Best external SSD for Mac 2026: Expand your Mac storage

The Pro5 looks almost identical to the previous-generation Rugged SSD Pro (below), which uses Thunderbolt 3. The only visible difference between the two drives is the fact that the Pro5 is wrapped in a dark-blue rubber sleeve, rather than the somber black of its predecessor.

That rubber sleeve is designed to provide extra protection for the drive, and the Pro5 is even sturdier than before, with an IP68 rating for water and dust-resistance. LaCie claims the Pro5 can survive immersion in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes, survive being dropped from a height of 3m (10ft), and survive being run over by vehicles weighing up to two tonnes. There’s a five-year warranty too.

It measures 17mm thick, 98mm wide and 65mm deep and weighs 150g, which is a little more than its 100g Rugged Pro predecessor. It comes in 2TB or 4TB capacities. It’s not cheap, starting at $399.99/£359.99 for 2TB or $599.99/£579.99 for 4TB.

The Pro5 does use a standard USB-C connector, so it’s still backward-compatible with older Macs, but if you want to get the full performance of the Thunderbolt 5 interface you’ll need a MacBook Pro or Mac mini with M4 Pro or M4 Max processor as these are the only chips to support the standard. The older Rugged Pro is still on sale, so make sure you look for the Pro5 model if you want Thunderbolt 5 performance. We found that the standard USB-C cable we use for our Time Machine back-up drive didn’t provide enough power for the Pro5, so it might be worth investing in a spare Thunderbolt 5 cable.

The Rugged SSD Pro5 is the fastest Thunderbolt drive we’ve tested so far, and along with its rugged, portable design it’s an excellent option for creative users who want to exploit the full speed of their new Thunderbolt 5 Macs.

We had nothing but love for the OWC’s 40Gbps 1M2, so were certainly not going to complain that it’s now been replaced by the 80Gbps 1M2 80G. It ain’t cheap, but it’s easily the fastest external SSD we’ve seen.

It’s USB4 80Gbps. The huge advantage of USB4 over Thunderbolt 5 is that you can plug it into any type of USB port to access your data

It’s expensive, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is only slightly cheaper and less compatible.

It’s very fast. In synthetic benchmarks, it was basically twice as fast as the older 1M2. Under our sister publication PCWorld’s test protocol, it proved the fastest external SSD we’ve tested overall. Faster than LaCie’s Rugged SSD Pro5 to varying degrees. https://www.macworld.com/article/2590233/lacie-rugged-ssd-pro5-review.html That was roughly 6GBps reading and 5.5GBps writing overall. 

If you want the fastest external storage on the planet, buy it–if your finances allow. On the other hand, 40Gbps SSDs or enclosures are considerably cheaper and still offer most of the real-world performance. Regardless, the 1M2 80G is a very nice–if pricey–storage technology upgrade from OWC.

Since parting ways with Western Digital SanDisk has launched a collection of new products. Among these were SanDisk’s Extreme Portable SSD, an affordable entry-level drive included below, and the Extreme Pro With USB4.

The Extreme Pro With USB4 is available with 2TB or 4TB of storage. It resembles its predecessors, featuring rounded corners, orange trim, and a cut-out for attaching a lanyard. A USB-C cable is included. 

It’s a little larger than previously: 11.9mm thick, 58.7mm wide, and 140mm long. Making it almost as large as the iPhone 16e and heavier than it. The drive’s main body is made of forged aluminium, wrapped in a silicon sleeve for added protection. SanDisk claims it can survive a 2m drop and is IP65 water and dust resistant. They also provide a five-year warranty.

The Extreme Pro With USB4 is larger than other SanDisk drives, measuring 11.9mm thick, 58.7mm wide, and 140mm long. It’s almost as large as the iPhone 16e and heavier than it, but still small enough to fit in a pocket or bag. Its sturdy design makes it suitable for travel and outdoor work. 

The main attraction is USB4 performance. SanDisk quotes a maximum write performance of up to 3700MB/s and read performance of up to 3800MB/s. We tested the drive with a MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 4, achieving strong performance of 3400MB/s for both read and write. 

We also tested the drive with a new Mac mini with Thunderbolt 5 and were surprised to see a significant jump in write performance to 4400MB/s, which remained consistent despite repeated tests. Read performance remained unchanged at 3400MB/s.

