External hard drives are a perfect backup solution for keeping your private and confidential data secured from any kind of theft. Apart from this, there due to the compact size of these external hard drives, you can easily take it from one place to another.
To this, we have alternates like flash drives and micro SD memory cards, but these are not the perfect solution. A Portable SSD drive is also an option but it is expensive because of its security features.
Choosing an external drive is not that easy as it looks. There are a number of factors that are required to be kept in mind before buying.
For example, there can be a case where you want to transfer data at a faster pace or there can be a case where the security of your data is your prime concern. There is a different external hard drive for each case individually.
To ease out the things I had done a thorough screen of various external hard drives available in the market and have listed down some of the best ones here.
P.S: As always I have kept my eyes blindfolded for brand names so as to make sure that I present an unbiased list for my visitors.
List of Best external hard drives in 2020
1) Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
3) Western Digital My Passport Ultra 4TB
5) Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
7) Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 5TB
8) LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB
9) Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
11) Transcend StoreJet 25M3 External Hard Drive
12) Sony HD-B1 1TB External Hard Disk
Now let us check each one of them in detail. Check out the features and specifications below before concluding a sale.
Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive
Cost-wise this is the cheapest of all the external hard drives mentioned above. Please check out the features below:
Compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems.
Rugged Case which keeps the hard drive protected from dust and water.
Built-in USB 3.0 cable
256-bit AES security feature
Data protected throughout.
NFC( Near Field Communication ) feature
Samsung T5 SSD external hard drive
Awarded as the best external SSD in the year 2018, this external hard drive highly compact and extremely fast. Check out its awesome features below:
Data transfer rate of up to 540 MB/s,
4.9x faster compared to other external HDD
USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Up to 10Gbps)
Backward compatible
Durability: Shock resistant ( from up to 2 mts)
Optional password protection
AES 256 bit hardware encryption
Compatibility with Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), Android 4.4 (KitKat), or higher.
Western Digital My Passport Ultra
This hard drive is available in 1TB to 4 TB variants
Automatic backup
Features Cloud storage
Easy to use
Password protection
256-bit AES hardware encryption
Western Digital own Discovery software for backup, password protection, and drive management
Superspeed USB 3.0 port and USB 2.0 compatible
3-Year manufacturer’s limited warranty
Cons
Adata SD700
Another masterpiece, A pocket-friendly hard drive with a hell lot of awesome features. Check out its specifications below:
Extremely Fast
3D NAND flash
IP68 rated dust/waterproof
Military-grade shockproof
Lightweight and easy to carry
Cross-platform compatibility
Interface USB 3.1 gen 1
Cons:
Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
Friendly to pocket, Buffalo Ministation Thunderbolt is a great option if you have a device with a thunderbolt port. Check out the specifications and features which you can leverage here:
Specification:
Comes in 1TB and 2 TB variants
USB 3.0 (especially for people without access to Thunderbolt port)
Time machine compatibility
Reasonable fast
Cons
Standard hard drive limits speed
WD My Book Duo 4TB
If you are looking for high capacity harddrive at a pocket-friendly prices then this is the right fit for you.
Auto backup with included WD Backup software
Time Machine compatibility
Password protection
256-bit AES hardware encryption
Reimagined design
Trusted drive built with WD reliability
Compatible with Windows7,8 and10, Mac OS X El Capitan, Yosemite, or Mavericks.
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 compatible
Warranty: 2 years
Cons
Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 5TB
A perfect combo of speed and capacity, this external hard drives leaves all its competitors’ way behind. It also comes with backup software and is compatible with windows and Mac both. Check out its features and specifications below:
USB 3.0
Comes with a backup software
Brushed Metal Case
Single click backup
Option to schedule daily, weekly or monthly backups
Warranty: Three Years
Cons
Reformatting required for using with a time machine
LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB
Even though a bit higher on the costing side, I have included this in my list because of the ultra-fast speed that it offers. It delivers speed up to 5 GB/s. If budget is not a constraint for you, then this can a perfect choice for you. Check out its features and specification below:
Delivers speeds of up to 5 GB/s
Features reversible USB-C connectivity
Compatible with USB 3.0 Ports
Sturdy, all-aluminum enclosure
Light in weight
Comes with USB Type-C to Type-A and USB Type-C to Type-C connectors
Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
Again a bit expensive but comes with Wi-Fi feature and hence worth a buy. There is a battery built into the device which makes it completely wire-free. Check out the features and specifications below:
Come with SD 3.0 card reader for fast media offloads
Wireless 802.11ac which ensures fast data transfers
Powerful 6400 mAh battery.
Compatible with Windows 10, 8.1 or Windows 7, Mac OS X El Capitan, Yosemite, mavericks or mountain lion operating systems
Can be used as a USB power bank to charge mobile phones
USB 3.0 for super-fast transfers
USB 2.0 port to transfer any media from an external storage device
Cons
iStorage diskAshur 2TB
This is the first choice of a user which for whom data security is the prime concern. This one is very expensive( 4 times the price of other brands 2 TB hard drive). You can configure it to self-destruct so that if someone tries to tamper your storage device it will destruct itself. Check out the features and specifications below:
Portable hardware encrypted hard drive
Fips 140-2 Level 3 certified
Common Criteria Eal4+ ready
AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption
Pin authentication required (7-15-digit pin)
Transcend StoreJet 25M3 External Hard Drive
Another marvelous masterpiece with a hell lot of features. Check out the specifications and features below:
Shock resistance: Military-grade
SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Generation 1 compliant
Advanced three-stage shock protection system
Durable anti-shock rubber outer case
Advanced internal hard drive suspension system
Slim form factor for extra convenience
Quick reconnect button –
256-bit AES file and folder encryption
Comes with exclusive Transcend Elite data management software
Sony HD-B1 1TB External Hard Disk
Looks-wise this is the most beautiful hard drive of all. Light in weight, this is a good option at an affordable price.
USB 3.1 Generation 1 compliant
800×600 pixels or more, high color (more than16bit)
Super speed transfer: Up to 5GB/s
Backward compatible and USB 2.0 ports compatible
Comes with free Sony file rescue software
NTFS formatted
Warranty: 3 Years
This concludes the list of best external hard drives. Check out the utility, specifications, and features before buying. Here I have mentioned external hard drive 1tb, external hard drive 2tb, and external hard drive 4tb. Choose one as per your storage needs.
Comment with your views about the topic and suggestions to improve the same. Besides if you are using any one of these products that your reviews related to the product will be helpful for my visitors. So please give your views.
Technology Rocks!!!
