Best exterior SSD for Mac 2022

Samsung’s T5 has been a daily fixture in our checklist of the perfect SSD drives for a number of years now. The T5 continues to be out there in the event you’re searching for an inexpensive SSD to your Mac, however Samsung just lately up to date its vary of storage merchandise with the brand new T7 mannequin.

There are literally three variations of the T7 out there. The customary T7 is a compact, light-weight SSD that appears similar to the previous T5 – though it boasts larger efficiency, so ensure you verify the mannequin numbers earlier than shopping for. We examined the T7 Shield, which is a extra rugged mannequin, wrapped in a sturdy rubber sleeve designed for out of doors use. Both of these fashions can use Samsung’s Portable SSD app so as to add password safety to your recordsdata, however there’s additionally a 3rd mannequin referred to as the T7 Touch that has a built-in fingerprint sensor for additional safety and comfort.

Available in black, blue or silver, the T7 Shield prices $159/£128 with 1TB of storage, or $289.99/£219 with 2TB. It has a USB-C interface for connecting to your Mac, however Samsung features a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor, so that you could use it with older Macs which have USB-A. The rugged protecting sleeve implies that it’s somewhat bigger than the opposite T7 fashions, measuring 0.5in/13mm thick, 2.3in/59mm large and three.4in/88mm lengthy, and weighing 3.4oz/98g. Even so, it’s nonetheless sufficiently small to slide right into a jacket pocket or backpack with no bother in any respect, and many individuals will admire the additional safety that it gives.

The T7 Shield is rated IP65 for water-and dust-resistance, and Samsung claims that the shock-resistant rubber sleeve can survive drops from a top of three metres.

It’s a great performer too. Samsung quotes learn and write speeds of 1,000MB/s, however our checks with the Blackmagic disk software really recorded a learn pace of 1,780MB/s, and a write pace of 1,300MB/s, which makes the T7 Shield a fantastic back-up possibility for individuals who must work open air with their laptop computer.

We had been somewhat confused as a result of G-Drives had been all the time from G-Tech, however now they’re branded SanDisk. Some would possibly keep in mind that G-Drive was a boutique Mac storage vendor a while in the past. WD (aka Western Digital) purchased G-Drive in addition to SanDisk, which develops almost all the guardian firm’s strong state expertise. Hence, it’s the SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD from WD. This mannequin replaces the older G-Drive SSD Mobile, which is now not on sale.

The quick and lightweight G-Drive SSD is enticing and quick USB Type-C strong state drive out there in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB flavors. It measures roughly 3.75in/95mm lengthy, by 2in/50mm large, and is roughly 0.5in/13mm thick. It’s darkish grey with a louvered prime and backside for warmth shedding. The drive is warrantied for 5 years.

The drive is pre-formatted to HFS+, however you possibly can reformat it to exFAT if you wish to share knowledge with Windows machines. Sandisk contains each Type-C to Type-C and Type-C to Type-A USB cables within the field.

The G-Drive SSD was additionally quick in our benchmarks, simply besting the Extreme Portable Pro and the LaCie Portable SSD, however was tied with the Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD.

The SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD is among the finest transportable 10Gbps USBs round. It’s one of many quickest, most inexpensive and one of many few that sports activities an IP67 ranking.

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

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

The drive has a single USB-C interface, and features a USB-C cable, however the low price implies that there aren’t any added extras, equivalent to an adaptor for older Macs which have USB-A (3.2) connectors.

LaCie hasn’t lower another corners, although. The Portable SSD has a strong, sturdy design that ought to be capable of deal with a number of bumps in a backpack or briefcase, and it performs very nicely too.

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

That mixture of pace, compact design and aggressive pricing makes the Portable SSD a fantastic possibility for anybody that wants a transportable back-up drive for his or her Mac or iPad.

Read our full assessment.

Seagate’s OneTouch onerous drives are a preferred selection with many customers. The OneTouch SSD is the smallest and lightest transportable drive we’ve ever seen and is accessible in black, silver or blue.

