Finest Exterior SSD For Mac 2023

We usually arrange critiques of moveable drives and desktop drives individually, however the brand new SanDisk Professional Blade is a modular SSD storage system that could be very a lot designed for skilled and inventive customers, and permits you to change between moveable and desktop modes as required.

You can begin by shopping for the Professional Blade SSD Magazine, which is a solid-state storage module that’s out there in 1TB, 2TB or 4TB sizes (the 1TB was discounted from $179.99 to $109.99 on the time of our assessment). The SSD Magazine is pre-formatted in APFS format for Mac customers, and is hard sufficient to resist being dropped from a top of three meters or 9.8 foot, and face up to 4000lb (1814kg) crush strain, making it superb for out of doors use. Nonetheless, the SSD Magazine modules can’t connect with a pc on their very own, so SanDisk offers two choices for moveable and desktop use.

For moveable use you should buy the Professional Blade Transport, which is a compact case for the SSD Magazine, and is provided with a USB-C port for connecting to your Mac. The Transport measures simply 130.4mm lengthy, 71.5mm broad and 16mm thick, so you’ll be able to simply slip it into your pocket or a carrying case identical to some other moveable drive. It’s additionally doable to attach the Transport to a digicam that has a USB-C interface so as to report high-res video relatively than having to hold a lot of smaller SD reminiscence playing cards.

Whenever you get again to the workplace you even have the choice of inserting the SSD Magazine modules into the Professional Blade Station ($499.99/£487.99). This desktop storage system doesn’t embrace any built-in storage of its personal, nevertheless it has 4 slots that permit you to insert SSD Magazine modules (not included) offering as much as 16TB of high-speed solid-state storage. The Professional Blade Station has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, with one used to attach your Mac, whereas the opposite port can be utilized to daisy-chain extra storage gadgets if required. The Professional Blade Station is pretty costly – provided that it doesn’t embrace any storage of its personal – nevertheless it provides you the choice of making a high-speed, high-capacity SSD storage system to be used in your workplace, while additionally having the ability to take away the person SSD Magazine modules and use them as moveable drives each time it is advisable to.

Western Digital – which owns SanDisk nowadays – claims that the Professional Blade Station can present learn and write speeds of 3000MB/s and 2600MB/s respectively. Our assessments truly recorded a learn pace of 2600MB/s and write pace of 2300MB/s, however that’s nonetheless one of many quickest SSD drives we’ve ever seen, making it choice for artistic customers who want a quick storage system that they’ll use each within the workplace and on the street.

The LaCie Transportable SSD is an choice for individuals who don’t want James Bond ranges of safety. Out there with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, the Transportable SSD has a brand new design in comparison with its predecessor. Fairly than sharply angular corners and edges of the now discontinued LaCie Cellular SSD, the compact Transportable SSD has easily spherical corners – maybe following Apple’s latest fetish for rounded corners on icons in Massive Sur and Monterey.

It’s smaller and lighter than earlier drives from LaCie too, measuring simply 0.4in/10.6mm thick, 1.9in/50mm broad, and 3in/80mm lengthy, and it weighs a mere 1.5oz/45g, so it’s superb for carrying round along with your MacBook or iPad whenever you’re touring.

The drive has a single USB-C interface, and features a USB-C cable, however the low price signifies that there are not any added extras, resembling an adaptor for older Macs which have USB-A (3.2) connectors.

LaCie hasn’t reduce some other corners, although. The Transportable SSD has a stable, sturdy design that ought to be capable to deal with just a few bumps in a backpack or briefcase, and it performs very nicely too.

LaCie quotes learn and write speeds of 1000MB/s, however repeated assessments with the BlackMagic pace check app confirmed the Transportable SSD comfortably cruising alongside at round 1,300MB/s with no hassle in any respect.

That mixture of pace, compact design and aggressive pricing makes the Transportable SSD an excellent choice for anybody that wants a conveyable backup drive for his or her Mac or iPad.