Professional users requiring top performance with large video or graphics files may prefer a solid-state drive with full Thunderbolt support, but the Extreme Pro With USB4 offers impressive performance at an affordable price, making it suitable for most users who need a fast, sturdy portable drive for Time Machine backups.

The design of the Rugged SSD4 will be immediately familiar to anyone that’s owned one of LaCie’s Rugged drives before, with the drive wrapped in LaCie’s trademark bright orange rubber sleeve, which is designed to protect the drive. 

The drive has a protective rating of IP54 that, admittedly, isn’t quite as sturdy as some of LaCie’s other Rugged drives – the SSD Pro5 boasts a completely water-resistant rating of IP68 – but it can still cope with outbursts of rain and exposure to dust when you’re outdoors. 

LaCie also states that the drive can survive being dropped from a height of three metres, and can withstand a crushing pressure of one tonne.

The drive provides a three-year warranty, reflecting LaCie’s confidence in the sturdy design, and it is also covered by LaCie’s Rescue Data Recovery Service.

Our only complaint about the design is that the protective rubber flap that covers the USB-C port is not actually attached to the drive. You could lose it quite easily. 

The Rugged SSD4 supports USB4 and has a single USB-C interface for connecting it to a Mac, PC or other mobile devices such as an iPhone via the included USB-C cable. 

USB4 is actually based on Thunderbolt 4, so – unlike the older USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – it’s fully compatible with Macs. It’s more than twice as fast as LaCie’s previous-generation Rugged Mini SSD – which used USB 3.2 Gen 2×2.

LaCie states that it provides read and write speeds of up to 4,000MB/s. Our tests didn’t quite match that performance, with the Rugged SSD4 coming in at an average of 2,975MB/s for read performance, but then stepping up to 3,300MB/s for write performance.

That should be more than fast enough for general day-to-day use and Time Machine backups though. 

if you simply need a fast, affordable drive that can handle your daily Time Machine backups then the Rugged SSD4 fits the bill at a competitive price.

The Lexar TouchLock Portable SSD is a compact external solid-state drive designed primarily for iPhone users who want secure, convenient storage rather than maximum performance. Available in 512GB and 1TB capacities (with a 2TB model planned), it combines standard USB-C connectivity with NFC-based security and MagSafe compatibility, making it particularly appealing for mobile users who regularly back up photos and videos.

Physically, the TouchLock is slim and lightweight at just 7mm thick and 40g, making it easy to slip into a pocket or attach directly to an iPhone using its built-in MagSafe-compatible magnetic ring. It works with Macs, PCs, Android devices, and recent Apple devices via USB-C, with a USB-A adapter included for broader compatibility. While Lexar claims it can survive drops from up to two metres, it lacks an official water or dust resistance rating, so it is not intended for rugged outdoor use.

The standout feature is its NFC security system. Rather than using passwords, users unlock the drive by tapping it with an iPhone or Android device running the Lexar app. The drive automatically locks when disconnected, and stored files are protected with 128-bit encryption. This makes the TouchLock one of the easiest secure drives to use, especially for less technical users.

Performance is respectable but not exceptional. The drive uses USB 3.2 Gen 1, with quoted speeds of up to 450MB/s read and 420MB/s write. Real-world testing delivered closer to 350MB/s for both. While significantly slower than modern USB4 or Thunderbolt SSDs, it remains fast enough for routine backups and even direct recording of 4K/60fps Apple ProRes video.

Overall, the TouchLock is an affordable and user-friendly SSD that prioritises security and convenience over raw performance.

Kingston’s new Dual Portable SSD combines the compact design of a thumb drive with the speed and capacity of an SSD.

The Dual Portable SSD has a compact rectangular design measuring 72mm long, 21mm wide, and 8.6mm thick, similar to the Kingston 64GB thumb drive, but much faster and with greater storage capacity. It’s lightweight, weighing only 13g, and sturdy, with a bright red metal casing.

Most SSDs use a conventional USB cable, but the Dual Portable SSD has a built-in USB interface with a USB-A and USB-C end. This ensures compatibility with many computers and mobile devices, though the second USB-C port on my MacBook Pro was slightly obscured by the drive’s width.

