The most effective transportable SSDs for 2025

Whether or not you are backing up essential recordsdata, modifying movies on the go or simply releasing up area in your laptop computer, a quick and dependable SSD drive could make your workflow an entire lot smoother. The most effective transportable SSD choices in 2025 mix velocity, sturdiness and large compatibility, usually utilizing USB Sort-C connections for fast transfers throughout units. Not like a standard thumb drive and even the most effective exterior exhausting drives, these compact powerhouses can provide quicker learn speeds, usually hitting a number of hundred and even 1000’s of Mbps, particularly with high-performance NVMe SSD fashions.

Whether or not you are managing giant recordsdata or launching apps immediately out of your drive, we have rounded up the most effective SSDs that ship wonderful efficiency with out weighing you down.

Desk of contents

Finest exterior SSDs for 2025

Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Capacities: 1TB, 2TB | Measurement: 2.74 x 1.28 x 0.53 inches | Weight: 1.01 ounces | USB interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 | Controller/bridge chip: Silicon Movement SM2320 | NAND sort: TLC | Rated most sequential speeds: 1,050 MB/s learn, 1,000 MB/s write | Guarantee: 5 years

The Kingston XS1000 performs equally to the Essential X9 Professional however usually retails for much less, so it’s an excellent different if you wish to avoid wasting money. A 1TB mannequin is accessible for $75 as we write this, which is $20 lower than the X9 Professional, whereas the 2TB model is right down to $120, which is a roughly $30 drop. There’s no 4TB possibility, although.

At these costs, the XS1000 is an efficient worth for on a regular basis backups and transfers. It saved up with or barely edged the X9 Professional throughout our benchmarks: In our customized file switch take a look at, for instance, its reads have been a second quicker, whereas its writes have been solely six seconds slower. (The 2 drives seem to have comparable internals and are primarily based on the same controller — the Silicon Energy SM2320G — so this is probably not an enormous shock.) It topped each USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive we examined in 3DMark’s gaming storage benchmark as nicely. It’s barely thicker than the X9 Professional however nonetheless splendidly transportable, with its stubby rectangular design weighing simply over an oz. Just like the Essential drive, it’s backed by a five-year guarantee.

The place Kingston’s mannequin falls behind Essential’s X9 Professional is within the extras. There’s no formal IP or drop scores, so we wouldn’t really feel as snug chucking it round on the go. It lacks hardware-based encryption, and it solely comes with a USB-C to A cable, so that you’ll want to provide your individual adapter in case your laptop computer solely has USB-C ports. It doesn’t keep fairly as cool because the X9 Professional with steady use, and its sustained write efficiency isn’t as quick both, so it’s price paying up in the event you plan to often copy a whole bunch of gigabytes to the SSD (and might’t simply get a higher-class mannequin). For the cash, although, all of this can be simpler to miss.

Professionals

• Sooner than most 10 Gbps drives we examined
• Aggressively priced
• Extremely transportable
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• No formal water-resistance or drop safety
• No USB-C to C cable within the field
• Solely accessible in 1TB or 2TB
• Slower sustained write efficiency than X9 Professional with very giant recordsdata

$80 at Amazon

Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Measurement: 4.13 x 2.52 x 0.62 inches (with fan off), 4.82 x 2.52 x 0.62 inches (with fan on) | Weight: 6.4 ounces | USB interface: USB4 (40 Gbps) | Controller/bridge chip: Asmedia ASM2464PD | NAND sort: TLC | Rated most sequential speeds: 3,800 MB/s learn, 3,700 MB/s write | Guarantee: 5 years

In case you’re a media editor, IT skilled or simply an fanatic prepared to pay for a considerably quicker transportable SSD, get the . It makes use of the newer USB4 interface and blew away each non-40 Gbps drive we examined throughout our benchmark exams.

In AmorphousDiskMark, for instance, the Essential X9 Professional delivered sequential reads and writes round 1,015 MB/s and 950 MB/s, respectively; with the SE920, these have been about 3,350 MB/s and three,125 MB/s. In our customized blended file switch take a look at, we have been capable of transfer our 70GB folder to our MacBook in 32 seconds; with the X9 Professional, that course of averaged about 81 seconds. Writing the folder to the drive, in the meantime, was about 30 seconds quicker. In case you’re shopping for an exterior SSD to maneuver round giant chunks of knowledge, this type of leap provides up.

