Which is the best Portable External Hard Drive of 2017?

Portable external hard drives are a must have in this digital age, where everything is data. From professionals and business users to casual users and heavy gamers, everyone consumes large chunk of data, in their everyday use.

It is important to store and protect the data, considering its sensitivity and importance. Not only storage and security, but with that, data portability is a must. That’s where portable external hard drive comes into picture. It not only allows a user to store and protect their data, but also gives that portability to carry data from one place to another without any hassles.

2017 is the year of USB 3.0, and so is our future! For those of you, who don’t know what USB 3.0 is; here’s what it means:

USB 3.0 also sometimes referred to as SuperSpeed USB (SS), can transfer data at a whooping speed of up to 5Gbps. Its predecessor USB 2.0, was only able to transfer data up to 480Mbps. So basically, you can now transfer data from your portable external hard drive to your computer (or vice versa) at a much faster rate, saving you time and money both. So the next time, when you buy a portal external hard drive, make sure you buy one with USB 3.0.

We did some research on portable external hard drives available today, and shortlisted some of the best portable external hard drives of 2017. In our product comparison, we did some fact finding and comparison of hard drives sold by companies like Western Digital (WD), Transcend, Seagate and Toshiba.

Here’s our list of TOP Portable External Hard Drive available in the UK (2017):

1. Western Digital (WD) 1 TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive: Available on Amazon.co.uk for just £43.99 for the 500 GB variant

Western Digital also known as WD is our TOP pick for this year. It’s 1 TB Elements Portable Hard Drive is the best of the lot, according to us. It comes in 500 GB, 750 GB, 1 TB, 1.5 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB variants. But, according to us, 1 TB variant is the best and the real money saver, if you are not a heavy data user working on multiple data savers.

Its 2016 model is priced at £49.99 and the 2017 Model is priced at £56.99. This portable external hard drive offers ultra-fast data transfer with USB 3.0 and is bundled with free trial version of the WD Smart Ware Pro software for automatic and cloud data protection.

For more product details, please visit: http://amzn.to/2nWd90d

2. Transcend 1TB 2.5 inch USB 3.0 Military-Grade Shock Resistance Portable Hard Drive: Available on Amazon.co.uk for just £58.50 for the 1 TB variant

Second on our list is the Transcend USB 3.0 Military-Grade shock resistance portable hard drive. It comes in 500 GB, 1 TB, 1 TB USB Type C and 2 TB variants. The specialty of this product is, its military-grade shock resistance. Transcend claims to have designed this product to meet US military drop test standards. It also offers advanced 3 stage shock protection system. It is compatible with both, USB 2.0 and 3.0 – offering a bandwidth of 5Gb/s in USB 3.0 and 480Mb/s in USB 2.0 at 5400 rpm. It also offers one touch backup and 3 years limited warranty.

For more product details, please visit: http://amzn.to/2nEg0IL

3. Seagate Expansion 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable 2.5 inch External Hard Drive for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4: Available on Amazon.co.uk for just £44.99 for the 500 GB variant

Third on our list is Seagate Expansion USB 3.0 portable 2.5 inch external hard drive. It comes in 500 GB, 1 TB to 4 TB variants. Its 2017 edition 500 GB variant is priced at £44.99 and it goes all the way up to £128.12 for its 4 TB variant on Amazon UK.

The best part about this product is that Seagate claims it to be ideal add-on storage for PC, Xbox One or PS4. Its gaming console compatibility offers a great value add. It is powered by USB and no additional plugs are required. Supports both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

For more product details, please visit: http://amzn.to/2nWtUIV

4. Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive 2.5 Inch USB 3.0 - Black - HDTB310EK3AA: Available on Amazon.co.uk for just £38.00 for the 500 GB variant

Toshiba’s Canvio Basics is probably the cheapest of the lot, and also the #1 Best seller on Amazon.co.uk. It comes in 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB variants. While 500 GB variant is priced at £38.00, it goes all the way up to £89.98 for the 3 TB variant.

It’s a 2.5 inch portable external hard drive which supports both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

For more product details, please visit: http://amzn.to/2oDH8Zj