When sitting flat on the desk it measures simply 2in/50mm large, 2.7in/70mm deep and a mere 0.4in/10.6mm thick. And it weights solely 2.6oz/74g, so you possibly can simply slip it into your pocket and carry it round along with your laptop computer or iPad if you’re travelling. 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 contains each USB-C and USB-A cables so that you could use it with most Macs and PCs straight out of the field.

It works with Apple’s Time Machine for computerized backups, however Seagate additionally contains its personal ToolKit app, which has a ‘sync’ possibility for backing up particular folders. The drive additionally features a one-year free subscription to the Mylio photo-organiser app, and 4 months with Adobe’s CC Photography plan, usually $9.99/£9.98 a month on an annual plan (learn our information to getting the perfect deal on Adobe Creative Cloud).

The drive is accessible with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, so it offers loads of room for backing up massive libraries of pictures, movies or music. It doesn’t fairly match Seagate’s quoted pace of 1GB/s, however it recorded learn and write speeds of 835MB/s and 915MB/s respectively in our checks, which nonetheless put it among the many quickest solid-state drives that we’ve examined just lately. And, with its ridiculously mild and compact design, the OneTouch shall be ideally suited for backing up all of your necessary recordsdata if you’re on the transfer.

Read an in-depth assessment on our sister website TechAdvisor.

OWC has been emphasising the truth that the Envoy Pro FX is appropriate with the newest iPads however, in fact, its Thunderbolt port will work with Macs too, and can also be appropriate with PCs and different units 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 aluminium casing that meets the military-grade MIL-STD810G customary for toughness and shock-protection. It additionally boasts an IP67 ranking for water- and dust-resistance, so it’s ideally suited for out of doors use in the course of the soggy British summer time.

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

If you’re searching for a drive that you could rapidly slip into your pocket then it is best to most likely look elsewhere, however in the event 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 recordsdata onto the drive. That makes it one of many quickest solid-state drives we’ve ever seen, and whereas it’s dearer than lots of its SSD rivals, its sturdy efficiency and rugged design will make sure that it earns its preserve if you’re working open air.

If you don’t want Thunderbolt efficiency ranges, there’s additionally a cheaper mannequin – referred to as the Envoy Pro Elektron – that makes use of USB-C as a substitute. There’s additionally an Envoy Pro SX which is Thunderbolt solely, and described under.

Read our in-depth assessment.

The authentic SanDisk Extreme had been on our checklist of finest SSDs for the previous couple of years, and the brand new V2 mannequin is even higher, if somewhat confusingly named, because the field it is available in doesn’t point out V2 in any respect, so you might 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 large and 100.5mm lengthy. This means it’s slim and lightweight sufficient to hold round in your pocket if you’re travelling along with your laptop computer, and there’s a useful little cut-out loop in a single nook so that you could preserve it protected with a carabiner clip.

It’s critically 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 closing layer off safety as nicely, with the flexibility to set a password to guard your necessary recordsdata.

The major 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 browse pace of 908MB/s. And, with storage starting from 500GB to 4TB, the Extreme Portable V2 offers sufficient storage even for backing up desktop Macs as nicely.

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

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

Read an in-depth assessment on our sister website TechAdvisor.

LaCie’s Rugged drives have been standard with Mac customers for a few years, because of their mixture of high-performance and that now-familiar orange sleeve that helps to maintain the drive protected if you’re working open air. However, the Rugged vary has principally used typical onerous drives up to now, that are slower than the newest solid-state drives, in addition to being larger and heavier. Welcome the Rugged Pro SSD, which is primarily geared toward inventive customers.

The Rugged SSD vary begins at round $180/£180 for a mannequin with 500GB storage, however we had been capable of assessment the SSD Pro, 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, however it justifies that worth with an excellent harder design and the newest, super-fast solid-state drives designed for skilled video work.

