10 Best External Hard Drives 2023

Are you one of those people who love to save old pictures and videos on your smart devices and always hesitate to delete them when your memory gets full?. Your whole workflow for instant confidential documents, emails, presentations, and daily agenda is living inside your smartphone or tablet then having good backup support. Having the best external hard drives become a necessity for digital graphic artists, students, and a gamer.

These hard drives can save a lot of trouble in the time of note savings and high-end game installation on your desktop. Having a limited storage drive can turn out to be your worst nightmare, especially something important that needs to be saved and you have no options other than to delete other items from your stored workflow which can be very annoying.

Brands like Samsung, Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, and many other top-notch brand developers are working day and night to boost up the capacity of device memory storage either its internal or external hard drive as they have understood no one wants to buy their product if it has low storage capacity and low-quality hard drives.

Hence, without further ado, we have listed down some of the best external hard drive reviews and their pros and cons.

Best External Hard Drives

External Hard Drives Reviews

1. Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive

Toshiba, one of the prominent brands in the electronic markets, has extended its product portfolio with the introduction of Toshiba canvio 2TB hard drive that is claimed to be the fastest external hard drive that can save your huge data in a fraction of time. Now one can keep collecting different formats of pictures and e-files with durable backup support without worrying over their device’s full storage. This is considered the best external hard drive of this year because of its extremely sleek outer appearance that shows its portability and compactness. Thus, canvio offers a convenient size that is very travel-friendly that one can carry it on their fanny-pack or can pick its portable carrying case on their hand. Aside from its unlimited storage capacity, it comes with Toshiba external hard drive instructions that have a user-friendly setup manual, where one can easily get access to their stored items without any hassle. This should be your top pick right now as it is highly preferred by the niche and on a selling point of view the best external hard drive on Amazon. Talking about their efficiency and productivity it’s operated by USB 3.0 making it the fastest storage device that can manage your data at the speed you want. It’s also very much compatible with 2.0 USB technology too, with the same high speed of transferring data. Therefore forget about the external AC power wires you normally found in an external hard drive.

In terms of its design, the developers give us an analytical viewpoint on its ultra-slim construction that got matte lamination coating providing us a fine and smudge resistant outer-look. Looking at its other specification in detail it consists of plug and play mode where you need no installation software. It just needs the Mac OS reformatting and other latest versions, after that you can add or drop any files or content of your liking from your electronic device to this device. Thus we can call this a wireless hard drive for mac as it’s highly compatible with it and offers a bundle of memory space. As an established company, Toshiba offering is based on a high-quality product standard that is pre-tested and checked before its launch to win customer loyalty. For product reliability and users’ peace of mind, it features a 1-year warranty where one can replace the product if they are satisfied with it. It is the best external hard drive for photographers and gamers as it offers 2TB storage that gives an unlimited space to store the collection of HD images or videos and large games on your compact canvio device. For protection and safety, you will also get a case or bag that has inner straps and a zipper for securing the hard drive, along with that you will get a small pocket to store any power cords you possess. Just like the hard drive its case is also very compact and has an ideal size of 5″x 3.25″x0.4.

2. Toshiba Canvio Advance 4TB Portable External Hard Drive

It’s not wrong to say big things come in small packages. Toshiba canvio Advanced 4TB is another portable invention that offers better speed and more spacious storage coverage. This is known as the most reliable external hard drive for its reliability and high performance it is pre-tested to determine its durability for heavy storage items. This thin and lightweight 4Tb external hard drive of Toshiba demonstrates the large spacing capacity as you have never experienced before at a price range that is way much economical and reasonable. Thus, your cheap external hard drive can be carried around anywhere you go. Its read and write data is also very good and offers an excellent backup for them. For user ease and convenience it also offers a 2-year replacement warranty. Talking about this performance and connectivity, the canvio advanced device is an NTFS pre-formatted file system that is compatible with windows and its other versions.