The drive performs well. It doesn’t support Thunderbolt but uses USB 3.2 Gen 2, with Kingston quoting speeds of 950MB/s for write and 1,050MB/s for read. Our tests with the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test confirmed the write speed at 950MB/s, while the read speed was slightly slower at 920MB/s, which should still be sufficient for general file transfers and routine Time Machine backups.

The ultra-compact design of the Dual Portable SSD comes at a cost, though. It’s slightly more expensive than other SSD drives we’ve reviewed, including Kingston’s slightly larger XS1000.

Professional users might prefer a faster drive with Thunderbolt support for maximum performance, but the USB performance of the Dual Portable SSD is sufficient for routine tasks like file transfer and Time Machine backups. Its compact and sturdy design makes it ideal for quick backup on the go.

You can take full advantage of the Thunderbolt 5 ports on your M4 Pro Mac mini or M4 Pro/Max MacBook Pro and possibly circumvent Apple’s avaricious storage upgrade pricing with OWC’s Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 external SSD.

Thunderbolt 5 itself is backwards compatible with older Thunderbolt specs, but it’s not nearly as backwards compatible as we’d like. For example, to utilize a Thunderbolt 5 drive your M-series Mac need to be running macOS Sonoma or later. Thunderbolt 3 Macs with Intel chips must run Sequoia or later. But only the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips will give you the full Thunderbolt 5 experience.

You may have seen 120GBps quoted in some articles as Thunderbolt 5’s top speed, but that’s only unidirectional for displays. Bi-directional, as with storage, is limited to 80Gbps. Benchmarks showed anywhere from 5.2GBps (Blackmagicdesign’s Disk Speed Test), to 6.5GBps reading (AmorphousDiskMark), to near 7GBps reading and 5.57GBps writing (ATTO). It’s fast.

The OWC Envoy Ultra is a larger chunk of black metal, measuring about 0.75 inches thick, 2.8 inches wide, and 5 inches long. The Envoy Ultra weighs in at 10.5 ounces or so. It has a captive cable, which is for weatherproofing (it’s not IP-rated). This does make it a bit harder to put away. Alas, writing was considerably slower, only around 1.5GBps.

The Envoy Ultra costs $400/£356 in its 2TB form and $600/£598.49 at 4TB. It carries a three-year warranty.

If you want, and can afford the absolute fastest storage for your new Thunderbolt 5 Mac, then this is a heck of a lot cheaper than Apple’s rapaciously priced internal storage and nearly as fast.

This SanDisk model offers a sturdy design and up to 8TB of storage. The external design hasn’t changed over the years, it still comes in a perforated black case made out of silicon that provides plenty of protection, and there’s the same hook for a lanyard.

The 8TB version is slightly larger than the previous model, but it’s still slim and light. There aren’t many rival drives that provide that much storage in such a compact and portable design.

This model uses the same USB-C connector as its predecessor, with support for USB 3.2 (Gen 2). There’s a USB-C cable included in the box, and even a USB-A adaptor! Speeds are 1000MB/s and 1050MB/s for write and read performance respectively, as previously. And our tests found that the two drives produce very similar results when running the Black Magic Disk speed test, with the Extreme Portable reaching 946MB/s for write performance and 910MB/s for read performance.

The main difference is that this update for 2025 is even tougher than before, boasting an IP65 rating for resistance to water and dust. This model provides more storage capacity too, starting at 1GB and going up to 8TB.

SanDisk has several portable solid-state drives that look similar and have similar names. The Extreme Pro Portable looks identical and has a faster USB4 interface, but only offers up to 4TB storage. The less expensive Portable SSD, isn’t particularly fast. Check the name before you buy.

It’s a good option for anyone that needs to store large, high-res photo or video files on their MacBook when they’re working outdo.

We normally organize reviews of portable drives and desktop drives separately, but the new SanDisk Pro Blade is a modular SSD storage system that is very much designed for professional and creative users, and allows you to switch between portable and desktop modes as required.

You can start by buying the Pro Blade SSD Mag, which is a solid-state storage module that is available in 1TB, 2TB or 4TB sizes (the 1TB was discounted from $179.99 to $119.99 at the time of our review). The SSD Mag is pre-formatted in APFS format for Mac users, and is tough enough to withstand being dropped from a height of 3 meters or 9.8 foot, and withstand 4000lb (1814kg) crush pressure, making it ideal for outdoor use. However, the SSD Mag modules can’t connect to a computer on their own, so SanDisk provides two options for portable and desktop use.

