Best External Hard Drives To Consider In 2023:
If you are looking for some good quality and high speed External Hard drives (HDD) that can run on any device like Macbook Laptops, Mac PC, Xbox, Play Stations, or a Windows PC then in this guide we have reviewed the five most recommended external hard drives that you should consider. These Hard drives are very up-to-date and faster as compared to other normal Hard drives, along with the higher speed these Hard drives come with USB 3.0 connectivity which makes them a more future-proof and further boost in their speed.
Which Brand Is Best For Hard Drives?
The most recommended brand that I will recommend for Hard drives is only Seagate. Seagate is one of the most high-rated HDD brands which is currently producing the most valuable Hard Drives for the money. Seagate hard drives have a fast speed of data transferring and data reading, also they are great at building quality and long-term performance.
Are WD Hard drives Better than Seagate?
No. Western Digital (WD) brand is actually a very good brand but if we compared their hard drives to some of the top-tier Seagate hard drives then there is a huge performance difference between both and Seagate beats WD drives by performance and for providing better value for the money.
Are USB 3.0 External Hard Drives Supported By All Devices (Mac, PC, Xbox, PS)?
Yes, USB 3.0 is supported by Mac, PC, Xbox and PS4, and PS5, because USB 3.0 is the most common port nowadays and it is good for its high speed and performance. USB 3.0 is supported by all the major electronic devices like Play stations, Xbox (not the very old ones), Mac, and PC.
Best External HDD For PC, PS5, Mac (Latest 2023)
1. Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive HDD
2. WD 2TB Elements Portable HDD
3. Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive HDD
1. Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive HDD — USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PlayStation, & Xbox
Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive Review:
Seagate portable External Hard drive is one of the most recommended external hard drives because of its super fast speed and impressive design. The build quality of this Seagate Hard drive is completely premium and solid, it has a hard texture and it comes with a beautiful cover that protects the inner hard drive disks from getting damaged.
Most Durable Hard Drive:
Mostly hard drives are easy to get damaged as compared to SSDs because they include those disks which spin inside and by that spinning the hard drive is capable of reading and writing data. Unlike Hard drives SSDs work very differently, they have no disks spinning inside them which means a higher lifespan with better speed but they are very expensive than HDDs.
Fast Read And Write Speed:
This Seagate Portable 2TB External hard drive gives very impressive value for money because it is only priced around $50-$60 and it has 2TB of storage capacity which is insane. This hard drive is having a very quick read and write speed which makes it further acceptable for gamers. For gamers.
this Hard drive is the most recommended hard drive because if you are playing games on any normal external hard drive then there will be apparently a little delay in reading and writing data which will affect the overall performance of the game and also will increase the loading time of the game.
Keeps Your Data Protected:
As people mostly use external hard drives for data storing and keeping their important data protected and backed then I will also recommend this hard drive because of its durability and higher lifespan. This hard drive is way better than other external hard drives because of its better protection from falling damage which directly increases the lifespan of the hard drives and keeps your data protected for a long time.
Storage Capacity:
- Up to 1,000 hours of digital video
- Up to 250 two-hour DVD films
- Up to 320,000 digital photos
- Up to 16,660 hours of digital music
Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive HDD — USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PlayStation, & Xbox
Brand: Seagate
Disk Space: 2TB
Connectivity: USB 3.0
Supported Devices: Mac/Xbox/PC/PS4/PS5
The Pros:
- Light Weight.
- Worthy for the price
- Large storage capacity.
- NTFS driver for Mac included.
- Seagate Lyve app creates network-attached storage (NAS)-like capability.
- Plug and Play Drive
- Excellent Speed and Performance
- Great build quality
- Impressive Design
- Data transferring and reading rate is impressive.
The Cons:
- It has feet-less case
- Some qualities of WD Drives maybe better than seagate
2. WD 2TB Elements Portable HDD, External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 for PC & Mac, Plug and Play Ready
WD 2TB Elements Portable HDD Review:
WD stands for Western Digital which is one of the famous brands for creating hard drives and SSDs. WD is also the most recommend brand for people with a mid-range budget but hoping for good speed and build quality because this brand is giving us very good value for the money if we purchase their SSDs or hard drives.
Here today we are reviewing this WD 2TB Elements Portable HDD which is an external hard drive connectable through a USB cable. This Hard drive is using USB 3.0 which is very fast and it is a plug-and-play hard drive. The best thing about this hard drive is the smooth texture on the case of this hard drive and its build quality which is truly trustworthy.
WD hard drives and SSDs are always expected to last longer because they build their hard drives in a way that maximizes their lifespan. This WD Elements hard drive is also great for keeping your large data protected because it has a solid build that protects the disks of the drive from fall damage.
For speed this hard drive is good but as compared to Seagate 2TB Portable External Hard Drive this WD hard drive is less worth it because Seagate is available at a lower price compared to this WD Hard drive and also has higher speed. Still, we are recommending this hard drive for people who are fans of WD hard drives because this WD hard drive is the best from WD.
