External SSD

How to choose an external SSD

An external SSD is several times faster than a hard drive and fits in a pocket. Choose badly, though, and you pay for 2000 MB/s while your computer's port delivers 450. Decide on five points.

• Interface and speed. USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) gives about 450 MB/s, Gen 2 (10 Gbps) up to 1050 MB/s, Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) up to 2000 MB/s. Thunderbolt and USB4 (3000+ MB/s) are a pricey professional option we do not currently stock. The speed only materialises if your computer's port supports the same standard — usually Gen 2.
• Capacity. 500 GB covers documents and photos, 1 TB is the minimum for backups, 2 TB for video editing and gaming, 4–8 TB for a whole photo archive. Price per gigabyte is lowest at 1–2 TB.
• Protection. If the drive lives in a backpack and on shoots, you want IP65/IP67 and 2–3 m drop resistance (SanDisk Extreme, LaCie Rugged). In an office an aluminium case is enough.
• Encryption. Hardware AES-256 (Samsung T7, WD My Passport, LaCie Secure) password-protects data without losing speed.
• Cable and compatibility. The box holds a USB-C to USB-C cable and often a USB-A adapter. Factory exFAT works on Windows, Mac, PS5 and Android.

External SSDs in our range

The widest choice is USB 3.2 Gen 2 drives (10 Gbps, up to 1050 MB/s): Samsung T7 2–4 TB, SanDisk Extreme 1–8 TB and Portable 500 GB, WD My Passport 1–4 TB, LaCie 1 TB NVMe and ADATA SD620. Faster USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 drives (20 Gbps, up to 2000 MB/s): Samsung T9 4 TB, LaCie 4 TB, Lexar SL300 1 TB, ADATA SE880 500 GB and 1 TB. Rugged field drives: SanDisk Extreme and Extreme PRO, LaCie Rugged SSD 2 TB; the encrypted LaCie Mobile SSD Secure 2 TB is for sensitive data. The budget end: MediaRange MR1100–MR1103 (120–900 GB, 450 MB/s) and Intenso 256–500 GB. Filter by capacity, USB version and colour.

Brands

Samsung T7 and T9 are the external SSD benchmark: steady speed, hardware encryption, small aluminium body. SanDisk Extreme is the photographers' favourite: IP65, rubber bumper, carabiner loop. LaCie Rugged is the orange-rubber drive for film sets; the Secure series adds encryption. Western Digital My Passport is a password-protected backup drive. ADATA SE880 and Lexar SL300 are among the smallest 2000 MB/s drives. MediaRange and Intenso offer SSD speed at flash-drive prices.

External SSD for consoles, video and backup

PS5 and Xbox: a USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive plays PS4 games and stores PS5 games — the latter go back to internal storage before playing. Video: 1000 MB/s is enough to edit 4K/60 off the drive, 8K RAW prefers 2000 MB/s. Backup: Time Machine and Windows File History work with any USB-C drive — get 1.5 times your internal storage. Phone: Android and iPhone 15 connect an SSD over USB-C; the Pro model records ProRes video straight to the drive.

Related products

For a large archive an external hard drive is cheaper; for inside the PC, see internal SSDs. USB flash drives suit small files, USB cables replace a lost one. The full range is in memory and storage.

Frequently asked questions

External SSD or hard drive? An SSD is 5–10 times faster, silent and survives a drop; an HDD gives 4–8 TB for half the price. SSD for work, HDD for an archive on the shelf.

Why does my 1050 MB/s drive copy at 400 MB/s? Most likely the port is USB 3.2 Gen 1 or you are using a USB-A adapter. Look for a 10 or 20 mark next to the port.

Does an external SSD work with a Mac? Yes. Factory exFAT suits Mac and Windows; for Time Machine the drive must be formatted as APFS.

Does an external SSD get hot? During a long copy, yes, and a plastic-bodied drive may slow down. Look at sustained write speed, not the peak figure.

How long does an external SSD keep data? 5–10 years in daily use. As an archive, power it up once a year — unpowered flash memory loses charge over the years.