Learn our full assessment.

Seagate’s OneTouch arduous drives are a preferred alternative with many customers. The OneTouch SSD is the smallest and lightest moveable drive we’ve ever seen and is out there in black, silver or blue.

When sitting flat on the desk it measures simply 2in/50mm broad, 2.7in/70mm deep and a mere 0.4in/10.6mm thick. And it weighs solely 2.6oz/74g, so you’ll be able to simply slip it into your pocket and carry it round along with your laptop computer or iPad whenever you’re touring. It’s sturdily constructed too, with Seagate claiming that it may well face up to being dropped from a top of 6.5 foot/2m.

The OneTouch drive has a USB-C interface, however Seagate consists of each USB-C and USB-A cables so as to use it with most Macs and PCs straight out of the field.

It really works with Apple’s Time Machine for automated backups, however Seagate additionally consists of its personal ToolKit app, which has a ‘sync’ choice for backing up particular folders. The drive additionally features a one-year free subscription to the Mylio photo-organizer app, and 4 months with Adobe’s CC Images plan, usually $9.99/£9.98 a month on an annual plan (learn our information to getting the very best deal on Adobe Artistic Cloud).

The drive is out there with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, so it offers loads of room for backing up giant libraries of photographs, movies or music. It doesn’t fairly match Seagate’s quoted pace of 1GB/s, nevertheless it recorded learn and write speeds of 835MB/s and 915MB/s respectively in our assessments, which nonetheless put it among the many quickest solid-state drives that we’ve examined lately. And, with its ridiculously mild and compact design, the OneTouch will likely be superb for backing up all of your essential information whenever you’re on the transfer.

Simply whenever you suppose you perceive all of the various kinds of USB interfaces and connectors, it turns on the market’s one other one which it is advisable to fear about – particularly when you personal a Mac.

Kingston’s XS2000 is a high-performance drive designed for skilled customers in fields resembling graphics and design, and Kingston states that it offers a prime pace of 2000MB/s. Nonetheless, the drive’s USB-C interface helps a regular often known as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – which is a hideous mouthful and, extra importantly, isn’t at present supported on the Mac.

Because of this Macs can’t at present run the XS2000 at its full pace. Even so, our assessments with the M2-based MacBook Professional have been nonetheless in a position to obtain a learn pace of 960MB/s and a write pace of 900MB/s, which examine nicely with rival SSDs we’ve seen which can be aimed toward skilled customers. It nonetheless makes use of a traditional USB-C connector, although, and Kingston features a USB-C cable for Macs and PCs. It’s doable to make use of the XS2000 with a USB-A adaptor with older Macs, however this isn’t suggested as it is going to additional have an effect on efficiency.

The design of the drive may also attraction to skilled photographers or filmmakers who typically must work outdoor. The little lozenge-shaped unit measures a mere 13.5mm thick, 32.5mm broad and 69.5mm lengthy, and it weighs simply 29g, making it one of many smallest and lightest drives we’ve ever seen. It’s rated IP55 for water and mud resistance, and might survive temperatures from -20°C to 85°C, and Kingston additionally throws in a shock-absorbing, detachable rubber sleeve that you should utilize for further safety when required. The XS2000 can also be one of many few solid-state drives we’ve seen that provides a capability of as much as 4TB. That prices a hefty $499.99/£538.99, however costs begin at simply $99.99/£84.99 for the entry-level drive with 500GB storage.

Gaming drives are designed to offer further storage for big recreation downloads, but additionally to offer sturdy efficiency with a view to enhance loading occasions whenever you fireplace up your favourite video games. However, in fact, that efficiency may also attraction to skilled customers who want a quick drive for his or her Time Machine backups, or when working with giant multimedia information.

We’ve reviewed the WD Black P10 arduous drive up to now, which is fairly quick for a traditional arduous drive, with speeds of round 240MB/s. Nonetheless, the solid-state Black P40 is in a special league altogether, reaching each learn and write speeds of 940MB/s, which will likely be quick sufficient for players {and professional} customers alike.

