The Best Portable Ssds For 2025

11 hours ago

Whether you're backing up important files, editing videos connected nan spell aliases conscionable freeing up abstraction connected your laptop, a accelerated and reliable SSD thrust tin make your workflow a full batch smoother. The champion portable SSD options successful 2025 harvester speed, durability and wide compatibility, often utilizing USB Type-C connections for speedy transfers crossed devices. Unlike a accepted thumb thrust aliases moreover nan champion outer difficult drives, these compact powerhouses tin connection faster publication speeds, often hitting respective 100 aliases moreover thousands of Mbps, particularly pinch high-performance NVMe SSD models.

Whether you're managing ample files aliases launching apps straight from your drive, we've rounded up nan champion SSDs that present fantabulous capacity without weighing you down.

Best outer SSDs for 2025
Other outer SSDs we tested
What to see earlier buying an outer SSD
How we trial outer SSDs
Recent updates

Best outer SSDs for 2025

The Crucial X9 Pro vanished astatine aliases conscionable nether nan apical successful each of our benchmarks comparative to its velocity class, and it stayed noticeably cooler than astir of nan different drives we tested aft extended use. It’s a USB 3.2 Gen 2 model, truthful it’s slower than alternatives based connected Thunderbolt, USB4 aliases USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, but it costs less, and it’s still speedy capable for nan non-professional tasks astir group do pinch a portable SSD. Ports that tin really utilize USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds thin to beryllium much ubiquitous connected mainstream computers, too. This isn’t nan cheapest 10 Gbps thrust around, but it’s successful nan aforesaid ballpark arsenic its peers and isn’t excessively expensive. As of this writing, a 1TB exemplary is disposable for $95, though it often goes for less. (We’ve seen it autumn arsenic debased arsenic $60 successful nan past.) 2TB and 4TB versions are besides available.

Besides its comparatively speedy performance, nan X9 Pro stands retired for being truthful tiny. Its aluminum lawsuit is shorter than a in installments paper and easy to fresh successful a pocket, weighing successful astatine conscionable 1.34 ounces. The full point is IP55-rated, truthful it’ll past particulate and h2o splashes, and it’s backed pinch a five-year warranty, which is simply a mates years longer than immoderate alternatives.

Our only existent complaints are that nan included USB-C cablegram is mini and there’s nary adapter for USB-A ports successful nan box. And while nan X9 Pro can utilize 256-bit hardware-based encryption, Micron (Crucial’s genitor company) hasn’t released its ain password protection instrumentality to return afloat advantage of it. We’ll besides statement that there’s a cheaper non-”Pro” X9, but that 1 uses QLC flash, truthful it’s not arsenic durable aliases accelerated (especially pinch sustained writes). The X9 Pro is nan amended buy.

Pros

Great capacity for its velocity class
Rugged and ace compact shape factor
Stays comparatively cool pinch extended use
Five-year warranty

Cons

There are cheaper 10 Gbps drives
Included USB-C cablegram is short, and there's nary USB-A cablegram successful nan box

$80 astatine Amazon

The Kingston XS1000 performs likewise to nan Crucial X9 Pro but often retails for less, truthful it’s a bully replacement if you want to prevention immoderate cash. A 1TB exemplary is disposable for $75 arsenic we constitute this, which is $20 little than nan X9 Pro, while nan 2TB type is down to $120, which is simply a astir $30 drop. There’s nary 4TB option, though.

At those prices, nan XS1000 is simply a bully worth for mundane backups and transfers. It kept up pinch aliases somewhat edged nan X9 Pro crossed our benchmarks: In our civilization record transportation test, for example, its sounds were a 2nd faster, while its writes were only six seconds slower. (The 2 drives look to person comparable internals and are based connected a akin controller — nan Silicon Power SM2320G — truthful this whitethorn not beryllium a immense surprise.) It topped each USB 3.2 Gen 2 thrust we tested successful 3DMark’s gaming retention benchmark arsenic well. It’s somewhat thicker than nan X9 Pro but still wonderfully portable, pinch its stubby rectangular creation weighing conscionable complete an ounce. Like nan Crucial drive, it’s backed by a five-year warranty.