Switching to a solid-state drive implies that the SSD Pro is now the smallest mannequin within the Rugged vary, measuring simply 3.8in/98mm lengthy, 2.5in/65mm large and 0.6in/17mm thick. It solely weighs 100g/3.5oz, so you possibly can simply slip it into your pocket or bag if you’re travelling and barely even discover that it’s there.

Despite its compact design, that new black sleeve is critically 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 can deal with being dropped from a top of 9.8 foot/3m, and might even resist the burden of a two-tonne automotive 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 you must retrieve necessary knowledge.

The Rugged SSD Pro contains only a single Thunderbolt 3/USB-C interface, however most of its excessive worth is right down to the usage of the newest NVMe solid-state drives, which offer prime efficiency for high-end video purposes, equivalent to enhancing 8K or super-slow-motion video recordsdata (which will 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 an excellent sooner 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 Pro blew us away by backing up 5GB of music recordsdata in simply 5 seconds – look away for a few seconds and also you’ll miss it!

Of course, not everybody will want that kind of efficiency – particularly at this worth – however in the event you work with high-res video and want a quick, robust drive for out of doors work then the Rugged SSD Pro is in a category of its personal.

Read our full assessment.

Western Digital’s Passport drives have all the time offered transportable, light-weight designs, and the My Passport SSD combines compact design with sturdy efficiency and extra safety features.

Available in quite a lot of colors, 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 if you’re on the transfer. However, it’s additionally robust sufficient to outlive being dropped from a top of two metres.

The drive is supplied with a USB-C interface, however WD features a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor with the drive, so you possibly can 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 browse pace of 908MB/s, making it a fantastic possibility for backing up your necessary recordsdata on the transfer.

It’s safe too, as WD’s Discovery app lets you set a password for the drive so as preserve your recordsdata protected. There’s a second app as nicely, referred to as WD Unlocker, which is constructed into the drive itself, and lets you enter the password so that you could use the drive with one other Mac or PC if you must.

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.

Read a full assessment over on our sister website Tech Advisor.

Envoy Pro SX Thunderbolt exterior drive delivers the pace of its Envoy Pro FX sibling (above), however for much less money. If gives the identical inside SSD, in addition to the identical rugged, IP67-rated mud and water resistant enclosure, however lacks its brethren’s USB 3 compatibility.

It gives an all-metal charcoal grey enclosure and measures roughly 4.5in/114mm lengthy, 2.75in/70mm large, and 0.6in/15mm thick, and eight.6 ounces/243g, which is on the cumbersome aspect. The steel case sheds warmth very nicely and barely acquired heat in our checks.

It’s powered through the Type-C port (with the Thunderbolt Logo) – this can be a Thunderbolt-only drive, not like it’s FX sibling (above).

The SX proved slower than the FX in two of our 48GB switch checks, and slower when all of the instances had been mixed, nonetheless, once more, the distinction is minor.

The Envoy Pro FX is barely $20 greater than the SX, so we really feel it’s the higher selection.

Compact, light-weight SSD drives are perfect for use with laptops, however Minix has gone one step additional with its Neo Storage, which throws in a useful USB hub and an HDMI port as nicely.

The Neo Storage measures simply 1.73in/44mm large, 4.5in/115mm lengthy, and 0.4in/11mm thick, so you possibly can simply slip it right into a jacket pocket or a backpack or briefcase if you’re travelling along with your laptop computer. The case is made out of aluminium, which seems to be sensible alongside your Mac and is hard sufficient to deal with a number of bumps on the highway.

It’s a very inexpensive possibility as nicely, because the Neo Storage prices simply $39.90 on Amazon for 120GB SSD, $59.90/£59.90 with 240GB of solid-state storage, or $79.90 with 480GB.

You’re not going to get super-fast efficiency at that worth, and there are sooner SSD rivals out there if pace is your prime precedence. However, the Neo Storage nonetheless manages respectable write and browse speeds of 350MB/s and 370MB/s respectively, which is ok for fast back-ups if you’re on the transfer along with your laptop computer. Backing up a 5GB batch of iTunes music recordsdata takes 20 seconds, which once more is somewhat slower than a few of its rivals, however that’s nonetheless lots sooner than a traditional onerous drive and completely acceptable for a tool on this worth vary.

