That probably is the most over-the-top and contradicting headline I’ve written in my 18 years at DigitalReviews.net.
Yet, what WD is launching at the moment is arguably the best SSD professionals and people on the go (even in lockdown situations!) can get their hands on.
And here’s why.
First some visual and haptic impressions.
The new My Passport SSD (courtesy of Western Digital) is the latest iteration in the trusted range of My Passport external drives.
It’s tiny. Just 9mm x 55mm x 100mm.
Slightly bigger than a credit card.
The colour of my unit is silvery gray and more colours will be available shortly. It’s sporting nice rounded corners and half the device is covered in some stylish ridges.
The whole feel of this SSD with the anodized aluminium and ridged exterior is just fantastic.
So it’s svelte and good-looking but is it tough?
Drop it from 2 metres and your data should still be safe. Haven’t tested that one myself as this unit is a keeper and I want to show it to others in its pristine condition – not scratched and banged up.
Talking about data being safe: it has password enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
And we know by now that data on your own external devices, under your own care, is probably much safer than having it in the Cloud…
So, it’s sleek and tough but is it fast?
I knew you would ask that so I tested it with Acronis Backup (even though it also has its own WD Backup app on board). I can vouch for it that my PC backups take about half the time compared to another external SSD.
Technically it can do around 1000MB/s Read and Write. That’s about twice the speeds previous WD products could deliver.
Good one.
So, fast it is. But does it have enough capacity?
Yes, there are 3 models available: 2TB, 1TB and half a Terabyte.
I’m glad my review unit is a 1TB unit and that’s also the most cost effective one at 319 Aussie bucks. The smallest sibling goes for just 189 and its big brother for 629.
Just one more thoughtful aspect of this extremely pocketable backup device: it comes with a short USB-C cable and adapter so that it is cross compatible with USB 3.2 Gen-2 and USB-C (USB-A for older systems).
Conclusion
I don’t get enthused much about hard drives but this one is just a great piece of kit for a jaded journo but more important for all those who value their data and create a lot of content that needs to be backed up reliably, speedily and securely.
The MyPassport SSD is fast, extremely handy, great looking and at a good price point.
Just get one.