It supports Mac OS when it’s formatted to Mac Disk utility and HFS file system. It features a micro-B USB and USB-A where your PC can be connected and for laptop connectivity, it has a USB-C cord that allows you to transfer all types of your data content at a speed. If we look at the comparison between Toshiba canvio basic vs advance, then first looking at its design construction this device offers an ultra-thin and sleek design with a glossy finishing look making it stand out and it is available in vibrant and bright colors that define your style preference which was missing in canvio 2Tb. Also, it features files protection software that can be downloaded easily via the play store and i-stores and is very user-friendly. This strong backup support helps you to not only store but also manage your files in a systematic manner. It also has password-protected features where you can secure your hard drive with unique customized passwords and an unauthorized user can’t get access to any of your confidential information via this Toshiba storage security software. It is the best external hard drive for photographers and gamers for many reasons. First of all the photographers doesn’t need to worry about their picture quality anymore in time of transferring data as its 4TB storage saves pictures as it is without compromising its value. Hence it that gives an unlimited space to store the collection of HD images or videos and large games on your compact canvio device

3. WD 12TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive

Now we are talking big! With WD 12TB Elements desktop hard drive you are opening the Pandora box of storage space. After becoming amazon best selling external hard drive for its high-end memory feature that stores and manage all type of content like pictures, videos and emails and what makes this most purchased product by the niches that it is compatible with each content format, in short, it doesn’t compromise the quality of the content that is transferred via desktop.WD 12TB elements shuck is very easy all you have to do is plug and play. Its easy setup and fast transfer of data are exceptional when it’s connected to a USB 3.0 port. Now one can transfer Full HD movies or games in a short fraction of time. It’s very annoying when your desktop internal storage gets filled and you start getting alerts when you try to download or save any important content and at the end, you have to delete some of the items, but not anymore now you can vacant your internal storage space by transferring heavy files into the WD harddrive element. With WD elements backup software your important email and confidential files are saved and secure as it comes up with password protection features that prevent any unauthorized access of your data.

It also offers a 2-year warranty that gives you ease and confidence for its usability. Its reading and writing of data are also quite exceptional where it’s recommended by many experts that one should get a WD 12TB easy store element for encryption of hardware. Thus making the best external hard drives of this year. This best portable external hard drive got an ideal size that can be carried anywhere you go and got a user interface that supports seamlessly the latest 3.0 USB and 2.0 USB devices. The western digital quality inside and out is remarkable as on the outer surface you get a sleek and smooth polishing look that has been gone through many durability testing to check its shock tolerance and sustainability. While in its inner part is delivering productive results with NTFS formatting that supports Windows operating systems and works exceptionally with Windows 10, 8, and other latest versions. Other than that it also works exceptionally with Dropbox Cloud service, social/cloud import, and Mac reformat.

4. WD 5TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive

One of the most reliable external hard drives available in markets is the WD 5TB elements portable external storage device that offers reliability and speed needed by any individual who needs room to save large files and applications without any complication of managing the workflow or compromising the content quality. Quite famous among the gaming community due to its efficiency and productivity a gamer can store various formats of games. Thus making it the best external hard drive for gaming as its WD strong backup software manages all of your HD graphic games and applies very smoothly. It also provides a password protection feature in its backup software that gives you access to blocked it with your customized password and prevents unauthorized access to your data. It’s not wrong to say that it is indeed the best external hard drive one can purchase for having ease of not only storing a large bundle of data in form of e-files, confidential emails, or saving personal pictures and videos or games but having peace of mind. Talking about its speed it’s the fastest external hard drive with its high rate of data transferring in a small fraction of time. Along with that its ultra-slim and compact body, WD 5TB portable external drive shows universal connectivity meaning it’s travel friendly and can be carried around anywhere you go.

With WD My Passport SSD designs you get a sleek passport size hard drive that features a 3.1 USB type-C that is pledged to show its productive and speedy performance. It’s a little rugged and super lightweight in nature. Works amazingly with Mac and Windows operating systems. Talking about this performance and connectivity, WD is an NTFS pre-formatted file system that is compatible with the latest versions of the operating system and has a strong read & writes data feature that comes up with secure encryption of data in case of its loss or theft. Along with that, it features massive memory Game storage with a cooling fan. It allows you a large room on your PC to keep a new gaming library without worrying about this over-storage and overheating anymore. Thus no more dilemma on which game to be deleted, now you can keep your all favorites in one space. For its durability, many shock-resistant and performance-related tests are done and it’s found to work exceptionally even in battlefield areas too. Being the most trusted brand in the market for user convenience it offers a 2-year warranty where one can use it even for minor issues.

