There might come a time when you run out of storage on your laptop’s hard drive or simply want to back up all of your files. You can open your computer and upgrade the storage inside, assuming your computer is repair-friendly. Alternatively, you can buy an external hard drive. Not only is it a useful way to back up your data, but it lets you easily move files from one device to another. These are the best external hard drives you can buy today.

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The best external hard drives:

Editor’s note:We will update our list of the best external hard drives over time.

1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim

Our list starts with the Seagate Backup Plus Slim. The headline feature is how slim it is relative to other external hard drives with similar storage configurations. Another nice touch is the aluminum enclosure, along with temporary memberships to Mylio Create and Adobe Creative Cloud.

The 120MB/s transfer speed isn’t the fastest, but it’s typical of mechanical hard drives. Also, the Backup Plus Slim uses USB 3.0 instead of USB-C, which is something to note if your computer only has USB-C ports.

2. Western Digital My Passport Ultra

At first blush, the Western Digital My Passport Ultra looks like any other external hard drive. However, taking a closer look reveals a surprisingly compact hard drive with one key feature: USB-C.

Also read:The best USB-C cables

Yes, there’s a USB-C port on the My Passport Ultra. The hard drive comes with a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, though it also includes a USB 3.1 adapter for those with access to the older port. Transfer speeds hover around 125MB/s, so don’t expect blazing read and write speeds. At least the hard drive features an anodized metal finish.

3. Samsung T5

Unlike mechanical hard drives, the Samsung T5 is an external solid-state drive (SSD). That means there are no moving parts to worry about. That also means the Samsung T5 is incredibly slim and compact, easily fitting in a shirt pocket.

Don’t let the size fool you into thinking transfer speeds are slow, however. Thanks to its use of Samsung’s V-NAND flash memory and USB-C, the T5 provides transfer speeds of up to 540MB/s.

4. SanDisk Extreme Portable External SSD

We continue the portable SSD offerings with the SanDisk Extreme Portable External SSD. According to SanDisk, maximum sequential read and write speeds are rated at 1050 and 1000MB/s, respectively.

Apart from being speedy, the Extreme Portable External SSD is also rugged. The portable SSD features an IP55 rating for protection against water and dust. Also, it can withstand drops from up to two meters onto a concrete floor.

5. Adata SE800

There are plenty of hard drives out there with massive capacities, but they sacrifice a great deal of portability. On the other hand, the Adata SE800 offers a powerful combination of up to a 1TB capacity and heavy-duty endurance.

With read and write speeds of up to 1000Mbps and a weight of just 40 grams, the SE800 is perfect to take on the go. It packs USB-C connectivity, but the durability features are where this Adata option really shines. The hard drive is MIL-STD 810G rated for drop tests and it carries an IP68 rating for water and dust.

Speedy USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity helps to guarantee top speeds while a hairline brushed metal finish gives the Adata SE800 a luxurious feel. It comes in either 512GB or 1TB capacities.

6. Western Digital My Book Duo

Jumping from the most portable hard drive to the least, the Western Digital My Book Duo is a tank. It’s best for those who mostly stick to their desks and want to maximize their storage options.

The My Book Duo is RAID-0 ready with WD Red drives inside and a USB-C port along with two USB-A options allow for plenty of peripherals. As for speed, the My Book Duo handles up to 360Mbps sequential reading and can switch to RAID-1 to mirror your data. There may be faster speeds out there, but with a capacity of up to 24TB, you should never be hurting for space with this one.

7. LaCie Rugged

Another option that’s designed to face the elements, the LaCie Rugged makes our list of the best external hard drives for a number of reasons. From the capacity of up to 5TB to the six different formats, there’s plenty of flexibility available in a compact package.

You’ll probably never misplace the LaCie Rugged thanks to the bright orange bumper. The bumper works twofold — protecting the device from falls and water, and housing a convenient USB-C cable. You can max out the laptop transfer speed at 130Mbps and the LaCie Rugged can reportedly withstand up to one ton of pressure.