The drive has a USB-C interface, and WD features a USB-C cable in addition to a USB-A adaptor for older Macs and PCs too. The one disappointment is that the app that lets players change the colour of the glowing standing LEDs is at present solely out there for Home windows.

The P40 is competitively priced for such a quick drive, beginning at $119.99/£93.99 for a mannequin with 500GB storage, with 1TB and 2TB choices additionally out there. It’s very nicely constructed too, with a bolstered shock-resistant construction that feels actually sturdy and stable. It solely weighs 78g, although, and measures 13mm thick, 51mm broad and 107mm lengthy, so it’s simple to hold round along with your laptop computer when you work outdoor rather a lot. And WD is so assured in regards to the sturdy design that it provides a five-year guarantee as nicely.

OWC has been emphasizing the truth that the Envoy Professional FX is suitable with the newest iPads however, in fact, its Thunderbolt port will work with Macs too, and can also be suitable with PCs and different gadgets that use USB-C. There’s additionally a USB-A adaptor included within the field for older Macs too.

The very first thing you discover in regards to the Envoy is its rugged design, with a sturdy aluminum casing that meets the military-grade MIL-STD810G normal for toughness and shock safety. It additionally boasts an IP67 score for water- and mud resistance, so it’s superb for out of doors use throughout the soggy British summer season.

That robust design does imply that it’s a little bit bigger and heavier than a few of its moveable rivals – it measures 70mm broad, 114mm deep and 16mm excessive, and weighs a hefty 244g.

In case you’re in search of a drive which you can shortly slip into your pocket then it’s best to most likely look elsewhere, however when you want a rugged, dependable drive for out of doors use then the Envoy is tough to beat.

The Envoy is each robust and quick too, with its Thunderbolt interface permitting it to hit spectacular speeds of 2000MB/s for learn efficiency and 1850MB/s for writing information onto the drive. That makes it one of many quickest solid-state drives we’ve ever seen, and whereas it’s costlier than lots of its SSD rivals, its sturdy efficiency and rugged design will be sure that it earns its maintain whenever you’re working outdoor.

In case you don’t want Thunderbolt efficiency ranges, there’s additionally a inexpensive mannequin – referred to as the Envoy Professional Elektron – that makes use of USB-C as an alternative. There’s additionally an Envoy Professional SX which is Thunderbolt solely, and described beneath.

Learn our in-depth assessment.

The unique SanDisk Excessive had been on our checklist of finest SSDs for the previous couple of years, and the brand new V2 mannequin is even higher, if a little bit confusingly named, because the field it is available in doesn’t point out V2 in any respect, so chances are you’ll be involved that you’re shopping for the previous mannequin.

The fundamental design hasn’t modified, sticking with the identical extremely compact, gray lozenge that measures simply 9mm thick, 52.5mm broad and 100.5mm lengthy. This implies it’s slim and lightweight sufficient to hold round in your pocket whenever you’re touring along with your laptop computer, and there’s a useful little cut-out loop in a single nook so as to maintain it protected with a carabiner clip.

It’s significantly sturdy too, and SanDisk says that the rubber-wrapped casing is shock resistant for drops from a top of two metres, and rated IP55 for water and mud resistance. And there’s a ultimate layer off safety as nicely, with the flexibility to set a password to guard your essential information.

The principle distinction with this V2 mannequin is that SanDisk claims that it’s twice as quick as its predecessor – a truth borne out by our check outcomes, which produce a write pace of 938MB/s and skim pace of 908MB/s. And, with storage starting from 500GB to 4TB, the Excessive Transportable V2 offers sufficient storage even for backing up desktop Macs as nicely.

There’s additionally a ‘Professional’ mannequin out there too, which doubles the pace but once more (and prices about 30% further).

