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External drives are storage devices that conveniently add a large amount of data to a computer. Some are portable and bus-powered, others are not.
If you’re looking for the best bus-powered portable SSDs, this list includes the current top five.
Here, you’ll find the external drive that fits a particular situation to the extreme, namely the ultimate storage space, the best security, or both.
Dong’s note: I first published this post on June 24, 2021, and last updated it on May 24, 2025, to keep the lists current.
Best external drives with odds and ends of 2025: The top-five list
This list includes both desktop drives—those that require a separate power adapter—and portable bus-powered options. All of them are special because they are “different” from traditional portable SSDs.
The list is sorted in the recommended order, with the highest-rated being at the top—the numbers are the hardware’s ranking.
Top 5 best “special” external drives
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| Name | SanDisk Desk Drive’s Rating | Samsung Portable SSD X5’s Rating | iStorage datAshur PRO2’s Rating | iStorage diskAshur M2’s Rating | SanDisk Professional 26TB G-Drive’s Rating |
| Price | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rating | |||||
| Description | |||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Buy this product |
1. SanDisk Desk Drive: Representing desktop external SSDs
The SanDisk Desk is a rare find because it’s an external SSD-based drive designed specifically for a desktop. It requires an external power adapter to work and, therefore, is less portable. To make up for that, the compact puck-size storage device has top performance for its specs and has up to 8TB of storage space.
SanDisk Desk Drive's Rating
Pros
Fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 performance
Compact and beautiful design
Lots of storage space, completely silent.
Cons
Power adapter required; no USB 3.2 Gen 2×2; no redundancy
A bit pricey; runs a bit warm
2. Samsung Portable SSD X5: Representing external bootable SSDs
Despite being released years ago and featuring Thunderbolt 3, the X5 is still one of the fastest portable SSDs. Additionally, other than being a traditional external drive, it can be used as the boot drive for any computer in case you need to run a system outside of the physical box.
Similar alternatives:
- ORICO R3700
- SanDisk PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT
- SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD
- OWC Envoy Pro SX
- Shopping link: Compare these drives on Amazon!
Samsung Portable SSD X5's Rating
Pros
Super-fast performance
Solid, pretty, rugged design
Compatible with Windows and Mac right out of the box
Useful and effective security feature
Can work as a boot drive
Cons
Only works with Thunderbolt 3
Expensive
Only one Thunderbolt 3 port
The 3-year warranty is a bit short.
3. iStorage datAshur PRO2: The storage vault thumb drive
This tiny thumb drive is the most secure of its kind. It’s a storage device to which you can entrust your most confidential information. It’s a storage vault that fits inside your pocket.
Similar alternative:
iStorage datAshur PRO2's Rating
Pros
Top-notch security against data breaches
Rugged, weatherproof, compact design
Fast performance
Cons
Expensive
No safeguard against deliberate data deletion
Loose sleeve
4. iStorage diskAshur M2: Super-secure and rugged with a bit of Oddity
The diskAshur M2 is another ultra-secure drive from iStorage that has two other members on this list.
The M2 is an ultra-compact portable SSD that has an integrated keypad. The drive was excellent in my testing, except it uses a Micro-B SuperSpeed USB port instead of USB-C.
Alternatives:
iStorage diskAshur M2's Rating
Pros
Strong hardware encryption, integrated security keypad
Fast USB 3.2 Gen 1 performance
Rugged, compact design
USB cables included
Cons
Micro-B Superspeed port instead of USB-C
PIN management can be overwhelming
Capacity caps at 2TB
Software patch needed for each Windows computer
5. SanDisk Professional G-Drive: Representing massive storage at relatively low cost
The SanDisk Professional G-Drive, especially the latest 26TB version, is by far the largest external drive in terms of storage space. With the physical size slightly larger than a standard 3.5-inch internal hard drive, it can deliver more than three times the storage space of any external SSD, with even higher capacity on the horizon.