And, in fact, the Neo Storage has these useful additional ports constructed into it as nicely – which shall be significantly helpful for Mac customers, as Apple laptops do are typically a bit brief on enlargement ports and connectors. There’s a USB-C cable straight hooked up to at least one finish of the unit, which is used to attach the Neo Storage to your Mac. Some individuals may need most well-liked a removable cable, however that might be straightforward to lose and is yet another annoying cable to recollect if you depart house.

Running alongside the again of the machine you’ll see one USB-C port, an HDMI connector, and two USB 3.0 ports. The HDMI port helps 4K output – however solely at 30Hz, which may be a deal-breaker for some individuals. However, it manages 60Hz with a typical HD show (1920×1080), so it’s a fast and simple possibility for connecting your laptop computer to an exterior monitor at house or in an workplace.

The two USB 3.0 ports shall be useful for connecting older equipment, equivalent to a desktop onerous drive or printer (particularly as Apple expenses £19/$19 for simply
a single-port adaptor). The solely minor disappointment right here is that the USB-C port on the Neo Storage can be utilized to cost your laptop computer, however it may well’t be used for transferring knowledge from different storage units, or for connecting different USB-C equipment. But, at this worth, the USB and HDMI ports are actually only a good bonus, and the Neo Storage is an effective possibility for anybody that desires an inexpensive and versatile back-up machine for his or her USB-C laptop computer.

Samsung makes lots of the hottest SSDs. Its
Samsung T5 is sort of a shrunk-down model of the two.5in mannequin you would possibly put right into a desktop.

This is a great, no-nonsense transportable SSD with nice efficiency and difficult construct. Its body is a ‘unibody’ piece of curved aluminium, with plates of soppy contact plastic on every finish.

Samsung says the T5 is drop-tested from 6.5 foot/2m top, and the shell feels prefer it may take being trodden on. Even the thought of this makes us wince, although.

Like different aluminium finishes, knocks and scrapes will harm the paint job. The Samsung T5 can deal with punishment, however it doesn’t welcome it like SanDisk’s SSD.

The coloration additionally will depend on the mannequin you select. Ours is a 1TB, which is available in black, just like the 2TB model. Lower-capacity 250GB and 500GB variations use a vivid blue shade.

With a footprint somewhat smaller than a enterprise card and 10.5mm thickness, this looks like the right match for a sensible laptop computer bag. It’s 74mm lengthy and 57.3mm tall.

However, it’s not water resistant. This is a transportable SSD for work commutes, not trekking throughout jungles.

In the field you get two 40cm-ish cables. One has a USB-C connector on the finish, the opposite a conventional USB. You can file the one you don’t want away in that field of various cables and adapters many people have in a cabinet someplace.

As it’s exFat-formatted, the Samsung T5 works with Macs as quickly as you plug it in. There’s additionally software program on the drive. This merely allows you to password-protect the complete drive’s contents, utilizing 256-bit encryption. It’s both on or off: you don’t create a digital protected ‘vault’ of encrypted recordsdata, so lots of you received’t wish to use this characteristic.

The app solely recognised the drive once we used Samsung’s provided cable, failing to take action once we tried a cellphone’s cost cable. It was solely the app that had the problem, although. The drive itself functioned completely nice with the ‘intruder’ wire.

There’s even an app for telephones too, with the identical safety measures. However, it’s for Androids, not iPhones.

Used over a USB 3.1 Gen 2 appropriate socket we recorded learn speeds of 525MB/s and writes of 478MB/s. As such it’s on par with the opposite prime transportable SSDs you should buy proper now.

What else units it aside? The Samsung T5 has somewhat blue LED by the connector that shines when the drive is linked. It sits beneath a layer of plastic, although, so is by no means distracting.