Where Kingston’s exemplary falls down Crucial’s X9 Pro is successful nan extras. There’s nary general IP aliases driblet ratings, truthful we wouldn’t consciousness arsenic comfortable chucking it astir connected nan go. It lacks hardware-based encryption, and it only comes pinch a USB-C to A cable, truthful you’ll request to proviso your ain adapter if your laptop only has USB-C ports. It doesn’t enactment rather arsenic cool arsenic nan X9 Pro pinch continuous use, and its sustained constitute capacity isn’t arsenic accelerated either, truthful it’s worthy paying up if you scheme to regularly transcript hundreds of gigabytes to nan SSD (and can’t conscionable get a higher-class model). For nan money, though, each of this whitethorn beryllium easier to overlook.

Pros

Faster than astir 10 Gbps drives we tested
Aggressively priced
Highly portable
Five-year warranty

Cons

No general water-resistance aliases driblet protection
No USB-C to C cablegram successful nan box
Only disposable successful 1TB aliases 2TB
Slower sustained constitute capacity than X9 Pro pinch very ample files

$80 astatine Amazon

Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Size: 4.13 x 2.52 x 0.62 inches (with instrumentality off), 4.82 x 2.52 x 0.62 inches (with instrumentality on) | Weight: 6.4 ounces | USB interface: USB4 (40 Gbps) | Controller/bridge chip: Asmedia ASM2464PD | NAND type: TLC | Rated maximum sequential speeds: 3,800 MB/s read, 3,700 MB/s constitute | Warranty: Five years

If you’re a media editor, IT master aliases conscionable an enthusiast consenting to salary for a importantly faster portable SSD, get nan ADATA SE920. It uses nan newer USB4 interface and blew distant each non-40 Gbps thrust we tested crossed our benchmark tests.

In AmorphousDiskMark, for example, nan Crucial X9 Pro delivered sequential sounds and writes astir 1,015 MB/s and 950 MB/s, respectively; pinch nan SE920, those were astir 3,350 MB/s and 3,125 MB/s. In our civilization mixed record transportation test, we were capable to move our 70GB files to our MacBook successful 32 seconds; pinch nan X9 Pro, that process averaged astir 81 seconds. Writing nan files to nan drive, meanwhile, was astir 30 seconds faster. If you’re buying an outer SSD to move astir ample chunks of data, this benignant of leap adds up.

The thrust itself is importantly bigger and thicker than either of our picks above, but it’s not truthful ample that we’d telephone it unwieldy. It’s astir nan size of a platform of cards, truthful it’ll fresh amended successful a container than a pants pocket. Beyond that, nan brushed metallic exterior feels crisp to nan touch, and ADATA supports nan instrumentality pinch a five-year warranty.

That said, this point tin get earnestly hot. The creation includes a built-in micro instrumentality to thief dissipate heat, which you activate conscionable by clicking nan lawsuit down; that’s clever, but it’s not capable to support nan thrust cool connected its own. All of this comes astatine a value premium, too, pinch a 1TB exemplary presently disposable for $180. But if capacity is nan only point that matters to you, it should beryllium worthwhile.

Pros

Blazingly accelerated 40 Gbps performance
Slick metallic enclosure
Smaller than different USB4 and Thunderbolt SSDs we tested
Clever built-in fan
Five-year warranty

Cons

Gets basking moreover pinch instrumentality activated
Pricier and still larger than different picks
Requires USB4 larboard to scope maximum speeds

$180 astatine Amazon

Other outer SSDs we tested

The pre-built OWC Express 1M2 is simply a premium-feeling USB4 SSD that’s astir arsenic accelerated arsenic nan ADATA SE920, but it’s larger and importantly much costly arsenic of this writing.

If you’re successful nan comparatively mini group pinch a PC that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 but not Thunderbolt aliases USB4, nan Crucial X10 Pro is fundamentally a faster type of our apical pick. The Lexar SL600 is simply a larger but somewhat quicker option, while nan Lexar SL500, Kingston XS2000 aliases Samsung T9 could besides activity if you spot them connected discount. As a reminder, though, drives for illustration these are aimed chiefly astatine contented creators and different professionals, and you person to make judge you won’t upgrade to a instrumentality pinch a faster USB interface anytime soon.