For portable use you can buy the Pro Blade Transport, which is a compact case for the SSD Mag, and is equipped with a USB-C port for connecting to your Mac. The Transport measures just 130.4mm long, 71.5mm wide and 16mm thick, so you can easily slip it into your pocket or a carrying case just like any other portable drive. It’s also possible to connect the Transport to a camera that has a USB-C interface so that you can record high-res video rather than having to carry lots of smaller SD memory cards.

When you get back to the office you also have the option of inserting the SSD Mag modules into the Pro Blade Station ($499.99/£490.99). This desktop storage system doesn’t include any built-in storage of its own, but it has four slots that allow you to insert SSD Mag modules (not included) providing up to 16TB of high-speed solid-state storage. The Pro Blade Station has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, with one used to connect your Mac, while the other port can be used to daisy-chain additional storage devices if required. The Pro Blade Station is fairly expensive – given that it doesn’t include any storage of its own – but it gives you the option of creating a high-speed, high-capacity SSD storage system for use in your office, whilst also being able to remove the individual SSD Mag modules and use them as portable drives whenever you need to.

Western Digital – which owns SanDisk these days – claims that the Pro Blade Station can provide read and write speeds of 3000MB/s and 2600MB/s respectively. Our tests actually recorded a read speed of 2600MB/s and write speed of 2300MB/s, but that’s still one of the fastest SSD drives we’ve ever seen, making it a good option for creative users who need a fast storage system that they can use both in the office and on the road.

The Verbatim TurboMetal SSD is a classic NVMe drive with a length of around 106mm, a 55mm wide and 18mm thin metal housing, and weighs 150g.

Like many USB4 enclosures, it uses an active fan and cooling slots for cooling. The fan is temperature-controlled and starts automatically when the temperature rises.

Verbatim specifies a USB4 data transfer rate of 3600MBps for writing and 3700MBps for reading. However, we achieved 2664MBps for writing and 3123MBps for reading on an M3 MacBook Air in a 4K test with Aja System Test Lite. These are not bad values, but the best USB4 drives we’ve measured achieve slightly higher writing speeds but not higher reading speeds. The M4 Max Mac Studio showed much better values, with 2869MBps for writing and 3499MBps for reading.

In a 30-minute endurance test with the Backmagicdesign Disk Speed Test, the fan started after 10 minutes. The TurboMetal got too warm after around 9 minutes in the data transfer rate, which dropped significantly to below 1000MBps. Shortly after starting the fan, the temperature of the SSD levelled off again, and the data transfer rate rose to its original value. The runs only when it has to.

During the endurance test, the data transfer rate dropped briefly but stabilised immediately. DriveDX measured the temperature at around 46 degrees Celsius after using the fan, which remained on.

The TurboMetal Portable SSD is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities with a 20cm USB4 cable. It’s formatted as FAT32, so Mac users should reformat it to APFS. The included software is only for Windows.

The TurboMetal SSD is a discreet USB4 drive. The data transfer rates are suitable for everyday use, but some SSDs offer better speed. The regular dips indicate thermal protection, but they shouldn’t affect most applications.

The EX400U from Corsair is a compact and powerful external USB4 SSD.

It looks like a simple external SSD, but underneath is a MagSafe-compatible ring for attaching to an iPhone.

In our tests, it gave a convincing performance, with speeds of 2709Mbps for writing and 3165Mbps for reading. 

Corsair offers a three-year warranty on the EX400U. 

A robust USB4 cable is included.

This premium docking station boasts four TB5 ports plus a built-in SSD of up to 4TB. 

The SSD is exFAT-formatted for cross-platform use. If you want it in a different format, it’s easy to reformat yourself using the Mac’s Disk Utility.

The SSD is blindingly fast—much faster than you’d get with an external SSD. We recorded a sequential read performance of 3,977MBps. When copying a folder of raw multimedia files from the SSD to the desktop, we recorded a copying time of just under 14 seconds. With Aja System Test Lite we measured an impressive 5,331MBps write and 5,822MBps read in the 4K test.