The drive itself is considerably larger and thicker than both of our picks above, nevertheless it’s not so giant that we’d name it unwieldy. It’s concerning the dimension of a deck of playing cards, so it’ll match higher in a bag than a pants pocket. Past that, the brushed metallic exterior feels crisp to the contact, and ADATA helps the gadget with a five-year guarantee.

That mentioned, this factor can get significantly sizzling. The design features a built-in micro fan to assist dissipate warmth, which you activate simply by clicking the case down; that’s intelligent, nevertheless it’s not sufficient to maintain the drive cool by itself. All of this comes at a value premium, too, with a 1TB mannequin at present accessible for $180. But when efficiency is the one factor that issues to you, it must be worthwhile.

Professionals

• Blazingly quick 40 Gbps efficiency
• Slick metallic enclosure
• Smaller than different USB4 and Thunderbolt SSDs we examined
• Intelligent built-in fan
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• Will get sizzling even with fan activated
• Pricier and nonetheless bigger than different picks
• Requires USB4 port to achieve most speeds

$180 at Amazon

Different exterior SSDs we examined

The pre-built OWC Express 1M2 is a premium-feeling USB4 SSD that’s roughly as quick because the ADATA SE920, nevertheless it’s bigger and considerably costlier as of this writing.

In case you’re within the comparatively small group with a PC that helps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 however not Thunderbolt or USB4, the Crucial X10 Pro is actually a quicker model of our prime decide. The Lexar SL600 is a bigger however barely faster possibility, whereas the Lexar SL500, Kingston XS2000 or Samsung T9 may additionally work in the event you see them on low cost. As a reminder, although, drives like these are aimed primarily at content material creators and different professionals, and it’s a must to be sure you gained’t improve to a tool with a quicker USB interface anytime quickly.

The Samsung T7 Shield has a conveniently rugged design with a rubberized, IP65-rated shell. It additionally comes with each USB-C and USB-A cables. However it was persistently slower than the X9 Professional and XS1000 in our benchmark exams, plus it has a shorter three-year guarantee.

The Silicon Power PX10 is an particularly inexpensive USB 3.2 Gen 2 mannequin. Its peak speeds weren’t too far off the X9 Professional or XS1000 in artificial benchmarks, however it might get distractingly sizzling and its sustained writes are markedly worse. It took 50 seconds longer to maneuver our 70GB customized take a look at folder to this drive in comparison with the X9 Professional, for instance.

The Crucial X6 is one other low-cost possibility that’s an excellent bit slower than our prime picks. It’s restricted to a three-year guarantee and lacks an IP ranking as nicely. It’s not a horrible possibility for the fundamentals, however there’s little cause to get it over the XS1000 when their costs are comparable.

The OWC Envoy Pro FX is well-built and helps Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2, nevertheless it’s a smidge slower than the SE920 and Specific 1M2, and it’s a lot pricier than the previous.

What to contemplate earlier than shopping for an exterior SSD

Capability

The very first thing to determine earlier than shopping for a transportable SSD is simply how a lot cupboard space you want. Many of the SSD drives we thought-about for this information can be found in capacities starting from one to 4 terabytes, although loads of smaller and bigger choices exist.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule for which dimension is “finest” — that’ll finally rely in your funds and what precisely you’re seeking to stash. However generally, it’s higher to overcompensate than underdo it. No one desires to be compelled into shopping for a second drive as a result of they crammed the primary one up too shortly. In case you’re backing up a PC, an excellent rule of thumb is to purchase an exterior SSD with twice as a lot area as your pc’s inside storage. This fashion, it can save you no less than one full backup whereas additionally having room for added knowledge. If you wish to retailer a bunch of PlayStation or Xbox video games with large set up sizes, you might want extra space. In case you simply need to again up a small assortment of recordsdata, you might be higher off saving your money and simply getting a smaller USB flash drive or thumb drive as a substitute, which aren’t fairly the identical as the most effective transportable SSDs we examined for this information.

Worth

On the whole, you get a greater price-per-gigabyte ratio the additional you go up the capability ladder. As of this writing, the 1TB Samsung T9 is priced at $130, or $0.13 per gigabyte (GB), whereas the 4TB version is accessible for $297 or $0.07 per GB. That technically makes the bigger mannequin a greater “worth,” however not everybody must pay that rather more upfront.

SSDs in the identical velocity class are likely to not fluctuate too wildly by way of efficiency, so a part of our decision-making for this information got here right down to which of them are sometimes the most affordable. However costs can fluctuate over time; in the event you see that certainly one of our prime picks is priced means increased than a comparable honorable point out, be at liberty to get the latter. At this cut-off date, prices are broadly trending upwards for even the most effective SSDs.