The Samsung T7 Shield has a conveniently rugged creation pinch a rubberized, IP65-rated shell. It besides comes pinch some USB-C and USB-A cables. But it was consistently slower than nan X9 Pro and XS1000 successful our benchmark tests, positive it has a shorter three-year warranty.

The Silicon Power PX10 is an particularly affordable USB 3.2 Gen 2 model. Its highest speeds weren’t too acold disconnected nan X9 Pro aliases XS1000 successful synthetic benchmarks, but it tin get distractingly basking and its sustained writes are markedly worse. It took 50 seconds longer to move our 70GB civilization trial files to this thrust compared to nan X9 Pro, for example.

The Crucial X6 is different low-cost action that’s a bully spot slower than our apical picks. It’s constricted to a three-year warranty and lacks an IP standing arsenic well. It’s not a unspeakable action for nan basics, but there’s small logic to get it complete nan XS1000 erstwhile their prices are similar.

The OWC Envoy Pro FX is well-built and supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2, but it’s a smidge slower than nan SE920 and Express 1M2, and it’s overmuch pricier than nan former.

Lifestyle trading photograph of a personification utilizing a Windows laptop pinch a Samsung portable SSD plugged into it. A camera is besides nearby, and it each sits connected a greenish and orangish surface.

What to see earlier buying an outer SSD

Capacity

The first point to fig retired earlier buying a portable SSD is conscionable really overmuch retention abstraction you need. Most of nan SSD drives we considered for this guideline are disposable successful capacities ranging from 1 to 4 terabytes, though plentifulness of smaller and larger options exist.

There’s nary hard-and-fast norm for which size is “best” — that’ll yet dangle connected your fund and what precisely you’re looking to stash. But successful general, it’s amended to overcompensate than underdo it. Nobody wants to beryllium forced into buying a 2nd thrust because they filled nan first 1 up excessively quickly. If you’re backing up a PC, a bully norm of thumb is to bargain an outer SSD pinch doubly arsenic overmuch abstraction arsenic your computer’s soul storage. This way, you tin prevention astatine slightest 1 afloat backup while besides having room for further data. If you want to shop a bunch of PlayStation aliases Xbox games pinch immense instal sizes, you whitethorn request much space. If you conscionable want to backmost up a mini postulation of files, you whitethorn beryllium amended disconnected redeeming your rate and conscionable getting a smaller USB flash drive aliases thumb thrust instead, which aren’t rather nan aforesaid arsenic nan champion portable SSDs we tested for this guide.

Price

In general, you get a amended price-per-gigabyte ratio nan further you spell up nan capacity ladder. As of this writing, nan 1TB Samsung T9 is priced astatine $130, aliases $0.13 per gigabyte (GB), while nan 4TB version is disposable for $297 aliases $0.07 per GB. That technically makes nan larger exemplary a amended “value,” but not everyone needs to salary that overmuch much upfront.

SSDs successful nan aforesaid velocity people thin to not alteration too wildly successful position of performance, truthful portion of our decision-making for this guideline came down to which ones are often nan cheapest. But prices tin up and down complete time; if you spot that 1 of our apical picks is priced measurement higher than a comparable honorable mention, consciousness free to get nan latter. At this constituent successful time, costs are broadly trending upwards for moreover nan champion SSDs.

The ADATA SE920 portable SSD connected to an Apple MacBook Pro.

Speed and USB interface

Just astir each outer SSDs are importantly faster than mechanical difficult disk drives (HDDs), truthful you’ll prevention clip waiting for files to transportation and games to load nary matter what. Within nan market, however, location are chopped capacity tiers. These are defined successful ample portion by nan USB interface a thrust supports. While each of nan SSDs we considered for this guideline tin link complete USB Type-C, immoderate USB-C connections tin proviso faster transportation speeds than others. Sorting done this tin get existent confusing existent fast, truthful we’ll effort to put it successful elemental terms.