While pricier than docks without an SSD, the extra you pay for such fast storage makes it a great investment. 

This is super small for a mobile SSD and extremely fast for a USB stick. 

You might look at the Ultra Compact SSD and wonder if it is an SSD drive or a USB stick. In the end, it doesn’t matter because the performance corresponds to a typical SSD drive with a 10Gbps USB connection

We tested the Seagate Ultra Compact SSD and in the AJA System Test Lite we saw impressive results: 943 MB/s when writing and 930 MB/s when reading. This makes the SSD ideal as an external iPhone drive for direct video recording

The Ultra Compact SSD combines small dimensions with great performance and is perfect for mobile workers looking for fast SSD storage.

Its robust housing reliably protects against falls from up to 3 meters and is protected against dust and splash water according to IP54. A rubber cover with protective cap provides additional support and safety.

A loop is included for attachment to a key ring. iPhone video videographers should note that the USB-C connector is quite short and therefore the SSD cannot be connected directly with some protective covers. 

It comes with a six-month trial of a Dropbox backup subscription. 

The Adata SE920 External SSD is a high-performance USB4 SSD for those who need rapid data transfer speeds. 

It combines passive and active cooling with a compact metal housing for passive cooling, and a micro-fan with openings for active cooling. The user can actually activate the fan by pressing on the housing. 

If you are working on a project such as a video or image edit, or another task that could require a lot of drive access over a period of time, then switch on the fan. The rest of the time you can probably leave it. 

The SE920 is primarily designed for Windows users, evident from the formatting in the NTFS file system and the backup software for Windows, but this shouldn’t be a problem for experienced Mac users. The SE920 is quickly reformatted in APFS using the macOS Disk Utility.

Data transfer rates measured with Aja System Test Lite were impressive. The SE920 achieved 2992MBps for writes and 3161 MBps for reads. Data rates are stable over a longer period and the thermal design works perfectly.

All this comes at a good price. We recommend the SE920 to any content creator.

The LaCie Portable SSD is an option for people who don’t need James Bond levels of security. Available with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, the Portable SSD has a new design compared to its predecessor. Rather than sharply angular corners and edges of the now discontinued LaCie Mobile SSD, the compact Portable SSD has smoothly round corners – perhaps following Apple’s recent fetish for rounded corners on icons in Big Sur and Monterey.

It’s smaller and lighter than previous drives from LaCie too, measuring just 0.4in/10.6mm thick, 1.9in/50mm wide, and 3in/80mm long, and it weighs a mere 1.5oz/45g, so it’s ideal for carrying around with your MacBook or iPad when you’re traveling.

The drive has a single USB-C interface, and includes a USB-C cable, but the low cost means that there are no added extras, such as an adaptor for older Macs that have USB-A (3.2) connectors.

LaCie hasn’t cut any other corners, though. The Portable SSD has a solid, sturdy design that should be able to cope with a few bumps in a backpack or briefcase, and it performs very well too.

LaCie quotes read and write speeds of 1000MB/s, but repeated tests with the BlackMagic speed test app showed the Portable SSD comfortably cruising along at around 1,300MB/s with no trouble at all.

That combination of speed, compact design and competitive pricing makes the Portable SSD a great option for anyone that needs a portable backup drive for their Mac or iPad.

Read our full review.

T5 EVO isn’t as fast as some of its SSD rivals, but it’s great as a general-purpose backup device and provides a faster and more portable alternative to a conventional hard drive. Unlike many solid-state drives, it provides up to 8TB of storage, making it a good option for people who need a lot of storage space for their work files, photos and videos. It’s competitively priced, starting at $189.99/£146 for 2TB of storage.

The drive is compact, just 17mm thick, 40mm wide and 95mm long, and weighing 102g. There’s a chunky metal ring on one end that can be used to attach the drive to a backpack or belt.

It doesn’t have the armor-plated protection of Samsung’s T7 Shield, but the T5 EVO doesn’t cut corners on build quality. The drive is metal and then wrapped in a rubber sleeve to provide extra protection. It doesn’t quote an IP rating for resistance to water and dust though.

