Introduction
The move to mobile has created an unexpected hero – the external hard disk. With laptops regularly packing small SSDs in the name of mobility, many of us simply don't have the space to store all our stuff – and as we do more of our living digitally, it's becoming ever more important to ensure we have a backup of anything important.
In this article we'll discover external drives that are cheap and cheerful, models that are frighteningly powerful, and ones that can make sharing media easy no matter what kind of kit you and your family have.
- Also check out: Top 9 best internal desktop and laptop hard disk drives
1. Seagate Expansion
On a budget? This one's cheap and cheerful
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 1TB to 5TB | Speed: 5400rpm
If you're looking for a USB 3.0 drive and don't want to spend too much, the Expansion range has a lot to offer – you can get a lot of storage for very little cash, and even the 5TB model isn't that pricey. The drive is portable and supports both USB 2.0 and 3.0 for maximum compatibility, although it's not particularly aesthetically pleasing.
2. Samsung M3
Proof that cheap doesn't mean nasty
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 500GB to 4TB | Speed: 5400rpm
The Samsung M3 drive is in similar territory to the Seagate Expansion, with 5400rpm drives (which we suspect are Seagate Momentus) and USB 3.0/2.0 compatibility in what Samsung calls a "durable black design".
The Samsungs are a little more expensive, however (note that the price difference between 500GB and 1TB is pretty much negligible – so you might as well go for the Terabyte model). Overall it's a great device, although we did encounter some performance issues with random writes.
Read the full review: Samsung M3
3. WD My Passport Ultra
Prettier than most, with pretty good software
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 500GB to 3TB | Speed: 5400rpm
Prices have plummeted since the Ultra was first announced. As drives go it's fairly unremarkable, but it's in our list because the software it comes with makes it much more useful. There's automatic backup as well as Dropbox support for automatic cloud uploading – assuming you don't just have a 2GB free account – and easy AES encryption to keep data private. It's an excellent all-rounder that's worth shopping around to get the best price for.
Read the full review: WD My Passport Ultra
4. Transcend StoreJet 100
Forget Apple's offerings – this is a better buy for Mac users
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 2TB | Speed: 5400rpm
Aimed squarely at Mac users, the StoreJet 100 offers time machine compatibility as well as its own one-touch backup, which you activate by pressing the big button on the side. The instructions aren't brilliant but the drive itself is well made, effectively silent in everyday operation and offers a reasonable amount of bang for your buck – but if you don't care about colour coordination you can get similar features for a bit less cash elsewhere. The main selling point here is the shockproofing, which should keep it safe from everyday bumps and scrapes.
5. Transcend StoreJet 25M3
Shockproof storage for people who don't care about matching their Macs
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 1TB to 2TB | Speed: 5400rpm
If you're thinking this drive looks awfully like the StoreJet 100, you'd be right – it has essentially the same specs in a different colour scheme, but it's cheaper. Unlike the Mac version this is a FAT32 drive, and while you can of course use it with a Mac the software for this version is Windows-only. As with the StoreJet 100 it offers shockproofing that should survive everyday travel, and while the software isn't the nicest it works well enough.
6. Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB
Don't believe the RRP – this Slim is as cheap as it's thin
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 2TB | Speed: 5400rpm
The Slim 2TB is an extremely svelte and portable drive – it's about the same thickness as an iPhone 4, and much smaller than it looks in photos – and it boasts Seagate's useful and social network-aware Dashboard software and 200GB of OneDrive storage (which you have to activate by June 2017, and which is good for two years). It's a great drive for travellers.
7. WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo 8TB
Do you have a need for speed? This should do the trick
Ports: Thunderbolt | Capacity: 4TB to 8TB (RAID0/1) | Speed: 7200rpm
It isn't cheap, but if you're looking for an external drive for creative projects that involve enormous files then the Thunderbolt Duo is a serious performer.
Twin Thunderbolt ports deliver data speeds of up to 300MB/s, and you can daisy-chain other Thunderbolt devices too. RAID gives you the choice of speed or data mirroring, and the drives are easy to remove and replace. Buy two and you can double the data speeds to almost 600MB/s.
8. Samsung 1.5TB Wireless Mobile Media Streaming Device
Stream media to iOS and Android without breaking the bank
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 1.5TB | Speed: 5400rpm
If the Thunderbolt Duo is for making media, the Samsung is for streaming it – it'll deliver up to seven hours of streaming video to iOS or Android devices from a single charge, and its 1.5TB capacity is good for a decent amount of movies. It can stream to DLNA devices such as Smart TVs and consoles too, and of course you can use it as a plain old external hard drive as well. It's a good choice for homes that need to share media with lots of different devices.
9. iStorage diskAshur Pro
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean you don't need secure storage
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 250GB to 2TB | Speed: 5400rpm
iStorage hard disks are the choice of governments and multinational organisations around the world, with good reason – they're designed to make life very difficult for anybody who tries to access unauthorised data.
The PIN-protected drive can be set to self-destruct if tampered with, the data is encrypted and there are multiple forms of protection to ensure the bad guys don't get in no matter how persistent. When you consider all that extra security, the prices aren't too frightening, either.
10. WD My Cloud Mirror
The external drive that'll keep the whole family happy
Ports: USB 2.0/3.0 | Capacity: 4TB to 8TB (RAID 1) | Speed: 5400rpm
Now in its second generation, the My Cloud Mirror creates a personal cloud that your various devices can all access. It's designed to keep all your media in one place, to backup all your computers automatically, and to ensure that whatever you want is available on whichever device you have handy.
RAID 1 means that the data is always duplicated, and with capacities going from 4TB to 8TB you're unlikely to run out of room any time soon. It's cheaper than you might think, too (and first-generation models are even cheaper still).
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