Velocity and USB interface

Nearly all exterior SSDs are considerably quicker than mechanical exhausting disk drives (HDDs), so that you’ll save time ready for recordsdata to switch and video games to load it doesn’t matter what. Inside the market, nevertheless, there are distinct efficiency tiers. These are outlined largely by the USB interface a drive helps. Whereas the entire SSDs we thought-about for this information can join over USB Sort-C, some USB-C connections can provide quicker switch speeds than others. Sorting by way of this will get actual complicated actual quick, so we’ll attempt to put it in easy phrases.

You’ll be able to primarily divide at present’s crop of transportable SSDs into totally different segments. On the very prime are drives that make the most of the (comparatively) new Thunderbolt 5 commonplace, which has a theoretical most switch charge of 80 gigabits per second (Gbps). (You may even see it promote speeds as much as 120 Gbps, however that enhance doesn’t apply to storage units.) However transportable SSDs that support this tech solely simply began to trickle out towards the top of 2024, and the marketplace for units with Thunderbolt 5 ports remains to be fairly limited, with essentially the most notable exceptions being Apple’s top-end Macs with an M4 Professional or M4 Max chip.

Thunderbolt 5 is constructed on a spec known as USB4, which may technically attain as much as 80 Gbps as nicely however is extra sometimes accessible in a taste that tops out at 40 Gbps. Moveable SSDs primarily based on that commonplace began to roll out towards the top of 2023 however are nonetheless comparatively rare. The older Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, which different high-end exterior SSDs proceed to make use of, assist the identical 40 Gbps most.

A third model of USB4, in the meantime, maxes at 20 Gbps, as does an older but extra regularly used commonplace known as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Beneath that’s USB 3.2 Gen 2, which maxes at 10 Gbps. Then there’s USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is capped at 5 Gbps. Lastly, we’ll bundle collectively SSDs that use older requirements and aren’t price contemplating right here.

To make this simple: For on a regular basis people, an excellent USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive is the candy spot between fast-enough efficiency, wide-enough compatibility and cheap-enough value, so these make up our main suggestions above. In case you work in a inventive discipline or don’t thoughts paying further to shave seconds off your giant file transfers, although, a “higher-tier” mannequin would make sense. Nevertheless, notice that precise computer systems that make the most of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 aren’t tremendous frequent — no Mac helps it, for one — and the interface is successfully being changed by USB4.

On the whole, your chain is just as robust as its weakest hyperlink: In case your pc solely has USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, for instance, you could possibly nonetheless use a Thunderbolt SSD, however you gained’t get past Gen 2 speeds. Be sure to know what you’re working with before you purchase.

As a refresher, storage units are broadly measured by way of learn speeds and write speeds. The previous refers to how lengthy it takes to entry one thing from the drive; the latter, how lengthy it takes to save lots of one thing to it. From there, you possibly can break these metrics into sequential and random efficiency. Sequential speeds are likely to matter extra with transportable SSDs, since most individuals use them to save lots of or entry lengthy, fixed streams of knowledge reminiscent of a bunch of high-res photographs. Random speeds could be essential if you wish to run video video games or apps off the drive, since that’d contain studying and writing smaller, extra scattered recordsdata. Both means, how nicely an SSD can maintain its efficiency with prolonged use can also be crucial.

Different efficiency components and enclosures

A contemporary transportable SSD’s speeds aren’t nearly its USB interface, although. Its efficiency can even rely upon how superior its controller is, whether or not it has a local USB flash controller or a separate bridge chip to speak with a bunch gadget, the type and high quality of NAND flash reminiscence it makes use of, whether or not it has a DRAM cache or it’s DRAM-less, and extra.

We’re simplifying issues, however listed below are some fast ideas: Drives with triple-level cell (TLC) reminiscence aren’t as low cost as quad-level cell (QLC) SSDs, however they’re usually extra dependable and so they provide higher write efficiency. Having a devoted DRAM cache helps in the event you plan to hit your drive with extra intense, sustained workloads, however is probably not price the additional value for most individuals. Some fashions with native flash controllers might not carry out in addition to these with a bridging chip, relying on the SSD inside, however they sometimes draw much less warmth and are bodily smaller. All of that is to say that an exterior SSD’s speeds aren’t fairly as easy as what the producer chooses to promote on the field.