It’s not the fastest back-up drive you can buy, and while there’s a USB-C port for connecting to a Mac or PC, it only supports the relatively old USB 3.2 (Gen 1) standard, and Samsung quotes fairly modest speeds of 460MB/s for both read and write performance. Our tests showed that the drive’s write performance was right on the nose with a speed of 460MB/s when running the Black Magic disk speed test, although read performance was slower at 370MB/s.

T5 EVO will be a great option for laptop users who want to ditch an old hard drive and replace it with a more portable solid-state drive that provides plenty of storage.

Lexar makes a wide range of memory cards and solid-state drives that are very much aimed at creative users, and its Armor 700 drive provides fast, high-capacity storage in a rugged design that will be ideal for outdoor photo-shoots or filming.

As the name suggests, the Armor 700 is sturdily built, boasting an IP66 rating for water and dust protection. This means that the drive can withstand powerful jets of water (but not complete immersion under water), and is tightly sealed to prevent dust or other particles from penetrating the drive. It’s also wrapped in a shock-resistant rubber sleeve that can cope with being dropped from a height of three metres. The drive is available with 1TB, 2TB or 4TB of storage, so it provides plenty of storage for your Time Machine backups when you’re on the road. Lexar also includes an app called DataShield that allows you to create an encrypted folder on the drive for storing sensitive files and data.

The Amor 700 is equipped with a USB-C interface, with a USB-C cable and USB-A adaptor included in the box. Lexar states that the drive provides read and write speeds of up to 2000MB/s, but it does require a device that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 in order to achieve those speeds (yes, USB standards are a complete mess these days). Apple doesn’t support that specific version of USB, which means that Macs, iPhones and iPads with USB-C will only get a maximum speed of 1000MB/s. Our tests actually recorded scores of 910MB/s for write performance and 925MB/s for read performance, but that’s more than adequate for routine backups when you’re out and about. Lexar also states that this is fast enough to record 4K ProRes video from an iPhone 15 or 16, and the Armor 700 is still competitively priced when compared to rugged drives such as LaCie’s Rugged SSD.

Professional users who really need top performance may prefer a drive that supports Thunderbolt – such as LaCie’s high-end Rugged Pro – but Thunderbolt drives are still very expensive, making the Armor 700 a good option for people on a tighter budget. You can’t buy direct from Lexar, though, so it’s worth shopping around online to find the best price.

Many portable drives use a standard USB-C port for connecting to a Mac or PC, but SanDisk’s Pro-G40 opts for a high-speed Thunderbolt 3 port to provide maximum performance for professional users who need to work with large video and graphics files (and, of course, it’s backward-compatible with USB-C as well).

The Pro-G40 was first released in 2022, and was already on our list of the best SSD drives for Mac, but this current model provides both improved performance and higher capacity for your work files. The design hasn’t changed though, with a compact, portable drive that measures just 12mm thick, 58mm wide and 111mm long. It weighs just over 120g – depending on the capacity you choose – so you can slip it into a jacket pocket or into a carrying case alongside your MacBook with no trouble at all. The drive is also extremely tough, with a sturdy metal case that is rated IP68 – one of the highest ratings possible – for resistance to water, dust and other particles. Western Digital, which now owns the SanDisk brand, also claims that the drive can survive drops from a height of 3m, and can withstand crushing pressure of up to 4000lbs. The drive even includes a five-year warranty as well.

The 2022 version of the Pro-G40 provided read and write speeds of 2700MB/s and 1900MB/s respectively when using the Thunderbolt cable included in the box, but the current model is rated at 3000MB/s for read and 2500MB/s for write speeds. Our tests showed it to be absolutely spot-on for write performance, consistently hitting 2500MB/s. The read performance didn’t quite hit the quoted 3000MB/s, settling at just over 27000MB/s, but that’s still far faster than most USB-C drives, and provides the sort of performance that professional users need for backing up their work files.

That combination of high performance and ultra-rugged design does mean that the Pro-G40 is quite a bit more expensive than many USB-C drives, so it’s probably overkill if you just need an affordable portable drive for backing up personal files. However, professional users will be pleased to find that the price of the Pro-G40 has been reduced recently, with the 1TB model now costing $299.99/£294.99, while the 2TB version is $449.99/£441.99. And, as mentioned, there’s a new 4TB version to provide extra capacity, priced at $699.99/£687.99.

