Rankings
The SSK Portable SSD 1TB delivers blazing-fast NVMe performance via USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 in a lightweight aluminum shell, ideal for creators and mobile professionals who need rapid transfers and 4K video support. Its speed is limited by host port compatibility and it lacks rugged protection.
The Crucial X9 1TB Portable SSD offers fast 1050 MB/s USB-C performance, rugged IP55 protection, and hardware encryption in a tiny, lightweight package, though some users experience speed inconsistencies and support issues.
The Transcend 500 GB portable SSD combines fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 performance with hardware AES-256 encryption and bundled cables, delivering a secure, lightweight solution for cross-platform use.
The Seagate One Touch 1 TB SSD is a portable, high-speed external drive with USB 3.2 Gen2 performance, hardware encryption, and a valuable software bundle aimed at creative professionals.
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go 256 GB Portable SSD offers solid performance and an ultra-slim, lightweight design at a budget-friendly price. While it delivers up to 625 MB/s theoretical speeds, real-world performance can vary and it lacks hardware encryption.
The SanDisk 1TB Portable SSD offers a rugged, IP65-rated design with respectable 800 MB/s speeds, targeting creators and travelers who need durable, on-the-go storage.
The SSK 128 GB Portable SSD delivers fast USB-C transfers and ultra-light portability, ideal for mobile backups, but its limited capacity and SATA-based speed ceiling keep it from competing with higher-end NVMe drives.
The PNY Pro Elite 1TB USB-C portable SSD offers flagship-class USB 3.1 Gen 2 performance in a compact metal case, but lacks hardware encryption and can become warm under heavy use.
The OSCOO 1 TB Magnetic Portable SSD delivers flagship-class read speeds (2000 MB/s) and a unique MagSafe-compatible magnetic mount in a slim aluminum case, targeting mobile creators who need on-the-go high-bitrate recording. Speed is limited by host port capability and the drive lacks a protective case.
The Seagate One Touch SSD 500 GB delivers flagship-class sequential speeds in a pocket-sized, encrypted package, ideal for photographers and travelers. Its main drawbacks are short cables and modest random I/O performance.
The SSK 1 TB Portable SSD offers very high speeds (up to 1050 MB/s for the mid-range model) in a slim aluminum case, with broad compatibility and low power draw. However, speed consistency varies across its three performance tiers and the advertised capacity can be confusing on Windows.
The SSK Portable SSD 500GB offers fast USB-3.2 Gen 2 transfers in an ultra-compact aluminum case, making it ideal for mobile creators. While performance is solid, the lack of a Lightning cable and IP rating limit its appeal for some users.
The Crucial X9 Pro 1TB portable SSD combines a rugged IP55-rated, ultra-compact design with up to 1050 MB/s USB 3.2 Gen 2 performance and hardware encryption, making it a solid choice for mobile professionals who need fast, secure storage.
The Lexar ES3 1TB SSD is an ultra-portable, metal-cased drive offering solid 1050 MB/s read performance, software-based 256-bit AES encryption, and a lightweight design, aimed at creators who need fast, secure storage on the go.
