Digitalspacebar.com is reader-supported and the following article contain affiliate links, When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
#1 Seagate Backup Plus
Seagate has six different external hard drives families, and the Backup Plus is certainly the one that grabbed my attention the most. It combines the strengths of Seagate’s Basic range (affordability, no-frill approach) with some unique features of its own like a plethora of colors – seven in all – and a 1-year data recovery warranty.
Remember that this is a portable hard drive, which means that you can easily carry it around. It is not bulky as a desktop hard drive and doesn’t need an external power supply. The drive we reviewed is the largest of the range and features Seagate’s Dashboard software, compatible with Windows and Mac OS.
#2 Silicon Power Armor A66
The Silicon Power A66 is the equivalent of an Olympic Heptathlon specialist. It is a portable hard drive that combines three important attributes in anyone’s quest for external storage nirvana: It is big – in terms of absolute capacity, it is cheap compared to other rivals (like the Sandisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD) and your data will be better protected as long as you don’t intend to immerse it in water (it is only IPX4 rated).
The A66 doesn’t come with any bundled software and the cable it comes with is a special one (Type-A both ways which makes replacing it problematic). In real world tests, it performs in line with the rest of the HDD-based competition; expect to spend far more on a rugged SSD if you want something speedier, more resilient, smaller and which can be used with a mobile device.
#3 ADATA HD710 PRO
With tiny moving parts, Hard disk drives (HDDs(opens in new tab)) are fragile. All your data can be inaccessible in a second just by a mishap. Most of the failures can be attributed to damaged disk surfaces caused by physical shocks; being hit, falling over, or being dropped. Sudden shocks, especially while in use, can cause the head to crash or damage the platter. Just exposing it to the elements can ruin your data and your day. That’s why if you use external drives while outdoors a regular external hard drive becomes a risky proposition.
An IP68-rated device can withstand dust, dirt, and sand, and can be submerged up to 1.5m underwater for 30 minutes. Sounds good? Well, that’s the kind of certification rating the ADATA HD 710 Pro packs up its sleeve. The firm went above and beyond to protect HDD internals with a silicone casing, triple-layered construction, and vibration sensing technology so it can withstand falls from 1.5m.
It’s fast with a 5Gbps USB 3.1 interface and with its 4TB capacity it’ll suit the needs (and then some) of the average mobile worker on the go. The firm provides this model in four colors which makes separating projects by color-coded drives a breeze, believe me, you don’t want labels in an outdoor environment. Its “wrap-around” system means the cable is always with the drive so it doesn’t tangle or get in the way. Super useful when taking the drive with you in a backpack(opens in new tab).
#4 Buffalo MiniStation Extreme
Water-resistant and shock-proof, the MiniStation Extreme NFC from Buffalo isn’t indestructible, but it’s a nice change from some of the dangerously flimsy external hard drives available.
The rugged chassis stores a 2.5-inch laptop hard drive enclosed in shock-absorbent bumpers designed so the HD can survive drops from up to 1.2 meters (4 feet). It won’t survive being dropped out of a window, but it’ll be fine being knocked off a table. The IP5X certification means it is almost dust-proof, and the IPX3 certification means it can handle a water spray at up to a 60-degree angle.
A key feature is its 256-bit AES encryption with near-field communication (NFC) capability, allowing it to be unlocked with a simple touch of a smartphone. With NTFS pre-formatted, it can be used immediately with a Windows computer. Mac users can format it into HFS+ if they wish so, of course. Better yet, if you format it as exFAT, it will support Mac, PC, and the Playstation 4 and 5 game consoles all at once.
The drive comes preloaded with Buffalo’s “ModeChanger” utility for Windows and Mac that switches it from Open to Secure and vice-versa. Mode switching takes less than a minute and the drive must be reformatted after that.
The LED lights at the front of the drive light up green for USB 2.0 and blue for USB 3.0 connection. Its wraparound USB cable -permanently attached at one end saves you from losing the cable but if you need a longer cable you’ll have to use a male/female cable in between.