The Best Portable SSDs

Take your files on the go with a compact, featherlight external SSD.

One of the most useful devices to have, both for personal and professional use, is a portable SSD. As an external device, it's as simple as plugging it into a USB port, and voilà—more storage!

More importantly, SSDs dominate mechanical hard drives in terms of performance, not to mention being much easier to obtain these days. It also helps that SSDs with massive storage capacities are no longer the rare unicorns they once were.

For the sake of having storage on hand while you’re traveling, let’s take a look at the best portable SSDs available right now.

Fast, reliable, and one heck of a tough SSD

The Samsung T7 Shield has got it going on! Not just high read and write speeds but reliably consistent performance on top of a rugged exterior.

It’s tough to find a portable external SSD that aces its performance while also being capable of taking a beating. Look no further because the Samsung T7 Shield does it all, and it comes at a great price from a reputable brand.

For starters, the Samsung T7 Shield features an IP65 water and dust-resistant rating. If it gets a little wet from light rain, it’ll still function after the fact. Additionally, it’s encased in a rubbery shield featuring a series of ridges, making it quite easy to grip even when wet.

However, it’s not all about durability with the Samsung T7 Shield. The drive can reach up to 1050 MB/s and 1000 MB/s read and write speeds, respectively. That’s more than enough for personal and professional use, but more importantly, it reaches those speeds more consistently than other SSDs.

Solid performance and excellent cost per gigabyte

When you need a lot of storage, and your budget is tight, the Crucial X8 is the perfect answer. It’s available in storage sizes as large as 4TB, while still maintaining impressive read/write speeds.

Just because your budget doesn’t offer much wiggle room doesn’t mean you have to settle for subpar performance and durability—not while the Crucial X8 is an option.

Don’t let the Crucial X8’s price tag fool you. It can peak at 1050 MB/s and 1000 MB/s read and write speeds, which is fast enough for use in both a professional setting and certainly for personal use, like gaming. It’s also compatible with Apple, Windows, Android, and gaming consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox.

Thanks to an anodized aluminum chassis, the Crucial X8 is also plenty tough. You can drop the SSD from 7.5 feet, and it’ll walk away like nothing happened.

A rugged, blazingly fast option with Thunderbolt 3 support

The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro provides peace of mind with its IP67 water and dust resistance and sturdy exterior. It also features superfast read/write speeds through Thunderbolt 3.

You didn’t think we’d forget about Apple, did you? While several SSDs on our list are compatible with Apple’s lineup, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro is practically built for them.

It ultimately comes down to the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro’s Thunderbolt 3 support. It allows for read and write speeds of up to 2800 MB/s, which is beyond what you’d need in a professional setting, but if you’re an editor or working with large files of data, you’ll welcome those transfer speeds with open arms.

Speaking of creativity, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro does its name justice with a rubberized shell and an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. That’s the kind of peace of mind you need if, say, you’re snapping photos while you’re hiking.

A high-performance SSD in the palm of your hand

The Kingston XS200 is one of the most compact and lightweight SSDs. It's also quite sturdy and shockproof, and it offers fast read and write speeds with a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface.

If you want a portable SSD with a low footprint that doesn’t sacrifice performance, this super compact USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 SSD from Kingston should be right up your street.

The Kingston XS2000 is incredibly small and lightweight, not much larger than an average thumb drive. You can quickly and easily slip it into your pocket or travel bag, and thanks to its IP55 ingress rating, you don't even have to worry about dirt or lint.

Lastly, the Kingston XS2000 can achieve 2000 MB/s read and write speeds, provided you have access to USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Without those ports, the Kingston XS2000 only delivers half those speeds, which is still great and nothing to scoff at.

What's a bit of weather going to hurt?

The ADATA SE800 features an abnormally high IP68 rating, making it the most rugged and water-tight SSD here. It’s even encased in an aluminum chassis for extra protection!

If your job frequently takes you outside, then you need a portable SSD that withstands the weather just as much as you do. Considering the design and performance of the ADATA SE800, it’s hard to recommend anything else.

Starting with the case, the ADATA SE800 houses and protects the hardware with a brushed aluminum chassis, which not only looks pretty snazzy but also adds shock resistance. To further prevent damage, the ADATA SE800 features an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, so a bit of rain and dirt mean nothing to the SSD.

Along with a tough exterior, the ADATA SE800 is also quite the speedster. It can read and write data at 1000 MB/s, but if that isn’t enough, you can opt for the Gen 2x2 model to double those speeds.

A safe place to store your evergrowing game library

The WD Black P50 packs a blazingly fast read speed, making it the ideal companion for gaming on the go. It’s also quite sturdy, given its aluminum chassis and shock resistance.

Gaming on the go is more prevalent than it’s ever been, from streaming to powerful gaming laptops capable of running the latest titles. Games are also growing in size, especially AAA titles. As you game abroad, you’ll want the WD Black P50 by your side.

Whether you’re gaming on PC, Mac, Xbox, or PlayStation, the WD Black P50 is compatible with all four right out of the box. What helps is that it includes both a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable inside, so you’ll always have the right equipment for the job.

For portability, the WD Black P50 is quite slim and sturdy. All the sensitive hardware is encased in a shock-resistant aluminum cover, ensuring your hundreds of gigabytes of videogames will be safe and sound inside the SSD.

For when your creativity takes you on a journey

The SanDisk Extreme Pro was practically born for traveling due to its small stature, handy carabiner loop, and IP55 rating. It’s also quite secure for storing sensitive material.

When you’re out and about, the last thing you want to lug around is a bulky, unwieldy storage drive. Sometimes “portable” doesn’t always mean convenient. Thankfully, the SanDisk Extreme PRO is both, with high transfer speeds to boot.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro is rocking a powerful NVMe SSD capable of clocking 2000 MB/s read and write speeds. This level of speed is ideal for transferring images, videos, and other large files, while 256-bit hardware encryption keeps your sensitive files securely locked in.

For convenience, the SanDisk Extreme Pro is tiny and pocket-sized, in addition to an aluminum chassis for durability. This means you can slip it into your pocket or travel bag and know it’ll be safe the entire journey. It even has a carabiner loop for clipping to a backpack or belt.

Since you have portability in mind, and you’ll be traveling with your SSD, durability should be considered first and foremost. Performance is important, too, but would you be willing to cut back on durability for the sake of better transfer speeds?

This is why the Samsung T7 Shield is the perfect option for most people. It’s both fast and durable given the rubberized outer shell, IP65 ingress rating, and consistent performance. You can drop it from nearly 10 feet, and it’ll be just fine.

By sacrificing just a small amount of durability and performance, the Crucial X8 is still an excellent option when you’re more concerned with having as much storage as possible. Instead of rubber, the X8 features an aluminum shell, ensuring the hardware is safe if you accidentally drop it.

Fast, reliable, and one heck of a tough SSD

The Samsung T7 Shield has got it going on! Not just high read and write speeds but reliably consistent performance on top of a rugged exterior.

Brady has been crafting buyer's guide for MakeUseOf since 2021, though his professional writing experience stretches as far back as 2018. He focuses primarily on gaming, using his background as a video game journalist to help readers find the right gadgets, accessories, and hardware to get the most out of their setup.