s small and light enough to fit in your hand but not get lost in your pocket or bag.

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