Category · 6 items

External SSDs & storage

A portable SSD plugs into a Mac, a USB-C iPad or a USB-C iPhone. The drive’s top speed is only reached if your device’s port and the cable are fast enough — a USB 2 port is far slower than USB 3 or Thunderbolt.

Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0

Works with

Connector / standard

Brand

6 of 6 shown

Samsung · External SSDs & storage

Samsung Portable SSD T9

USB-C

Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps)
Speed: Up to 2,000 MB/s sequential read and write
Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB

iPhone34/34: Works, 34 of 34 models
iPad23/23: Works, 23 of 23 models
Mac45/45: Works, 45 of 45 models
Watch—: Not compatible, 0 of 20 models
AirPods—: Not compatible, 0 of 12 models

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Samsung · External SSDs & storage

Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield

USB-C

Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps)
Speed: Up to 1,050 MB/s read, 1,000 MB/s write
Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB

iPhone34/34: Works, 34 of 34 models
iPad23/23: Works, 23 of 23 models
Mac45/45: Works, 45 of 45 models
Watch—: Not compatible, 0 of 20 models
AirPods—: Not compatible, 0 of 12 models

View on Amazon.co.uk Compare

SanDisk · External SSDs & storage

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

USB-C

Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2
Speed: Up to 1050MB/s read, 1000MB/s write
Capacities: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB

iPhone34/34: Works, 34 of 34 models
iPad23/23: Works, 23 of 23 models
Mac45/45: Works, 45 of 45 models
Watch—: Not compatible, 0 of 20 models
AirPods—: Not compatible, 0 of 12 models

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SanDisk · External SSDs & storage

SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD

USB-C

Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
Speed: Up to 2000MB/s read and write
Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB

iPhone34/34: Works, 34 of 34 models
iPad23/23: Works, 23 of 23 models
Mac45/45: Works, 45 of 45 models
Watch—: Not compatible, 0 of 20 models
AirPods—: Not compatible, 0 of 12 models

View on Amazon.co.uk search results Compare

LaCie · External SSDs & storage

LaCie Rugged USB-C Portable Hard Drive

USB-CUSB-A

Type: Portable hard drive, bus-powered
Speed: Up to 130 MB/s
Interface: USB-C (USB 3.1 5Gb/s cable); USB-C to USB-A cable included

iPhone34/34: Works, 34 of 34 models
iPad23/23: Works, 23 of 23 models
Mac45/45: Works, 45 of 45 models
Watch—: Not compatible, 0 of 20 models
AirPods—: Not compatible, 0 of 12 models

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OWC · External SSDs & storage

OWC Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 Portable SSD

Thunderbolt 5

Interface: Thunderbolt 5 (built-in cable), bus-powered
Speed: Over 6000MB/s on Thunderbolt 5; up to 3800MB/s on Thunderbolt 4; up to 2800MB/s on Thunderbolt 3 (Mac); over 3800MB/s on USB4
Sustained write: 1350MB/s (2TB) and 1700MB/s (4TB) after the initial burst

iPhone34/34: Works, 34 of 34 models
iPad23/23: Works, 23 of 23 models
Mac45/45: Works, 45 of 45 models
Watch—: Not compatible, 0 of 20 models
AirPods—: Not compatible, 0 of 12 models

View on Amazon.co.uk search results Compare

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What to look for

Match the drive to your port: USB 3 (10Gb/s), USB 3.2 2x2 (20Gb/s), USB4 or Thunderbolt.
Use a cable rated for the drive’s speed — the one in the box usually is.
Speeds quoted by makers are maximums under ideal conditions.

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Samsung Portable SSD T9

Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD

LaCie Rugged USB-C Portable Hard Drive

OWC Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 Portable SSD

What to look for