5. Seagate Backup Plus 5TB External Hard Drive

Seagate backup plus desktop drive 5Tb is offering you high storage capacity at an astonishing economical price. It’s considered the best external hard drive for its portability and speedy performance. Now one can transfer large photos, files, and applications a few fractions of times thus making it the fastest external hard drive available for the targeted consumers. The unique feature of this backup drive is that it offers you a free subscription for Mylio to create an app where you can easily organize your images into a gallery and other editing options. Along with that you can share these and synchronize the gallery with other smart devices with secure transfers. Hence making this the best external hard drive for photographers. Another value-added feature for its users is the complimentary subscription of the Adobe Cloud application that assists you in learning photoshops and other graphical skills. Seagate backup plus software is highly compatible with windows and mac operating systems and offers a high range of storage capacity in its small portable device with the specification of protection of content. Thus, Its backup support is so strong that you can secure your entire digital lifestyle with this compact device that is very travel-friendly.

Its user interface is constructed in a manner that automatically saves your important content with its customizable built-in flexible backup software. Even it saves your images from your social media accounts too. Thus no more sweating over the loss of data. Talking about the design then it is manufactured with an aluminum-metal surface that provides a smooth aesthetic outer look. It’s got 20.9 x 80x 115.3 mm size that can easily be placed in your jeans pocket thus making it very portable and durable that has easy play and plug set up with the 3.0 USB port attachment. Where you got systematic backups based on daily-weekly-monthly options. This affordable device offers you peace of mind with a 2-year warranty and value of money to the users with its multi-functioned features. It also got a small LED light and a USB port. You will get all these features in 2.5 inches size, isn’t this amazing?

6. Seagate Expansion SSD 1TB Solid State Drive

The perfect entertainment hard drive. No need to delete your old pictures or videos as this best external hard drive of 1TB gives you ample space to save your memories at a speed that is exceptionally fast with the support of an SDD booster that ranges up to 400MB/s. With this Seagate hard drive expansion SSD 1Tb you get a unique feature to directly stream videos from your external hard drive to your desktop. This hard drive consists of a mini 3.0 USB SSD that boosts your transfer speeds and arranges your workflow with efficient backup support. Talking about its design and manufacturing it is quite lightweight and portable which is convenient to carry for any traveling purpose. Its ultra-thin size is almost identical to a credit card size that can easily be tucked inside your wallet or pocket or small backup.

Its external hard drive has a USB port cable that performs greatly with Windows and Mac and its other versions. It makes sure that while transferring any form of data the content quality remains the same without any change. It may need some reformatting with the use of a time machine. For user’s peace of mind and effort to earn their loyalty the company also offers a 3-year product warranty. Many durability tests like shock-resistant have been done to check its sustainability and reliability. Thus making this most reliable external hard drive. Its expanded SSD can be placed in your bag without being unnoticed and has a very easy setup as you don’t have to download any software. All you have to do is just drag and drop your files and in return, you will get strong backup support. Along with that, you will also get a quick startup guide and a USB cable of 20cm. It best drives for our game lovers as according to Seagate it supports the Xbox formatting and performs at a good speed. Thus it’s the best external hard drive for gaming purposes too.