8. Western Digital Black P10

Pretty much all of the best external hard drives so far have been made for everyday use. However, gamers often find themselves needing extra storage too with how large games have become. That’s where the Western Digital Black P10 makes its name. With a capacity of up to 5TB, you should be able to manage up to 125 new games at a size of 36GB apiece.

Also read: The best gaming laptops you can buy right now

Beyond the storage capacity, the Black P10 has an industrial design that feels like it belongs in your gaming arsenal. It’s smaller than a standard Xbox controller and sits flat, and speeds of up to 140Mbps should keep you running smoothly. Weighing in at just about eight ounces, you should be able to stuff the Black P10 in a backpack and not feel any difference.

That was our list of the best external hard drives you can buy right now. Check out a few of these other PC accessories to complete your setup:

You think you know everything there is to know about hard drives. Well, at least most people think they do, but it turns out there is a ton of expansion in the hard drive world. More specifically in the types of applications that individual drives are made for. Western Digital (WD) has 6 different hard drive types; Black, Blue, Red, Purple, Green, and Gold. We will be explaining the different attributes of the 6 Western Digital drives type and why they are perfect for specific applications.

Related Article: 5 hard drives optimized for your NAS device

1. WD Black

These are expensive high-performance drives. WD Black’s intended application is inside of your system, inside of your workstation, gaming PC or anywhere you need high-performance storage. WD uses the word creative professionals to describe the intended users. This essentially means anyone who is beating the hell out of a drive, not physically, but in a productivity kind of way. Like offloading a bunch of videos and then editing in a fast and speedy behavior.

Read More: WD Black Performance Desktop Hard Drive

2. WD Blue

This is one is kind of interesting. I remember WD Blue sort of being like the de facto standard internal hard drive for a very long time. The newer WD Blue comes with a built-in SSD, it’s kind of a hybrid. This is going to give you enhanced speed on regularly accessed stuff. They are general purpose all-rounders. But they are intended for average users who are a little bit less intense.

Read More: WD Blue vs. Black vs. Green Hard Drive Comparison – What’s the Difference?

3. WD Red

These are optimized for network-attached storage (NAS) as the intended use case. You attach this drive to your NAS system and it allows you to access data locally on the network, as well as share it with other people. You can also access that data not just locally, but also via the web. Also, they support raid configurations.

The Red family excels more in the read operations than write operations. Exactly what is expected for NAS storage, because data is stored on a network and multiple users will connect at the same time to read it. WD Red has two versions; WD Red Pro and WD Red Standard.

Related Article: NAS vs External Drive: What’s Best For You?

4. WD Purple

WD Purple drives are intended for use in 24/7 surveillance systems that are constantly writing video, running 24 hours a day. This is a fairly hefty request for a drive to be operating like that. On the front, it says “24/7 reliability”, Intended for everything up to HD video. WD Purple has high write speeds which is the opposite of WD Red. Also, these have the all frame technology which ensures minimal errors in video storage.

Read More: WD Purple Surveillance Hard Drive

5. WD Green

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These are eco-friendly and cheapest Western Digital drives. WD Green is more power-efficient than WD Blue but falls short on performance. This power-saving difference is insignificant. Western Digital stopped making WD Green, nowadays they make SATA and M.2 SSDs under the Green family.

Related Article: How to install an M.2 SSD drive in a laptop

6. WD Gold

These Gold family drives are optimized for enterprise solutions in data centers. They are of the highest quality, most expensive and most sophisticated Western Digital drives. They are rated at 550TB annual data with 2 million hours mean time between failure. These are server-grade hard drives. They have additional features like StableTrac, Multi-axis shock sensor, and Dynamic fly height technology.

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Read More: How Magnetic HDDs still beat SSD hard drives

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You now know more about hard drives than you did 5 minutes ago, right? We expect to have enlightened you enough to make a sound informed decision during your next hard drive purchase.

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