The Best Portable Storage for Back to School
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While cloud storage solutions are convenient, they can be limited by your connection to the Internet. Some good old-fashioned external storage always gets the job done, and in fact, they’re not so old-fashioned these days. You can get modern portable solid-state drives that are faster than ever, and even USB drives and external hard drives are better than ever. Almost every drive on this list is rugged, with secure encryption, or both, so your data will be protected from the elements and any potential thieves.
Samsung Portable SSD T3
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Portable SSDs are very expensive, but for the money, you won’t find anything faster in a portable device. The Samsung Portable SSD T3 is faster than any available USB flash drive (and of course any hard drive), with sequential read/write speeds of 450 MB/s, and it still fits nicely in your pocket. It’s basically a Samsung 850 Evo SSD, but smaller, which is a great pairing. Measuring 74 x 58 x 10.5 mm and weighing 51 grams, the T3 is shock-resistant despite its small size, with an external metal body and an internal support frame.
Also, despite being small and fast, you still get a lot of storage capacity out of it. The number of stacked layers of V-NAND flash memory cells has increased from 32 in T1 to 48 in T3, and Samsung has been able to double the storage capacity of the T1 model. You can choose from 250GB, 500GB, 1TB or even 2TB options. You’ll pay upwards of $740 for the largest T3, so only buy it if you really need it.
LaCie XtremKey
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We don’t know what kind of extreme situations you will encounter on your way to school. Whether that includes freezing temperatures, underwater sections or public transportation, the LaCie XtremKey should be able to withstand it all. It’s a 128GB USB 3.0 drive that measures 0.1 x 2.9 x 0.9 inches and weighs 3 ounces. There are also 64GB and 32GB versions to choose from, although it’s often more cost-effective to buy a higher capacity these days. The XtremKey is expensive, especially since you can find 4TB of storage below for the same price, but there’s a reason behind the price.
The XtremKey is small but specially designed to withstand various penalties. It can withstand temperatures from -50C to 200C, waterproof depth up to 200m, shock resistance, compression resistance and drop resistance. It’s all thanks to the 2mm Zamac alloy housing, which is sealed with waterproof threads and a sealed rubber O-ring. It’s not just elemental protection either, as XtremKey features AES 256-bit encryption to keep your files safe.
Seagate Expansion 4TB
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If you just want lots of serious storage, Seagate has some great options for you. For just over $100, you can get 4TB of storage, which isn’t quite as fast, but it’s still good value for money. You can even go all the way up to 8TB if you want. Measuring 20.9 x 80 x 117 mm and weighing 238 grams, it’s larger and heavier than many of the other drives on this list, but it’s still a manageable and portable size.
All you have to do is plug in the USB cable and you’re set. No software required, no external power supply required. Seagate Expansion external hard drives are an easy way to transfer large numbers of files from one place to another. However, if you’re looking for speed, you might want to look elsewhere.
Western Digital My Passport Ultra
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The Western Digital My Passport Ultra has more style than many other portable drives, which may be important to you. The drive itself is available in a variety of colors, and WD has introduced Grip Packs that add more color to the exterior. It’s not just about looks, though, as this is a reasonably fast external hard drive that comes in 500GB, 1TB, 1.5TB, 2TB, 3TB, and even 4TB models.
Measuring 110 x 81.5 x 12.7 mm and weighing 153 grams, the My Passport Ultra is beautiful and lightweight enough to fit in a pocket for easy portability. In addition, it installs the WD Backup, WD Security and WD Utilities applications, which allow you to choose which files to back up regularly, protect your files with 256-AES hardware encryption, and let you check the status of your drives and easily reformat them. There’s also a metal version if you want to give your drive more style, and while WD says it’s a “performance tweak,” there’s not much difference between the two.
Seagate Wireless Plus
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The Seagate Wireless Plus isn’t the fastest external hard drive on this list, it’s not the largest, and it’s not the cheapest. But it’s wireless, which is handy if you want to access files from it on multiple devices. Another option for the wireless market might be LaCie’s Fuel, owned by Seagate, but it’s a bit bigger and a bit slower. This one measures 127 x 89 x 20 mm, weighs 254 grams, and is available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB models.
It connects via WiFi, can share Internet connection with up to 7 devices, and share content with up to 8 devices within 40 meters. The main problem here is that the Wireless Plus needs to be charged, which can take up to 9 hours if it’s just connected via USB. Also, compared to some of the drives on this list, you might find the prices quite intimidating. This is an option if you have extra cash and have a practical use for it.
Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
If you’re concerned about the security of your data, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC features 256-bit AES encryption and hardware-based Near Field Communication technology. Once encryption is set up, you must touch the NFC card to the drive to get your data, or use a password if you don’t have a card.
You can choose a 1TB or 2TB version, and while that’s not the most storage space on this list, it’s probably more than enough for most people. It measures 3.54 by 5.55 by 0.83 inches and weighs 11 ounces, which is average for a drive of this type. It’s also very durable, waterproof and dustproof, and has a built-in USB cable, which is very convenient.
Apricorn Aegis Padlock DT FIPS
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If you need a lot of storage space, and need super security, then you might want to check out the Apricorn Aegis Padlock DT FIPS. Like many of the other drives on this list, this external hard drive has storage capacities all the way up to 8TB and comes with 256-bit AES encryption. The added bonus of this keyboard with unlocked data, even if it’s just a slideshow of pictures of cats, it’s so important that it looks like anything you carry with you.
It’s worth remembering that this comes at a cost, both literally and figuratively. You’ll spend hundreds of thousands to get the most storage, and even the smallest 1TB version will cost you nearly $200. Also, it’s big and bulky. The sturdy aluminum case weighs 2.5 pounds and measures 1.5 x 4.5 x 7.2 inches, so you won’t be taking it with you.
patriot supersonic super
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If all you want is a small USB drive with plenty of storage, you can’t go wrong with the Patriot Supersonic Mega. Available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities, it measures just 0.4 x 1.1 x 2.8 inches and weighs just 0.8 ounces, about what you’d expect. It’s also very fast, with Patriot claiming that it has a write speed of up to 70 MB/s and a read speed of 380 MB/s.
For such speed and storage, the Patriot Supersonic Mega is also reasonably priced, although you’ll pay $150 for the 512GB version for the same price that will get you more storage on a regular external drive. You pay for size and ease of use here, and most importantly, it looks very stylish and shock-resistant.
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt
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The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt is a fast, rugged, portable solid state drive with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports. The Thunderbolt cable is permanently attached, you can remove the USB cable if you wish, plus you can cover the port for added style and protection when not in use. It’s available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB models, so whatever your storage needs, it should meet your needs.
It measures 1 x 3.5 x 5.5 inches, so it’s fairly small, and it weighs 12 ounces, so you can easily carry it around. It also looks nice, and if a little ostentation, its orange rubber case also makes it resistant to drops of up to 5 feet. It’s waterproof and dustproof, and comes with fairly standard AES 256-bit encryption. This version offers read speeds of up to 378 MB/s, and there is also a hard drive version that offers 122 MB/s.
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