7. LaCie Mobile Drive 4TB External Hard Drive

LaCie Mobile is the most trusted and sold brand in the hard drives market as its advanced specs, expert designing, and beautiful outlook makes it the most preferred brand by the niches. It should be noted that it doesn’t have any SSD features but still performs in a very efficient and effective manner that can transfer raw content at high speed and offers you lavish and spacious storage capacity. Thus it is considered the fastest external hard drive. Talking about its design and outer appearance it offers you the most stylish and beautiful sleek hard drive that defines your style statement. It’s quite small and very travel-friendly that can easily be placed in your backpack or inside your jeans pocket. Hence making it the best portable external hard drive. This sleek-looking HDD drive is known by the designer as Lacie Porsche’s design mobile drive that features solid and sophisticated diamond-cut finishing that is high compared with the brands like Apple. Therefore, its aluminum lamination and stylish design make this mobile external HDD give classic-definitive vibes. It features 2.5 inches size that is very compact for such a drive that has a big storage space. Many durable testing has been conducted to know its long-term performance worth and got many favorable responses. Hence you can call it the most reliable external hard drive.

Aside from its outer appearance, what stands out this drive among its competitors is its large 4TB capacity that can store up to 4k videos of 165 hours and approximately 500,000 images and other files and must say what a remarkable number it is. It also has an attached USB-C slot where you can transfer data at the speed of 140MBps while making sure that exported content quality is not compromised. Its strong backup support and manages all of your data in an automatic backups schedule, that assures your content preservation and protection. One of the value-added factors that LaCie is offering to its users is access to Adobe Creative app 1-month free subscription where you can learn new graphical skills. You can also store large games as the company that has the best hard drive for gaming purposes. Looking at its connectivity and compatibility it works smoothly with Windows and Mac. Where it requires reformatting of HFS+ for Mac users in case of the use of Time machines. Windows users can use the NTFS formatting for their latest operating system. It also features Toolkit which is software operated for data backup and mirroring setup- meaning one can synchronize its data between drive and desktop in folder forms. For the user’s peace of mind and assistant you will get a 2-year product warranty.

8. G-Technology G-DRIVE 8TB External Hard Drive

For creative individuals, this G-Drive is designed to meet the demands and preferences of the users who want a storage device where they can export multimedia files like Picture and video in HD format or collection of music libraries and other applications then this is the best external hard drive for them. Now a photographer can transfer thousands of picture portfolios in a few fractions of time and a game enthusiast can keep a backup of all sorts of games in this compact device. Thus, this is the best external hard drive for photographers and gamers. Its lavish storage spacing of 8TB got 3.1 GEN 1 technology that is known for its fast speed of transferring content at the range of 180MB that is boosted by the 5GB Type-C USB. Its efficient USB power delivery is the best charging device for MacBook and MacBook pro. It’s very portable and can be carried around anywhere you go. Save your notes, presentation, or any confidential files with the wrong backup support and prevent unauthorized access to your drive. Talking about its design its stylish outer surface and aluminum casing can stand out on their own and many durability tests like shock-resistant and performance-related tests have been conducted to check its reliability and sustainability and got exceptional reviews. Thus making this the most reliable external hard drive ever made.

Looking at its support and compatibility level it supports the Window and Mac operating system. For Mac, you may need to do the formatting in case you are using an Apple Time machine. For Windows users installation of G-Technology can assist them to get NTFS formatting for their drive to get smooth transfer of data. It’s very economical in price and the best USB-C portable hard drive as compared to other SSD hard drives and is known for being the cheap external hard drive that pledges to deliver fast export of data without compromising the quality of the content. G-driver controllers consist of 3-port Thunderbolt that connects to other TB-linked drives. The thunderbolt slot cable can be used on both ends as it acts as a Type-C that is connected to a USB port. For user convenience and peace of mind, the company offers you a 3-year product warranty that gives assistant and confidence to the user regarding usability. In the box, you will get a quick user guide too where all the relevant instructions are given for seamlessly working.

9. LaCie Rugged Mini 5TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD

Be fast and furious in your data transferring with this innovative LaCie rugged mini 5TB external hard drive that can export your content at an exceptional speed of 130Mps and its bus-powered 3.0 USB port is all you need to enhance your drive productivity. It is best to manage your workflow whether it’s your important documents for office presentations or to be smart with this rugged mini drive. This is considered the best external hard drive for photographers as they don’t have to sweat over their collection quality issues while transferring. It provides a spacious room to export more than a thousand pictures in HD quality without any formatting. Movie lovers can save HD full-length movies and carry them while traveling as it’s very compact and has a sleek design that can be placed in a user’s jeans pocket or even a small slit backpack. It also features a removable IP54 rated cover, that protects the drive from water and dust. For security and protection, it features AES 256-bit encryption which users can download as it will help the prevention of unauthorized access and keep your content secure. This is the best hard drive to improve your desktop or other smart devices’ internal performance in a time when your internal memory storage gets full and slows down your system but not anymore as this helps you to move heavy multimedia files into its external hard drive.

