The Best Portable SSDs in 2020

Great for backing up your data, or simply for keeping your files and folders portable and protected, there are so many portable SSDs out there.

Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer many advantages over their physical counterpart, the hard disk drive (HDD). They’re smaller and more compact, incredibly fast, and because they contain no moving parts, they are less prone to physical damage. The cost of flash storage is coming down, and coupled with that is an explosion of portable SSDs onto the market. We’ve compiled a selection of three of the best portable SSDs, so whether you’re looking for capacity, speed, durability, protection, or a combination, we’ve got it covered.

Samsung T7 Touch
This portable SSD is incredibly fast, highly compact, and is available in storage capacities ranging from 500GB to 2TB – so you won’t be short of space. Weighing only 58g and measuring 85 x 57 x 8mm, this drive is incredibly lightweight and portable. It utilises a super-fast USB Type-C connection, but is also backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 if your computer lacks a Type-C. Samsung has swapped the SATA-based SSD found on the T5 portable drive for an NVMe SSD. This portable SSD is able to achieve read/write speeds of up to 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s, respectively – almost twice as fast as the T5. The drive supports AES 256-bit hardware encryption, and features a fingerprint scanner, although the drive must be connected to use this feature. You can purchase this portable SSD starting from £129.94 for the 500GB model, £195.87 for the 1TB model, and £365.99 for the 2TB model.

Samsung T7 Touch

WD My Passport Wireless SSD
Aimed at professional photographers, this portable SSD allows you to view and transfer files over Wi-Fi, as well as USB; although the slower speeds over Wi-Fi somewhat defeat the point of an SSD. But what sets it apart from the other portable SSDs on this list is the inclusion of an SD card slot, allowing users to back up files from their SD card on the go with a one-touch copy button. Read speeds are fast for a SATA SSD, at up to 390MB/s. These premium features come with a premium price tag; prices range from £257.85 for the 500GB model, to £369.50 for the 1TB model and £627.40 for 2TB.

WD My Passport Wireless SSD

Adata SE730H External SSD
This small portable SSD claims to be the most compact on the market, at 72.7 x 44 x 12.2mm and weighing in at only 37g. It’s also military-grade shockproof, so will survive knocks, bumps and drops with no problem, and is also waterproof with an IP68 rating. Read/write speeds are fast, at up to 500MB/s. The main draw of this portable SSD is the sturdy build, but it’s not the most economical of drives; the 256GB model is available for £73.66, while the 512GB model will set you back only a fraction more at £85.57.

Adata SE730H External SSD