The lightweight, compact design of solid-state drives makes them a great option if you need a portable back-up drive to use with your MacBook when you’re traveling. However, portable SSDs do tend to have limited storage capacity, often with a maximum of just 1TB or 2TB. In contrast, the SanDisk Desk Drive provides both high-speed SSD performance and high capacity too, starting with a minimum of 4TB for $379.99/£359.99. If that’s not enough then you can also step up to 8TB, for $699.99/£663.99.

As the name suggests, the Desk Drive is very much designed for desktop use in an office, and it’s larger than most conventional SSDs, standing 40.2mm high and 99.2mm on each side, and weighing 268g. The drive itself is still small and light enough to slip into a backpack or traveling bag along with your MacBook, but it does require a mains power supply as well, so this isn’t a drive that is going to leave the office very often (we did try to power it through a USB-C port on our MacBook Pro, but that didn’t work).

It’s also a little disappointing that the Desk Drive just has a single USB-C port for data transfer. At this price, a couple of extra ports would have been a useful bonus, especially for MacBook models that only have a couple of USB-C ports of their own.

We didn’t have any complaints about the Desk Drive’s performance, though. SanDisk quotes a speed of 1GB/s, although the results we got were closer to 925MB/s and 910MB/s for write and read speeds respectively. That’s not as fast as some high-end SSDs that are designed for professional users – such as SanDisk’s own Pro Blade system – but it’s still a lot faster than a conventional hard drive, and the Desk Drive will be a very good option for people who simply need a fast backup drive that provides plenty of storage for photos, videos and work files.

Seagate’s OneTouch hard drives are a popular choice with many users. The OneTouch SSD is the smallest and lightest portable drive we’ve ever seen and is available in black, silver or blue.

When sitting flat on the desk it measures just 2in/50mm wide, 2.7in/70mm deep and a mere 0.4in/10.6mm thick. And it weighs only 2.6oz/74g, so you can easily slip it into your pocket and carry it around with your laptop or iPad when you’re traveling. It’s sturdily built too, with Seagate claiming that it can withstand being dropped from a height of 6.5 foot/2m.

The OneTouch drive has a USB-C interface, but Seagate includes both USB-C and USB-A cables so that you can use it with most Macs and PCs straight out of the box.

It works with Apple’s Time Machine for automatic backups, but Seagate also includes its own ToolKit app, which has a ‘sync’ option for backing up specific folders. The drive also includes a one-year free subscription to the Mylio photo-organizer app, and four months with Adobe’s CC Photography plan, normally $9.99/£9.98 a month on an annual plan (read our guide to getting the best deal on Adobe Creative Cloud).

The drive is available with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, so it provides plenty of room for backing up large libraries of photos, videos or music. It doesn’t quite match Seagate’s quoted speed of 1GB/s, but it recorded read and write speeds of 835MB/s and 915MB/s respectively in our tests, which still put it among the fastest solid-state drives that we’ve tested recently. And, with its ridiculously light and compact design, the OneTouch will be ideal for backing up all your important files when you’re on the move.

Continuing LaCie’s Rugged range of hard drives and SSDs. These have long been popular with people who need a sturdy back-up drive that can cope with rough weather and conditions when working outdoors, but the Rugged drives have always tended to be rather large and bulky – like the Rugged SSD Pro (above) – so LaCie has produced a more compact option in the form of the new Rugged Mini SSD.

As you might expect, the Rugged Mini looks very much like its rugged relatives, with LaCie’s distinctive bright orange rubber sleeve helping to keep the drive safe. But, of course, it’s a lot smaller than previous models, measuring just 17.3mm thick, 66.9mm wide, 105mm long. It only weighs 114g as well, so you can easily slip it into a jacket pocket or backpack when you’re traveling.

Despite that compact design, the Rugged Mini is still tough enough to cope with some rough treatment. It’s rated IP54 for water and dust resistance, so it should be able to cope with life outdoors if you’re working on location for a photo- or video shoot. And, thanks to that rubber sleeve, it can handle drops of up to 3m and even survive being driven over by a 1-tonne truck. And if that’s not tough enough, the drive comes with a three-year warranty that includes LaCie’s Rescue Data Recovery Service, to help restore any lost data.