The Pros:
- Light Weight and clean design
- Smooth to touch
- Scratch-free
- NTFS driver for Mac included.
- WD Drives are build for the best quality and long term performance
- Plug and Play Drive
- Good speed
- USB 3.0 is super fast
The Cons:
- Expensive than Seagate Hard drives
- Apperently Seagate Hard Drives are faster
WD 2TB Elements Portable HDD, External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 for PC & Mac
Brand: Western Digital (WD)
Disk Space: 2TB
Connectivity: USB 3.0
Supported Devices: Mac/Xbox/PC/PS4/PS5
3. SAMSUNG SSD T7 Portable External Solid State Drive 1TB, Up to 1050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2
SAMSUNG SSD T7 Portable External Solid State Drive 1TB:
If you are not satisfied with the speed and performance of Hard drives then we also have the fastest option available for you, it’s Samsung SSD T7 which is way faster than any hard drive. As SSDs are very expensive than hard drives but come with a higher read and write speeds and much lighter weight because of having no internal disks. This Samsung T7 SSD is one of the best value and fast SSD available for the money.
Best For Gamers (Xbox and PC Gaming):
For Gamers especially I will recommend this SSD because of the advantages of faster loading time and smoother experience in games with much quicker graphics rendering. If you are on a tight budget then this SSD is not recommended because the price of this SSD is almost double of the Seagate 2TB Portable Hard drive and also the storage capacity is half.
This SSD is very good for Mac PC and laptops, also it is very recommended for Xbox because there you mostly play games. For PC you can buy this SSD also but there you can get the same work with any good hard drive also. It is also using USB 3.0 for power and data transferring which is very fast as compared to the older USB 2.0.
The Pros:
- Tiny and ultra-light weight SSD
- Attractive aesthetics and color options
- 18-inch USB cables
- Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
- Available in capacities up to 2TB
- Plug and Play Drive
- Faster than HDDs
- 3-year warranty higher as comapred to HDD
- USB 3.0 is super fast
The Cons:
- SSDs are Expensive than any Hard drives
- Small write cache for capacity
- DRAMless architecture
SAMSUNG SSD T7 Portable External Solid State Drive 1TB
Brand: Samsung
Disk Space: 1TB
Connectivity: USB 3.2 Gen 2
Supported Devices: Mac/Xbox/PC/PS4/PS5
4. Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0
Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive:
Toshiba is one of the most well know brands for laptops but here I’m reviewing one of the best hard drives from the Toshiba brand and the “Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive”. This hard drive is one of the best hard drives for good build quality and a solid case with higher protection from falling damage.
This hard drive is also very quick and fast. It comes in black color with a Toshiba Logo on the top-right corner and on the most left-top corner there is the power indicator. The weight of this hard drive is a little higher than the Seagate and WD Hard drives also the price is higher than both of the above hard drives, but what makes this hard drive worthy to buy is the build quality and stability of this hard drive. This hard drive is very trustworthy and can keep your data very protected from any kind of risk.
This hard drive is supported on any device whether its Mac, Xbox, or a PC.
The Pros:
- Solid color and build
- Scratch-free
- Super-fast
- Support for Mac, PC and Xbox
- Good overall performance
- Plug and Play Drive
- USB 3.0 supported
The Cons:
- Expensive for the performance
- Seagate Portable External HDD and WD Elements gives better value
Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0
Brand: Toshiba
Disk Space: 2TB
Connectivity: USB 3.0
Supported Devices: Mac/Xbox/PC/PS4/PS5
5. Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive HDD USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, Laptop, PS4, Xbox one
Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive:
The final hard drive in our recommendation will be this “Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive” because it’s a very cheap and good quality hard drive for the money. The price of this Hard drive is two times less than other hard drives also it is very good for its slimness and light weight.
This hard drive is capable of storing up to 500GB of data with no risk of damage. The hard drive is in a very smooth and slim shape which makes it very attractive to buyers. This Hard drive is especially for budget users, if you are having a budget of around $30 to $40 then you should consider this hard drive because it is worth the price.
The best thing about this hard drive is that you will still get it in many other sizes at low prices, but this is a 500GB hard drive, if you are looking for 1TB and 2TB options they are also available in stores, you can purchase them from the single link under the pro and cons of this hard drive.
The Pros:
- Slim and light-weight Exteranl HDD
- Easy to carry in pocket
- Fast speed
- Support for Mac, PC and Xbox
- Good performance for the price
- Plug and Play Drive
- USB 3.0 supported
- Good budget friendly external Hard drive
The Cons:
- Apperently lower performance
- Build quality is not too good
Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive HDD USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, Laptop, PS4, Xbox one
Brand: Maxone
Disk Space: 500GB
Connectivity: USB 3.0
Supported Devices: Mac/Xbox/PC/PS4/PS5
