Best Portable SSD in 2023: Comparisons, Reviews and FAQs

It's time to invest in one of the best portable SSD if all your shooting is quickly filling up your computer's capacity or you need to keep your digital portfolio portable. A traditional portable hard disk drive still provides the most data for your money, but a solid state drive (SSD) is necessary for the fastest transfer rates. Although an SSD's speed and mobility still command a premium over a hard drive, price is now much more affordable for storage capacity up to 1 terabyte. The best portable SSD are also a quarter of the size and weight of a standard portable hard drive. Besides, best SATA SSD, best M2 SSD, best NVME SSD may be which you are looking for. 

1. Samsung T5 1Tb Portable

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 1000 GB

• Hard Disk Interface: USB 3.2

• Connectivity Technology: USB

• Brand: SAMSUNG

• Hard Disk Form Factor: 1 Inch

• Compatible Devices: Desktop

Several Samsung products are on our list, and the firm has produced several excellent portable SSDs. However, the Samsung Portable SSD T5 is our choice for the best portable SSD of 2022.

The Samsung T3 SSD, which is also on this list of the best portable SSDs, served as a model for it, and it builds on those strengths while updating them with a lightning-fast USB Type-C connection that squeezes every last bit of performance out of the solid-state drive inside. It has a 10Gbps USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 port, which doubles its predecessors' theoretical maximum transfer rate.

Pros: 

• Blazing fast

• Discreetly rugged

Cons: 

• 2TB capacity is hugely expensive.
• Not all capacities come in every color

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2. ADATA 512GB SD700

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 512 GB

• Hard Disk Interface: USB 3.1

• Connectivity Technology: USB

• Brand: ADATA

• Hard Disk Form Factor: 2.5 Inches

• Color: Black

• Hard Disk Size: 512 GB

• Cache Size: 512 GB

• Item Weight: 0.31 Pounds

The Adata SD700 is ideal for people searching for a tough storage device with a lot of space at a reasonable price. It has decent speeds and is rated IP68, so you can take it around without worrying about getting damaged. It should be protected against dust and water ingress for up to 30 minutes at a maximum depth of 1.5 meters.

You won't have to worry about running out of storage space since the Adata SD700 External SSD is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models in either bright yellow or black color schemes. Speeds aren't nearly as quick because it lacks the new USB Type-C connector.

Pros: 

• Great performance
• IP68 rating

Cons: 

• No USB Type-C

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3. Kingston XS2000 1TB

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 1000 GB

• Hard Disk Interface: USB 3.2

• Connectivity Technology: USB

• Brand: Kingston

• Special Feature: USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 Type C

• Hard Disk Description: Solid State Drive

One of the earliest and maybe the first portable SSDs with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 is the Kingston XS2000. The device offers excellent read/write speeds; Kingston claims they can reach up to 20000MBps. However, remember that to utilize this portable drive to its maximum potential, your gear must be USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 compliant.

The Kingston XS2000 is not only quick but also 29g light and relatively small. Kingston also adds a rubber sleeve further to safeguard this water-resistant, dust-resistant, and shockproof drive. The cost is also really fair, given its capabilities.

Pros: 

• Very solidly built

• Rugged with IP55 rating.

• Fantastic speed provided your equipment is compatible. 

Cons: 

• Requires the proper hardware to maintain USP

• Expensive if you want plenty of fast storage

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4. WD 1TB My Passport SSD Portable

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 1 TB

• Hard Disk Interface: USB 3.2

• Connectivity Technology: USB

• Brand: Western Digital

• Hard Disk Form Factor: 2.5 Inches

• Hard Disk Description: Solid State Hard Drive

This is the most recent iteration of WD's well-known MyPassport SSD; it should not be confused with the earlier model, which is still on sale. Although the new version has a more excellent, more rounded shape, it still uses the same My Passport SSD moniker to add a bit more confusion.

Although the original My Passport SSD's speeds weren't all that impressive, the new one, based on NVMe SSD technology, claims to be nearly twice as quick, with maximum read/write rates of 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s, respectively. WD's promises were surprisingly accurate, as CrystalDiskMark detected read/write speeds of 1041MB/s and 1002MB/s, which is remarkable.

Pros: 

• Very fast in most scenarios

• Sleek and easily pocketable

• Good capacity options

Cons: 

• Video write speed is not class-leading

• Bland looks

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1. Bounce back

Traditional hard disk drives include delicate moving components, but not SSDs, making them significantly less drop-prone.

2. Mac or Windows for formatting?

Some drives are already set up for Windows or Mac. Almost always, this can be altered with the appropriate software.

3. Sensible speed

Even an SSD won't be able to move a huge number of picture files as quickly as it can move a single video clip of the same size.

4. Connections

There is no need for a separate power brick because all portable SSDs are powered by their USB connection.

5. Small additions

Additionally, several manufacturers include add-ons like data encryption, backup software, and even free cloud storage.

We hope that the information we provide to you above will be helpful for everyone to make better decisions. 

Thank you!

Best regards!