It’s additionally price remembering you could flip an inside SSD into a transportable resolution with an excellent enclosure. In case you have a spare drive and don’t thoughts going the DIY route, this is usually a cheaper and extra versatile resolution, although we’ve caught to pre-built fashions for this information for the sake of simplicity.

Measurement, sturdiness, endurance and guarantee

Most transportable SSDs are impressively small and light-weight, so that they gained’t be troublesome to tuck in a bag (or perhaps a pocket) and tackle the go. We notice above if any drive is bulkier than ordinary.

Nothing we’re speaking about issues in case your drive can’t final in the long run. It’s exhausting to definitively say which exterior SSDs are essentially the most dependable, however we scoured by way of consumer evaluations and suggestions whereas researching this information to make sure none of our picks present a sample of catastrophic errors. If there was an excessive amount of smoke round a specific mannequin, we steered clear. We dominated out sure drives from SanDisk and Western Digital, as an illustration, after reviews from Ars Technica and The Verge famous a problem that led to knowledge loss (and lawsuits) in 2023.

That mentioned, one of many huge causes you’d purchase an SSD generally is its superior sturdiness. As a result of it has no shifting mechanical elements inside, an SSD has far fewer avenues to failure than an exterior exhausting drive. You continue to don’t need to be careless with them, however an unintentional drop shouldn’t be the top of the world.

Some transportable SSDs construct on this inherent ruggedness with plastic or rubberized casings and extra strong waterproofing. These aren’t essential for everybody, however in the event you’re a frequent traveler or somebody who usually works outside, there are alternatives for you.

Nonetheless, all drives can fail. In case you have any form of knowledge you’d be distraught to lose, you must again it up often, then make a second backup, ideally with a cloud service. Alongside these protecting strains, we additionally took notice of the guarantee coverage for every drive we examined. Nearly all of them are backed for both three or 5 years; after all, longer is healthier.

Encryption and software program

It’s not unusual to retailer delicate knowledge on a transportable SSD, so some fashions provide further security measures like hardware-based encryption — i.e., direct scrambling of knowledge saved on the drive itself — built-in keypads and fingerprint readers to guard in opposition to unauthorized entry if the drive is misplaced or stolen. Whereas not prime necessities, perks like these are actually good to have. Some SSDs additionally include companion software program to additional handle the drive. The most effective of these may be useful to have round, however we wouldn’t name them important.

How we take a look at exterior SSDs

Sadly, we didn’t have entry to a tool that may make full use of USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 and Thunderbolt/USB4 speeds interchangeably, so we needed to break up our testing throughout a number of units, together with an M1 Professional MacBook Professional and an Alienware gaming PC working Home windows 11. Due to this, we primarily in contrast the transportable SSDs inside every “class” in opposition to each other. Earlier than switching OSes, we reformatted every drive to every platform’s commonplace file system format: APFS for macOS and NTFS for Home windows.

After researching which SSDs had sufficient optimistic suggestions to be price testing within the first place, we put 13 drives by way of a variety of artificial and “real-world” benchmark exams. On Home windows, these included CrystalDiskMark, PCMark 10’s Knowledge Drive Benchmark and 3DMark’s gaming-focused Storage Benchmark. On macOS, we used AmorphousDiskMark (successfully a Mac model of CrystalDiskMark), BlackMagic Disk Speed Test and ATTO Disk Benchmark.

We additionally timed how lengthy it took for every drive to learn and write a customized 70GB folder stuffed with roughly 11,500 totally different recordsdata, together with photographs, movies, music recordsdata, PDFs and different giant and small knowledge varieties scattered throughout quite a few subfolders. We carried out a number of passes for every take a look at to keep away from irregularities, and we saved monitor of every SSD’s warmth ranges over the course of the entire suite. Our course of wasn’t an ideal science, nevertheless it gave us a common sense of how every drive compares to different fashions in its value and efficiency vary.

Current updates

February 2025: We’ve checked to make sure the pricing data and hyperlinks on this information are nonetheless correct. We’ve additionally added particulars on the (comparatively) new Thunderbolt 5 interface, which has been carried out in a pair latest transportable SSDs just like the OWC Envoy Ultra and LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5. We’ll look to incorporate testing notes for these for our subsequent replace, as they ought to be quicker than the ADATA SE920, our present premium decide, albeit for a a lot increased value. For now, although, our prime picks stay the identical.

October 2024: We’ve taken a sweep by way of this information to make sure all pricing and availability data remains to be right. Our suggestions are unchanged.