Watch out when shopping for as the unique ‘V1’ model of this drive continues to be on sale, so be sure you verify which of the three fashions you’re about to buy earlier than you get away the bank card.

LaCie’s Rugged drives have been in style with Mac customers for a few years, due to their mixture of high-performance and that now-familiar orange sleeve that helps to maintain the drive protected whenever you’re working outdoor. Nonetheless, the Rugged vary has largely used typical arduous drives up to now, that are slower than the newest solid-state drives, in addition to being greater and heavier. Welcome the Rugged Professional SSD, which is primarily aimed toward artistic customers.

The Rugged SSD vary begins at round $180/£180 for a mannequin with 500GB storage, however we have been in a position to assessment the SSD Professional, which stands out from the remainder of the vary with its matte-black sleeve. It’s fairly costly, costing £409.99/$419 with 1TB of storage, and a hefty $739.99/£699.99 for the 2TB mannequin, nevertheless it justifies that worth with a good more durable design and the newest, super-fast solid-state drives designed for skilled video work.

Switching to a solid-state drive signifies that the SSD Professional is now the smallest mannequin within the Rugged vary, measuring simply 3.8in/98mm lengthy, 2.5in/65mm broad and 0.6in/17mm thick. It solely weighs 100g/3.5oz, so you’ll be able to simply slip it into your pocket or bag whenever you’re touring and barely even discover that it’s there.

Regardless of its compact design, that new black sleeve is significantly robust and rated IP67 for resistance to water and mud, permitting it to outlive in 3.2 foot/1m of water for as much as half-hour. It will probably deal with being dropped from a top of 9.8 foot/3m, and might even resist the burden of a two-tonne automobile driving over it. It features a five-year guarantee in case something does go unsuitable, which incorporates one go to to LaCie’s data-recovery labs if it is advisable to retrieve essential knowledge.

The Rugged SSD Professional consists of only a single Thunderbolt 3/USB-C interface, however most of its excessive worth is all the way down to using the newest NVMe solid-state drives, which offer prime efficiency for high-end video purposes, resembling enhancing 8K or super-slow-motion video information (which could be monumental, as they shoot at as much as 240 frames per second on the newest iPhones). The drive didn’t disappoint, recording constant write speeds of 1780MB/s, and a good quicker 2480MB/s for learn speeds – with each figures leaving nearly each different SSD drive we’ve ever examined trailing in its wake. And, when backing up our iTunes music library, the Rugged SSD Professional blew us away by backing up 5GB of music information in simply 5 seconds – look away for a few seconds and also you’ll miss it!

In fact, not everybody will want that type of efficiency – particularly at this worth – however when you work with high-res video and want a quick, robust drive for out of doors work then the Rugged SSD Professional is in a category of its personal.

Western Digital’s Passport drives have at all times offered moveable, light-weight designs, and the My Passport SSD combines compact design with sturdy efficiency and extra security measures.

Out there in a wide range of colours, the My Passport SSD offers as much as 4TB of solid-state storage, though the 1TB mannequin that we assessment right here prices £159.99.

The drive measures simply 0.35in/9mm thick, and weighs 1.6oz/46g, so it’s sufficiently small to slide right into a jacket pocket whenever you’re on the transfer. Nonetheless, it’s additionally robust sufficient to outlive being dropped from a top of two metres.

The drive is provided with a USB-C interface, however WD features a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor with the drive, so you’ll be able to nonetheless use it with older Macs that don’t have USB-C. The solid-state drive offers good efficiency too, recording a write pace of 935MB/s and skim pace of 908MB/s, making it an excellent choice for backing up your essential information on the transfer.

It’s safe too, as WD’s Discovery app permits you to set a password for the drive so as maintain your information protected. There’s a second app as nicely, referred to as WD Unlocker, which is constructed into the drive itself, and permits you to enter the password so as to use the drive with one other Mac or PC if it is advisable to.