| Attribute | | | | | | | Seagate One Touch SSD 500GB | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1,024 GBbest | 1,000 GB | 1,000 GB | 500 GB | 1,024 GBbest | 256 GB | 500 GB | 128 GB | 500 GB | 1,000 GB | 1,000 GB | 1,000 GB | 1,024 GBbest | 1,000 GB | |
1,030 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 800 MB/s | 625 MB/s | 1,030 MB/s | 550 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 2,000 MB/sbest | 890 MB/s | 2,000 MB/sbest | |
1,030 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 1,000 MB/s | 1,000 MB/s | 796 MB/s | — | 1,030 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 950 MB/s | 1,000 MB/s | 1,050 MB/s | 1,900 MB/sbest | 880 MB/s | 1,843 MB/s | |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 600 TBWbest | |
3 years | 3 years | 3 years | — | 3 years | — | 3 years | — | 5 yearsbest | 3 years | 5 yearsbest | — | 3 years | 3 years | |
| ↓ lower better | — | — | 4.7 W | 2.4 Wbest | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.7 W |
| ↓ lower better | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 Wbest | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ↓ lower better | 43 g | 38 g | 36.6 g | 84.4 g | 40 g | 10 gbest | 70 g | 43 g | 31 g | 45 g | 80 g | 48.3 g | 45.3 g | 33.8 g |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | | | | | | Seagate One Touch SSD 500GB | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Performance(3) | ||||||||||||||
Sequential Read Speed (MB/s) | 1030 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 800 MB/s | 625 MB/s | 1030 MB/s | 550 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 2000 MB/s | 890 MB/s | 2000 MB/s |
Sequential Write Speed (MB/s) | 1030 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 1000 MB/s | 1000 MB/s | 796 MB/s | — | 1030 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 950 MB/s | 1000 MB/s | 1050 MB/s | 1900 MB/s | 880 MB/s | 1843 MB/s |
Interface | USB 3.2 Gen2 Type‑C | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 1 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps |
Security(1) | ||||||||||||||
Hardware Encryption | true | true | — | — | — | false | true | — | true | false | true | — | false | — |
Storage(4) | ||||||||||||||
Capacity (GB) | 1024 GB | 1000 GB | 1000 GB | 500 GB | 1024 GB | 256 GB | 500 GB | 128 GB | 500 GB | 1000 GB | 1000 GB | 1000 GB | 1024 GB | 1000 GB |
Form Factor | Portable external SSD | — | Portable | Portable External | — | Portable | 2.5-inch | External | 2.5" | — | — | Portable | — | — |
NAND Type | — | — | 3D NAND | — | — | — | — | — | 3D NAND flash | — | — | — | 3D TLC NAND | — |
Warranty Period (years) | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | — | 3 years | — | 3 years | — | 5 years | 3 years | 5 years | — | 3 years | 3 years |
Power & Energy(2) | ||||||||||||||
Active Power Consumption (W) | — | — | 4.7 W | 2.4 W | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.7 W |
Operating Temp (Max) (°C) | — | — | 50 °C | 40.9 °C | 45 °C | — | — | 50 °C | 60 °C | — | — | — | — | 50 °C |
Design & Build(2) | ||||||||||||||
Weight (g) | 43 g | 38 g | 36.6 g | 84.4 g | 40 g | 10 g | 70 g | 43 g | 31 g | 45 g | 80 g | 48.3 g | 45.3 g | 33.8 g |
Thickness (mm) | 10.6 mm | 10 mm | 12 mm | 2 mm | 9.91 mm | 12 mm | 9.9 mm | 10.16 mm | 7.5 mm | 10.5 mm | 10 mm | 12.6 mm | 10.5 mm | 10 mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers gave it 4.5/5 stars, praising flawless performance, lightweight build, and the value-added software suite, while noting the short cable length as a drawback.
Everyday users are overwhelmingly positive, highlighting rapid photo backups, ease of use with Android devices, and overall speed, with few negative comments.
“backing up over 4,000 photos from an Android phone "with ease" and called it "worth every penny."”
“18GB in no time flat - stupendous.”
“Blistering fast speeds-lives up to the 1050 MB/s claim”
Professional reviewers praise the X9 as a sweet-spot portable SSD, highlighting its compact, rugged design, 10 Gbps USB-C performance, hardware encryption, and cool operation, while noting the lack of a 20 Gbps interface.
Everyday users overwhelmingly rate the X9 highly, lauding its speed, pocketable size, and durability, but some report occasional slow-speed units, SSD corruption after about a year, and frustrations with warranty support.
Professional reviewers praise the SSK SSD for its blazing-fast transfer rates, solid aluminum construction, and feature set that includes TRIM, S.M.A.R.T., and a high-speed SLC cache, positioning it as a strong competitor to flagship drives like the Samsung T7.
Everyday users consistently highlight the drive's speed, portability, and reliability, calling it "lightning fast" and "incredible value," while a minority report occasional speed throttling and confusion over advertised specifications.