You tin fundamentally disagreement today’s harvest of portable SSDs into different segments. At nan very apical are drives that utilize nan (relatively) caller Thunderbolt 5 standard, which has a theoretical maximum transportation complaint of 80 gigabits per 2nd (Gbps). (You whitethorn spot it advertise speeds up to 120 Gbps, but that boost doesn’t use to retention devices.) But portable SSDs that support this tech only conscionable started to trickle retired toward nan extremity of 2024, and nan marketplace for devices pinch Thunderbolt 5 ports is still fairly limited, pinch nan astir notable exceptions being Apple’s top-end Macs pinch an M4 Pro aliases M4 Max chip.

Thunderbolt 5 is built connected a spec called USB4, which tin technically scope up to 80 Gbps arsenic good but is much typically disposable successful a spirit that tops retired astatine 40 Gbps. Portable SSDs based connected that modular started to rotation retired toward nan extremity of 2023 but are still comparatively infrequent. The older Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, which different high-end outer SSDs proceed to use, support nan aforesaid 40 Gbps maximum.

A third type of USB4, meanwhile, maxes astatine 20 Gbps, arsenic does an older yet much often utilized modular called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Below that is USB 3.2 Gen 2, which maxes astatine 10 Gbps. Then there’s USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is capped astatine 5 Gbps. Lastly, we’ll bundle together SSDs that usage older standards and aren’t worthy considering here.

To make this easy: For mundane folks, a bully USB 3.2 Gen 2 thrust is nan saccharine spot betwixt fast-enough performance, wide-enough compatibility and cheap-enough price, truthful those dress up our superior recommendations above. If you activity successful a imaginative section aliases don’t mind paying other to shave seconds disconnected your ample record transfers, though, a “higher-tier” exemplary would make sense. However, statement that existent computers that utilize USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 aren’t ace communal — nary Mac supports it, for 1 — and nan interface is efficaciously being replaced by USB4.

In general, your concatenation is only arsenic beardown arsenic its weakest link: If your machine only has USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, for example, you could still use a Thunderbolt SSD, but you won’t get beyond Gen 2 speeds. Make judge you cognize what you’re moving pinch earlier you buy.

As a refresher, retention devices are broadly measured successful position of publication speeds and constitute speeds. The erstwhile refers to really agelong it takes to entree thing from nan drive; nan latter, really agelong it takes to prevention thing to it. From there, you tin break these metrics into sequential and random performance. Sequential speeds thin to matter much pinch portable SSDs, since astir group usage them to prevention aliases entree long, changeless streams of information specified arsenic a bunch of high-res photos. Random speeds would beryllium important if you want to tally video games aliases apps disconnected nan drive, since that’d impact reference and penning smaller, much scattered files. Either way, really good an SSD tin prolong its capacity pinch extended usage is besides critical.

Other capacity factors and enclosures

A modern portable SSD’s speeds aren’t conscionable astir its USB interface, though. Its capacity tin besides dangle connected really precocious its controller is, whether it has a autochthonal USB flash controller aliases a abstracted span spot to pass pinch a big device, nan benignant and value of NAND flash representation it uses, whether it has a DRAM cache aliases it’s DRAM-less, and more.

We’re simplifying things, but present are immoderate speedy tips: Drives pinch triple-level compartment (TLC) representation aren’t arsenic inexpensive arsenic quad-level compartment (QLC) SSDs, but they’re mostly much reliable and they connection amended constitute performance. Having a dedicated DRAM cache helps if you scheme to deed your thrust pinch much intense, sustained workloads, but whitethorn not beryllium worthy nan other costs for astir people. Some models pinch autochthonal flash controllers whitethorn not execute arsenic good arsenic those pinch a bridging chip, depending connected nan SSD inside, but they typically tie little power and are physically smaller. All of this is to opportunity that an outer SSD’s speeds aren’t rather arsenic straightforward arsenic what nan shaper chooses to advertise connected nan box.

It’s besides worthy remembering that you tin move an soul SSD into a portable solution pinch a bully enclosure. If you person a spare thrust and don’t mind going nan DIY route, this tin beryllium a cheaper and much elastic solution, though we’ve stuck to pre-built models for this guideline for nan liking of simplicity.

