Modern cameras are faster, smarter, and more powerful than ever before. While we reap the rewards of these technological marvels there’s one thing modern creators tend to forget about. Storage space. We need more and more of these days. Fortunately, there are lots of external SSDs that can make our lives easier.
Now, just like many other things on the market, external SSDs aren’t created equally. There are lots of (and I use this term loosely) standards and features that you need to be aware of. Is the drive USB 3.x or USB-C? Is the drive Thunderbolt 3-compatible? What are the read and write speeds? How durable is the external SSD? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you drop a size-able amount of money on external storage.
To make things a little easier for you, we’ve decided to round up five of the best external SSDs that are on the market today. They all come in various storage size configurations and have vastly different price points. We’ll tell you how durable they are and what connections they use to transfer all of your lovely media to and from your computer. One thing about all of these drives is that they’re blazing fast. Your workflow will get a nice speed bump if you use one of the external SSDs listed below.
An external SSD with style — SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (500GB, TB, 2TB, 4TB)
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD line can deliver up to 1050MB/s read speeds and can write data up to 1000MB/s thanks to its USB 3.2 connection. You can easily store hi-res images and 4K videos and work on the files directly from the drive.
The drive is incredibly small and light. You can attach it to a bag easily via the carabiner clip and this external SSD can survive drops up to 2 meters (6.56ft). It also offers resistance to dust and water thanks to its IP5 rating. The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is available in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB flavors. These are top-selling external SSDs for many reasons. Prices range from $149.99 to $699.99 but they are often on sale for up to 40% off these prices.
Fast, durable and reliable storage — Samsung T7 Portable SSD (500GB, 1TB, 2TB)
An SSD that I currently use myself, the Samsung T7 has proved itself to be incredibly fast, durable and reliable. I use my drive with my iPad Pro when I’m on the road and with my Mac Mini when I’m home. Thanks to the fast read and write speeds on USB 3.2 supported devices (read1,050 MB/s, write up to 1,000 MB/s) I can edit 4K footage directly from the SSD without any dropped frames or stuttering. Editing images from the drive is a breeze too.
The Samsung T7 isn’t water-resistant, however, it can withstand drops from 6ft (I may have accidentally tried this). The T7 also has advanced dynamic thermal guard technology to stop the drive from overheating. Available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB varieties, the Samsung T7 SSD is a solid choice for creators who want to fulfill their need for speed. Prices range from $99.99–$329.99. However, these external SSDs are regularly on sale.
For when the going gets tough — LaCie Rugged SSD Pro (1TB, 2TB)
LaCie is known for making some of the toughest external drives on the planet. Now, they have wrapped a speedy SSD inside their rugged enclosure. The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro can harness the power of Thunderbolt 3. This means that, with a compatible device, you’ll enjoy read speeds up to 2800MB/s. You can playback and edit 6K and 8K video effortlessly from this drive and you can transfer 150GB of data in less than a minute.
As for durability, it doesn’t get much better than what LaCie offers. The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro sports an IP67 rating. Expect water and dust resistance, three-meter (9.8ft) drop protection, and two-ton car crush resistance. The drives aren’t cheap but you get extreme storage. These drives can come with 1TB or 2TB of storage and prices range from $419.99–$739.99, but they’re usually on sale.
SanDisk Professional G-Drive Pro SSD (500GB, 1TB, 2TB)
SanDisk also makes external SSDs that are tough enough to take on the world. The SanDisk Professional G-Drive Pro SSD is not only insanely fast thanks to its compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 (2,800 MB/s, 2,400MB/s write), but it’s also as tough as old boots.
This drive has an ultra-rugged design that can withstand drops from 9.86ft (3m). It can also survive being crushed by 1,000lbs of force. If you want a seamless experience when editing photos and 4K, 6K and 8K videos, this might be the drive for you. You can get it in sizes ranging from 500GB to 2TB. It comes with a five-year warranty, and prices range from $199.99–$679.99.
WD My Passport SSD (500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB)
Western Digital’s My Passport line has been around since the dawn of time itself (OK, maybe not that long). Now, you can get SSD versions of these reliable drives. Thanks to their NVMe tech and USB 3.2 connection, these storage devices offer 1050MB/s read speeds and write speeds of up to 1000MB/s with compatible devices.
The drive isn’t just fast and stylish (it comes in five colors), though, it’s pretty tough too. The WD My Passport SSD will keep on ticking even after drops from 6.5ft. The WD My Passport SSD also offers password-enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption as well. This tiny drive comes in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB flavors and ranges in price from $119.99–$679.99. However, like the other external SSDs on this list, you’ll usually find these drives on sale.