On the analysis of its durability along with many tests based on shock resistance, performance testing has also been done where it’s found that it can store up to 1 ton of data and still be left with plenty of space. Hence this shows its long-term credibility and sustainability. It may need NTFS for Windows operating system and reformatting for Mac OS users regarding Time machine use. Along with that LaCie gives a value-added feature to its consumer as they offer a one-month free subscription of digital art software like Adobe Cloud software where one can also try their luck in learning new graphic arts. Another amazing feature is Lacie’s rugged thunderbolt USB-C which is designed for connection between operating systems like Windows and Mac. Performance might vary for different individual hardware and operating systems but experts found Lacie Rugged Mini HDD to be very efficient and effective with Windows and Mac operating systems. Thus making it the most reliable external hard drive. It also features LaCie Toolkit that consists of backup software and data sharing from a laptop to drive. For users’ peace of mind, the company is offering a 2-year product warranty and along with that, the user will also get a quick guidebook where instructions are given on how to work with drive seamlessly.

10. WD 24TB My Book Duo Desktop Raid External Hard Drive

Many data storage devices have created their trends and demands in the market that led to the inception of inventions like Cloud technology, NAS memory storage, and external hard drives. Western digital donor family is its target niche in this regard and introduced a successful hard-drives model and one of them is its WD My book duo that provides you a lavish dual-drive memory system for storing multimedia files of any format and size. In its analysis it’s found that this 24Tb duo-storage design in simple words is providing your double and bigger storage, also you get the protection and security against unauthorized access of the content and assist you to manage your workflow or data more seamlessly. Talking about its manufacturing and designing then it’s the upgraded models that look like a compact desktop server. It’s very portable and has sophisticated detailing like a thin line of LED light that pops up when the driver is on or in operating mode. It has a monolithic plastic black slab that has a wavy surface feel. It’s best for dust prevention and resistance. On the front portion, it’s got a glossy mirror-like finishing that gives the product overall a very sleek and aesthetic general appearance. WD MyBook is perfect for storing large pictures, videos that help the individual to create his own personal or professional gallery. Thus it’s the best external hard drive for photographers. If we are talking about its transfer speed then it has a RAID-0 mode that boasts you drive performance exceptionally well at the super-speed of 360MB/s. Hence the fastest and ideal drive to read and write transferred content at such magnitude with the help of a USB Type-C port.

WD my book duo software configuration is based on WD Drive utility that can be downloaded separately and from that get password protection features to secure your hard drive. It also has RAID optimization Mode which consists of features like mirroring and synchronizing data with the attached cables making it compatible with all the other electronic devices. Its strong backup support pledged to store your data that can free the maximum load from your PC internal storage as it utilizes hardware encryption up to 256-bit AES and helps the operating system to work without any burden. It’s the most reliable external hard drive as it has high durability and sustainability for longer runs. This is also considered as the cheap external hard drive that can offer you a lot of value-added features without compromising your budget. Its two-port Hub of 3.0 USB Type-A features additional accessories like a keyboard and mouse set, card reader, and additional storage device. Other than that it supports Windows and Mac operating systems and has defined formatting for each OS. For the user’s assistant and peace of mind, the company is offering WD external hard drive manual and a 3-year product warranty too.

Conclusion

The evolution of external hard drives has been modified with the new demand and trends that hit the market. It becomes very important for us as when your primary storage device gets full and slows down your computer then at this point it acts like a superhero. It saves your data and boosts your computer performance when most of the burden of your data is beared by the hard drive itself. That’s the reason alone many brands have launched not one but a series of best external hard drives each year for their users with multi-function features and exceptional transfer speed range.