When the drive was first launched there have been complaints that the WD apps hadn’t been correctly up to date to 64-bit code for the newest variations of the macOS, however we examined the drive with our workplace Macs and didn’t encounter any issues.

Learn a full assessment over on our sister web site Tech Advisor.

SanDisk has been making a push for the skilled market with a few of its latest merchandise, nevertheless it’s additionally well-known for merely offering good worth for cash with merchandise such because the SanDisk Transportable SSD. In reality, the Transportable SSD is so low-cost that SanDisk doesn’t even hassle promoting a 500GB mannequin on its website, leaping straight as much as 1TB for a really aggressive $101.99/£104.99, whereas even the 2TB mannequin prices simply nicely underneath $200/£200.

The Transportable SSD lives as much as its title too, because it measures simply 10mm thick, 47mm broad and 97mm lengthy, so you’ll be able to slip it right into a jacket or perhaps a shirt pocket and barely even discover that it’s there. The light-weight plastic case doesn’t really feel fairly as sturdy as we’d have favored, {and professional} customers who work outdoor rather a lot may desire a drive with a extra rugged design. Nonetheless, SanDisk states that it may well survive being dropped from a top of two metres, and there’s a useful little rubber hook on one nook to assist maintain it protected, so it ought to be capable to survive normal day-to-day use whenever you’re out and about along with your laptop computer. The one oddity is that the drive has a USB-C interface, however SanDisk solely offers a USB-C-to-USB-A cable, so that you’ll want your personal adaptor or cable in case your Mac or PC solely has USB-C ports.

It’s not the quickest solid-state drive round and, to be trustworthy, even SanDisk’s  quoted pace of 520MB/s appears a little bit optimistic. The drive’s write efficiency was a little bit erratic, however averaged round 300MB/s, whereas learn efficiency was larger and extra constant at 430MB/s. Once more, skilled customers may desire a quicker drive in the event that they’ve obtained deadlines looming, however the Transportable SSD continues to be rather a lot quicker than a traditional arduous drive, and it’s choice for anybody that simply needs a light-weight, inexpensive back-up drive for his or her Mac.

This drive has been discontinued by G-Tech now, however chances are you’ll discover it at low cost whereas inventory is offered off.

Western Digital has been busy hovering up rival storage producers lately, together with each SanDisk and G-Expertise (historically often known as simply G-Tech to its many Mac-using prospects). A few of G-Tech’s high-end G-Drive merchandise have been handed over to SanDisk following that takeover, however there are nonetheless just a few merchandise, such because the G-Drive Cellular SSD, which can be nonetheless offered underneath the G-Tech model title.

The G-Drive Cellular SSD could be very a lot meant as an inexpensive moveable drive, with costs beginning at simply $139.99/£68.99 for a mannequin with 500GB storage, though the 1TB and 2TB fashions are fairly a bit costlier.

The Cellular SSD is nicely designed, although, regardless of its low worth. The drive measures simply 14.5mm thick, 50mm broad and 94mm lengthy, and weighs a mere 86g, so it’s simple to slide it into your pocket or right into a bag alongside a MacBook whenever you’re touring. It’s nicely suited to life on the street too, because the sturdy drive is rated IP67 for water and mud resistance, and might face up to 1000lbs of strain or drops from a top of three meters.

Reflecting G-Tech’s background within the Mac market, the Cellular SSD arrives already formatted for Macs straight out of the field (with a small partition put aside with some utilities and directions for Home windows customers who could must reformat the drive and share information with a Mac). The drive has a single USB-C interface, however there are cables for each USB-C Macs and older Macs that solely have USB-A.

The low worth signifies that the Cellular SSD isn’t the quickest SSD you should buy, with Western Digital quoting a prime pace of 560MB/s. We truly recorded learn and write speeds of 520MB/s and 460MB/s respectively, however that’s nonetheless far quicker than a traditional arduous drive, and makes the Cellular SSD backup choice for individuals who work outdoor rather a lot and want a very rugged backup drive that received’t price them a fortune.