Size, durability, endurance and warranty

Most portable SSDs are impressively mini and light, truthful they won’t beryllium difficult to tuck successful a container (or moreover a pocket) and return connected nan go. We statement supra if immoderate thrust is bulkier than usual.

Nothing we’re talking astir matters if your thrust can’t past successful nan agelong term. It’s difficult to definitively opportunity which outer SSDs are nan astir reliable, but we scoured done personification reviews and feedback while researching this guideline to guarantee nary of our picks show a shape of catastrophic errors. If location was excessively overmuch fume astir a peculiar model, we steered clear. We ruled retired definite drives from SanDisk and Western Digital, for instance, aft reports from Ars Technica and The Verge noted an rumor that led to information nonaccomplishment (and lawsuits) successful 2023.

That said, 1 of nan large reasons you’d bargain an SSD successful wide is its superior durability. Because it has nary moving mechanical parts inside, an SSD has acold less avenues to nonaccomplishment than an outer difficult drive. You still don’t want to beryllium sloppy pinch them, but an accidental driblet shouldn’t beryllium nan extremity of nan world.

Some portable SSDs build connected this inherent ruggedness pinch integrative aliases rubberized casings and much robust waterproofing. These aren’t basal for everyone, but if you’re a predominant traveler aliases personification who often useful outdoors, location are options for you.

Still, each drives tin fail. If you person immoderate benignant of information you’d beryllium distraught to lose, you should backmost it up regularly, past make a 2nd backup, ideally pinch a unreality service. Along those protective lines, we besides took statement of nan warranty argumentation for each thrust we tested. Just astir each of them are backed for either 3 aliases 5 years; of course, longer is better.

Encryption and software

It’s not uncommon to shop delicate information connected a portable SSD, truthful immoderate models connection other information features for illustration hardware-based encryption — i.e., nonstop scrambling of information stored connected nan thrust itself — built-in keypads and fingerprint readers to protect against unauthorized entree if nan thrust is mislaid aliases stolen. While not apical requirements, perks for illustration these are surely bully to have. Some SSDs besides travel pinch companion package to further negociate nan drive. The champion of those tin beryllium useful to person around, but we wouldn’t telephone them essential.

How we trial outer SSDs

Unfortunately, we did not person entree to a instrumentality that tin make afloat usage of USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and Thunderbolt/USB4 speeds interchangeably, truthful we had to divided our testing crossed aggregate devices, including an M1 Pro MacBook Pro and an Alienware gaming PC moving Windows 11. Because of this, we chiefly compared nan portable SSDs wrong each “class” against 1 another. Before switching OSes, we reformatted each thrust to each platform’s modular record strategy format: APFS for macOS and NTFS for Windows.

After researching which SSDs had capable affirmative feedback to beryllium worthy testing successful nan first place, we put 13 drives done a scope of synthetic and “real-world” benchmark tests. On Windows, these included CrystalDiskMark, PCMark 10’s Data Drive Benchmark and 3DMark’s gaming-focused Storage Benchmark. On macOS, we utilized AmorphousDiskMark (effectively a Mac type of CrystalDiskMark), BlackMagic Disk Speed Test and ATTO Disk Benchmark.

We besides timed really agelong it took for each thrust to publication and constitute a civilization 70GB files filled pinch astir 11,500 different files, including photos, videos, euphony files, PDFs and different ample and mini information types scattered crossed galore subfolders. We performed aggregate passes for each trial to debar irregularities, and we kept way of each SSD’s power levels complete nan people of nan full suite. Our process wasn't a cleanable science, but it gave america a wide consciousness of really each thrust compares to different models successful its value and capacity range.

Recent updates

February 2025: We’ve checked to guarantee nan pricing info and links successful this guideline are still accurate. We’ve besides added specifications connected nan (relatively) caller Thunderbolt 5 interface, which has been implemented successful a mates caller portable SSDs for illustration nan OWC Envoy Ultra and LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5. We’ll look to see testing notes for those for our adjacent update, arsenic they should beryllium faster than nan ADATA SE920, our existent premium pick, albeit for a overmuch higher price. For now, though, our apical picks stay nan same.

October 2024: We’ve taken a expanse done this guideline to guarantee each pricing and readiness info is still correct. Our recommendations are unchanged.