Professional reviewers appreciate the SSK SD500's ultra-compact aluminum chassis, dual-cable package and its ability to handle 4K ProRes video directly from an iPhone. They note that its performance matches flagship drives like the Samsung T7 Shield while offering a lighter, more portable form factor, though they point out the absence of an IP rating.
Everyday users consistently praise the drive's tiny footprint, lightning-fast transfers and hassle-free plug-and-play experience. The most common complaints revolve around the missing Lightning cable, a flimsy hanging ring, and the reduced usable capacity shown on Windows.
Professional reviewers praise the drive for its solid blend of high transfer speeds, rugged IP65 construction, and lightweight design, but criticize the omission of a USB-C to USB-C cable.
Everyday users consistently commend the SSD for its speed, compactness, and durability, while noting the short cable and occasional speed drops with older ports.
Professional reviewers commend the Verbatim Store 'n' Go SSD for its ultra-slim profile, solid-state reliability and respectable speed at a budget-friendly price, though they note that it does not match the premium performance or ruggedness of higher-end competitors.
Everyday users consistently praise the drive's compact size, ease of use and noticeable speed boost over traditional HDDs, while recurring complaints focus on lower-than-advertised speeds, a plastic-type housing and the lack of built-in encryption or modern backup software for macOS.
Professional reviewers commend the One Touch SSD for its high sequential speeds, ultra-compact form factor, and solid build, noting it outperforms its predecessor and rivals like the Crucial X8. They point out the short cables and reduced performance on legacy ports, and the lack of advanced features such as biometric authentication.
Everyday users overwhelmingly praise the drive's speed, durability, and pocket-friendly size, but commonly complain about the very short cables and occasional speed drops under heavy multitasking.
Professional reviewers describe the SSK 128GB SSD as a reliable, budget-friendly portable drive that delivers solid performance for everyday tasks, noting its sturdy aluminum housing and health-monitoring features while pointing out the SATA-based speed ceiling.
Everyday users appreciate the lightning-fast transfers and tiny footprint, especially for iPhone 15 backups, but many note the limited 128 GB capacity and occasional speed drops on large files.
Professional reviewers consider the ESD265C a top-tier portable SSD, lauding its lightning-fast transfer rates, premium feel, and built-in 256-bit AES encryption.
Users overwhelmingly praise the speed and premium feel, while noting warmth under heavy use and a flimsy case.
Professional reviewers describe the Lexar ES3 as a high-speed, ultra-portable SSD with strong build quality and encryption, noting its excellent console compatibility but pointing out the lack of hardware encryption and limited iPhone support.
Everyday users rate the drive highly for speed, build quality and portability, while complaining about the lack of older iPhone support and the extra step needed for software encryption.
Professional reviewers rate the X9 Pro as a benchmark for general-purpose portable SSDs, praising its compact, rugged design, strong encryption, and near-maximum USB 3.2 Gen 2 performance.
Everyday users overwhelmingly praise the X9 Pro for its plug-and-play simplicity, lightning-fast transfers, and pocket-sized form factor, while noting the short cable and occasional warmth as drawbacks.
Professional reviewers highlight the OSCOO SSD's ability to enable high-bitrate ProRes recording on iPhones and its "pocket-sized power" performance, noting effective heat management and the convenience of magnetic mounting.
Everyday users praise the drive's blazing transfer speeds, magnetic attachment, and rugged yet lightweight design, especially for mobile video creators, while complaints focus on the need for compatible ports, lack of a case, and occasional magnet issues.
Professional reviewers praise the near-theoretical USB 3.1 Gen 2 performance, solid metal build and value versus premium rivals, while noting the lack of hardware encryption and occasional heat under load.
Everyday users rate the drive highly for its fast transfers and sturdy construction, though some report reduced speeds on M1/M2 Macs and noticeable heat during long transfers.
Professional reviewers highlight the SSK SSD's standout SLC caching and aluminum thermal design, noting stable high-speed performance even during large transfers, while cautioning that full speeds require a Gen 2x2 port and the chassis isn't ruggedized.
Everyday users rave about the lightning-fast transfers and pocket-size convenience, especially for on-the-go 4K video editing, though some are disappointed by short cables and lack of a protective case.
