Everyone who owns a Mac should consider getting an external hard drive. Apart from giving you additional storage for your files, an external hard drive can also securely hold a Time Machine backup of your Mac, allow you to share data seamlessly, and give your computer extra power. However, not all hard drives are created equally.
There are two general types of hard drives available on the market: hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SDDs). The main difference between the two is that HDDs contain mechanical parts meanwhile SSDs do not. Because of this, SDDs are significantly faster with shorter read/write time and lower latency. In addition, SSDs are equipped with high-speed PCBs that allow for high-density interconnectivity and the creation of smaller features. This means that SSDs are generally lighter and smaller than your regular HDDs.
With the wide variety of external SDDs available in today’s market, how will you know which one best suits your Mac? In this post, we list down five external SSDs that you should consider buying for your Mac in 2021.
Seagate OneTouch SSD
The HDD version of Seagate OneTouch is a wildly popular option for many folks, but the SSD version really kicks things up a notch. For one, it’s a really small SSD with it measuring just 50mm wide and 10.6 mm thick, and weighing only 74 grams. While the OneTouch drive has a USB-C interface, it includes both USB-A and USB-C cables so both PC and Mac users can use it with ease out of the box.
SanDisk Extreme V2
SanDisk leveled up the original Extreme with the V2 version. While the design hasn’t really changed, with it staying compact and having that signature gray lozenge, SanDisk claims that the Extreme V2 is twice as fast as the previous version. Its recorded write speed is at 938 MB/s and the read speed is 908 MB/s. It also comes with a rubber-wrapped casing, which makes it extra sturdy and shock-resistant from drops of two meters.
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro
A lot of Mac users have long patronized LaCie’s drives due to their high performance and durability. However, previous Rugged drives from Lacie have mostly used HDDs. Thankfully, they’ve released the Rugged SSD Pro, which combines the speed of SSDs with LaCie’s Rugged technology. This means that it’s able to deliver supreme speeds while being water and dust resistant, as well as being able to cope from three meter drops. In addition, the Rugged SSD Pro also has a five-year warranty in the rare event that it doesn’t live up to its claims.
Samsung T5
On the go Mac users will love the Samsung T5. This is a straightforward portable SSD with a robust build thanks to its curved aluminum frame. Because it’s exFat-formatted, the Samsung T5 works with any Mac computer instantly. Additionally, the drive is installed with software that allows you to password-protect the contents of your drive using 256-bit encryption.
G-Technology G-Drive Mobile SSD
While it may not be as popular as the other brands in this list, G-Technology’s G-Drive Mobile SSD is one of the most Mac-centric models that you can buy on the market. Included in the box are USB-C and USB-A cables, which allow you to readily plug the G-Drive Mobile into any Mac computer. It’s perfect for Macs because it’s ready-formatted for macOS, unlike most that use the cross-platform ExFat.
If you’re on the lookout for an SSD that’s perfect for your Mac computer, be sure to consider the options above. For more insightful articles such as how to troubleshoot a Mac computer or how to choose the best chatbot, do check our other posts.