The drive’s USB-C port will work with any Mac or PC that also has USB-C or Thunderbolt. But, like a number of drives that we’ve seen recently, it uses a version of USB known as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, which isn’t fully supported by Macs at the moment. This means that Macs won’t be able to get the full 2000MB/s speeds supported by that interface, and our tests confirmed this, recording write and read speeds of 900MB/s and 970MB/s respectively. We’ve seen stronger performance from some rival drives, but those speeds should be perfectly adequate for routine backups when you’re on the road, and the sturdy design of the Rugged Mini makes it a good option for people who need a drive that they can use outdoors on a regular basis.

Pricing is a little confusing, though. In the US, the Rugged Mini costs $84.99/£74.99 (1TB), $109.99/£99.99 (2TB), and $159.99/£149.99 (4TB). We’ve seen much lower prices from Amazon and other online retailers, so it’s definitely worth shopping around before buying.

Western Digital’s Passport drives have always provided portable, lightweight designs, and the My Passport SSD combines compact design with strong performance and additional security features.

Available in a variety of colors, the My Passport SSD provides up to 4TB of solid-state storage, although the 1TB model that we review here costs $74.99/£94.99.

The drive measures just 0.35in/9mm thick, and weighs 1.6oz/46g, so it’s small enough to slip into a jacket pocket when you’re on the move. However, it’s also tough enough to survive being dropped from a height of two metres.

The drive is equipped with a USB-C interface, but WD includes a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor with the drive, so you can still use it with older Macs that don’t have USB-C. The solid-state drive provides good performance too, recording a write speed of 935MB/s and read speed of 908MB/s, making it a great option for backing up your important files on the move.

It’s secure too, as WD’s Discovery app allows you to set a password for the drive in order keep your files safe. There’s a second app as well, called WD Unlocker, which is built into the drive itself, and allows you to enter the password so that you can use the drive with another Mac or PC if you need to.

When the drive was first introduced there were complaints that the WD apps hadn’t been properly updated to 64-bit code for the latest versions of the macOS, but we tested the drive with our office Macs and didn’t encounter any problems.

Read a full review over on our sister site Tech Advisor.

There are three versions of Samsung’s T7. The standard T7 is a compact, lightweight SSD that looks very similar to the old T5 – although it boasts higher performance, so make sure you check the model numbers before buying. We tested the T7 Shield, which is a more rugged model, wrapped in a sturdy rubber sleeve designed for outdoor use. Both of those models can use Samsung’s Portable SSD app to add password protection for your files, but there’s also a third model called the T7 Touch that has a built-in fingerprint sensor for extra security and convenience.

Available in black, blue or silver, the T7 Shield costs $129/£110 with 1TB of storage, but we are seeing great discounts now it’s been out a while. It has a USB-C interface for connecting to your Mac, but Samsung includes a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor so that you can use it with older Macs that have USB-A. The rugged protective sleeve means that it’s a little larger than the other T7 models, measuring 0.5in/13mm thick, 2.3in/59mm wide and 3.4in/88mm long, and weighing 3.4oz/98g. Even so, it’s still small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or backpack with no trouble at all, and many people will appreciate the extra protection that it offers.

The T7 Shield is rated IP65 for water- and dust-resistance, and Samsung claims that the shock-resistant rubber sleeve can survive drops from a height of three meters.

It’s a good performer too. Samsung quotes read and write speeds of 1,000MB/s, but our tests with the Blackmagic disk tool actually recorded a read speed of 1,780MB/s, and a write speed of 1,300MB/s, which makes the T7 Shield a great backup option for people who need to work outdoors with their laptop.

The OWC Express 1M2’s cooling fins alone account for around half of the overall height of this external SSD. The aluminum housing is quite large at 5.2 by 2.8 by 0.9 inches (13.2 by 7.1 by 2.3 centimeters) and the very high-quality metal housing also has sufficiently large rubber surfaces on the underside.

To test for speed, we used two benchmarks, Aja System Test Lite and Blackmagicdesign Disk Speed Test. The results are impressive: 2736MBps (write) and 2980MBps (read) in Aja System Test Lite. The values with Blackmagicdesign Disk Speed Test were around 100MBps higher–it cracked the 3000 MBps mark in the read test.