14 external hard drives and SSDs for working from home and beyond

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Drives for every budget and taste.

When the office has a large drive and only an old laptop at home, moving to a remote location can dramatically complicate work. The most logical decision is to buy an external hard drive or SSD. If you find yourself in a similar situation, take a look at these options.

External hard drives (HDD)

Relatively slow and noisy devices. But for now, they cost noticeably less SSDs and offer a much higher maximum capacity.

Toshiba Canvio Basics

• Capacities: 500GB to 4TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ A.
• Dimensions: from 109 x 78 x 14 mm.

A simple, medium-sized device in a minimalistic black case. Without unnecessary functions and with a moderate capacity, which will be enough for most. If you don't want to overpay, choosing Canvio Basics may be the best choice for you.

Toshiba Canvio Ready

• Capacities: 500GB to 4TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ A.
• Dimensions: from 119 x 80 x 15 mm.

And this is almost the twin brother of the previous model. Its only difference is in design. The manufacturer focuses on a more stylish case with beveled edges and expressive texture. So if you don’t find Basics in the store or don’t like its overly strict appearance, you can take a closer look at Ready.

WD My Passport

• Capacities: 1 TB to 5 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ A.
• Dimensions: from 107 x 75 x 11 mm.

A very popular model that has long established itself as an affordable and reliable repository of important data. Supports password and hardware encryption to keep your secrets safe at home and at work. And the automatic backup function will save documents if your PC breaks.

LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C

• Capacities: 2 TB to 5 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ A, USB ‑ C.
• Dimensions: 140 x 88 x 25 mm.

LaCie Rugged is dust, moisture and drop resistant, which can be useful even at home. Especially if animals or small children live with you. Thanks to a special case, the drive will keep the contents from their pranks. And if you have Thunderbolt 3 devices, your drive can communicate with them at increased speeds.

Seagate Expansion

• Capacities: 2 TB to 10 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ A.
• Dimensions: 176 x 120 x 36 mm.

Spacious storage for a large collection of media files. But his dimensions are also appropriate. Therefore, the Seagate Expansion is worth taking only if you do not plan to carry the device with you at all.

Seagate Backup Plus Hub

• Capacities: 4 TB to 10 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ A.
• Dimensions: 118 x 41 x 198 mm.

Desktop hard drive for file storage and automatic backup. Thanks to two USB ports, you can simultaneously use the hub with a mobile device and a computer. Customers receive a free 2-month subscription to Adobe's photography software: Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

WD My Book Duo

• Capacities: 4 TB to 28 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Dimensions: 160 x 100 x 180 mm.

Videographers, editors and other professionals who work with heavy content need supercapacity storage. These users can benefit from the WD My Book Duo. Its volume is enough even for storing 4K video.

And so that the owner does not worry about his work, he can configure the drive as two independent disks. If suddenly one fails, the backup will remain on the second. In addition, the WD My Book Duo allows you to protect your data from strangers with a password. In addition, the device has three USB ports.

External Solid State Drives (SSD)

Relatively expensive devices with low maximum capacity. But they are quiet, compact and much faster than HDDs.

Samsung T5

• Capacities: 250 GB to 2 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Maximum read speed: 540MB / s.
• Dimensions: 74 x 57 x 10 mm.

A very compact, powerful and stylish SSD for a fair price. Shock and drop resistant. It also allows you to use a security password. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung T5 has become a bestseller.

Samsung T7 Touch

• Capacities: 500GB to 2TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Maximum read speed: 1,050 MB / s.
• Dimensions: 85 x 57 x 8 mm.

Another good drive from Samsung. Also shockproof, stylish and almost as compact. But at the same time, it demonstrates simply impressive speed: the T7 is twice as fast as the very nimble T5. In addition, the device has a fingerprint scanner, which eliminates the need to enter a security password. But the T7 also costs much more.

WD My Passport

• Capacities: 256GB to 2TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Maximum read speed: 540MB / s.
• Dimensions: 90 x 45 x 10 mm.

The SSD version of the already mentioned My Passport. It retains the characteristic visual style of its predecessor and hardware encryption of data. At the same time, it received the advantages of solid state drives, including increased speed and even greater compactness.

SanDisk Extreme Pro

• Capacities: 500GB to 2TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Maximum read speed: 1,050 MB / s.
• Dimensions: 110 x 57 x 10 mm.

SanDisk Extreme Pro combines speed - even by SSD standards - with comprehensive data protection. Thanks to the rubberized body, the device is not afraid of shocks, dust and water. And the password and encryption protect information from intruders.

Seagate Fast

• Capacities: 250 GB to 2 TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Maximum read speed: 540MB / s.
• Dimensions: 94 x 79 x 9 mm.

One of the thinnest SSDs on the market. But do not consider it fragile: the manufacturer claims that falls are not terrible for the device. Seagate Fast comes with special software. It allows you to synchronize files in a selected folder on your PC with a copy of the same directory on the drive.

ADATA SE800

• Capacities: 512GB to 1TB.
• Compatible ports: USB ‑ C, USB ‑ A.
• Maximum read speed: 1,000 MB / s.
• Dimensions: 72 x 44 x 12 mm.

The SE800 is another fast and reliable drive that is physically protected. And on top of that, super compact. An extremely balanced device from the ADATA company. It's a pity that the maximum volume is limited to one terabyte.

WD My Passport Wireless SSD

• Capacities: 250 GB to 2 TB.
• Compatible interfaces: USB ‑ A, Wi ‑ Fi 802.11ac.
• Maximum read speed: 390 MB / s.
• Dimensions: 135 x 135 x 30 mm.

Another version of WD My Passport, this time wireless. You can of course connect it via USB. But My Passport Wireless also creates its own Wi-Fi network, allowing data to be sent over the air. The SSD should be fast enough to even stream 4K video to your TV or tablet.