SanDisk Professional 26TB G-Drive's Rating
Pros
Tons of storage space with excellent performance for a HDD-based device
Straightforward to use
USB-C port with included cables
Cons
Takes a long time to boot up or wake up
Reformat required for Windows users; a bit pricey
Best External Drives: The final thoughts
While the list above is in the rating order, the drives are so different that the ranking can be irrelevant. That said, pick the one that best fits your needs, and any of them will work out well.
Last but not least, most, if not all, of them are single-drive storage, meaning there’s no safeguard against hardware failure, such as RAID. For that reason, you shouldn’t use any of them to store the only copy of your important data, but only its backup.
I’d like to know more about the WD Passport SSD issue, I recently purchased the 4Tb WDBAGF0040BGY-WESN and have not started to use it but your comment concerns me … I do not want a drive that I can lose my data so, if there is any specific information available I’d like to see it and approach WD on the issue before I start to put data that I can not lose on it! Has WD been questioned and how can it be fixed before I use it.
You want to download and install the latest firmware, Dave. Follow the link mentioned in the WD Black P50 section above.
WD’s response hasn’t been stellar on the matter.
People need to avoid those Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable drives at all costs. The drives are faulty and cause sudden data loss. theverge has an article this month about this issue. Dong, please research about these drives. We would love your insight on this issue. Check out amazon reviews and verge article.
I mentioned that at the top of this post and their reviews. I haven’t experienced similar issues with mine and I have a few. Seems like a firmware issue.
Extremely interesting write up. Your reviews are some of the best to be found.
I believe the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD would work on a Thunderbolt 4 port (which I do have on my laptop), but would it be able to reach near it’s maximum advertised speeds of 2,000 MB/s reading and writing on that port? Or would one have to have the specific USB 3.2 GEN 2×2 port in order to reach near those advertised speeds.
I noticed it did not even get close to those speeds in your test, but I am guessing you did not test it on a USB 3.2 GEN 2×2 port. Please correct me if I am wrong on that guess.
Thanks for your time.
Yes, J — you’re right. Thunderbolt 4 (and 3) encompasses USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. More in this post.
I’ve had good service from my Sandisk Extreme Pro drives, using them on SCUBA diving and underwater photography trips to Indonesia and elsewhere in the tropics. When used with my MacBook Pro, they’re super-fast thanks to their Thunderbolt compatibility. And they’re waterproof which helps in the field. Like you, I haven’t had any problems with them but will continue to update the firmware just in case…
Thanks for sharing your experience, Michael. And yes, I’ve used dozens of them and never had any issues. But I only use them to hold copies of data so it’d have been just an inconvenience.
Hi, Dong! Thanks for the article!
Wondering if you could review the OWC Envoy Pro FX (Thunderbolt 3).
It’s rather pricey, but I’m looking for an external option for a Mac Mini (instead of paying Apple’s price for internal storage) – something that could get close to Apple’s internal storage read/write speeds.
I’d love to know your thoughts on the OWC! Thanks!
OWC tends to be overpriced and overrated, Mike. I’d go with other storage vendors.
Thanks! Is there anything faster than the X5 that you’d recommend?
Not really, Mike, for a portable drive. Make sure you have Thunderbolt 3.
Thanks, Dong! Really appreciate your time and responsiveness to everyone who posts!!
Will any of these storage devices allow me to download pictures and movies from my Samsung S10+ phone to the storage device?
It’s a matter of power delivery and app and you can make many SSD drives here work, Thomas. But if you want to make sure, get the Samsung T7 (Touch).
Thank you. I ordered the 500gGB storage in silver using your provided link.
Sure, Thomas. And thanks. 🙂
Picked up the 500gb drive. Works well and is easy to set up. The supplied USB C to USB C cable will not work with the Samsung S10+ phone. It will not stay locked in the phone. I suspect it is because of the rounded bezel on the phone. I ordered another cable that is supposed to work with the USB C connector on the Samsung S10+ phone
You can use the phone’s charging cable, Thomas.