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WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition: A Bit of Storage History in Your Pocket

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Western Digital today unveils its latest WD My Passport Ultra, 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition. As the name suggests, the new portable hard drive commemorates the 20th anniversary of the My Passport family of portable storage.

According to Western Digital, since 2004, it has provided “approximately 180 exabytes of data storage for users worldwide” via various generations of WD My Passport drives. To put things in perspective, that amount of storage space is enough to hold about 18 billion hours of HD videos or 46 trillion photos.

Stop counting. Take my word for it! That’s a massive amount of data.

The WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition is a standard portable hard drive
The WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition is a standard portable hard drive.

WD My Passport: A brief history of portable storage

Back in the old days, the WD My Passport was among the first portable storage that featured “bus-powered”, where the data cable also draws juice from the host to power the drive.

This design allows for true portability since it eliminates the power adapter and the need for an outlet. That, plus the compact physical design—the drive is only slightly larger than a standard 2.5-inch internal hard drive—makes the WD My Passport one of the most popular portable storage solutions.

Over the years, the WD My Passport family has evolved dramatically, with the latest being the My Passport SSD, which combines super-fast solid-state storage 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 and ultra-portable design.

The new Emerald Anniversary Edition is old school, however. It’s a rectangular box that houses a traditional 2.5-inch hard drive on the inside and features a 5Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly USB 3.0). This performance grade is the standard case for all portable hard drives since the internal drive’s speed is limited by the SATA 3 (6Gbps). Still, USB 3.0 is a far cry upgrade from the original My Passport, which used the super-slow USB 2.0 standard.

The new drive also uses the now-universal USB-C port, and thanks to the low power draw and the preformatted exFAT file system, it’ll work with any host, be it a computer, a phone, or a tablet, right out of the box.

WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition
The WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition comes with a USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter.

WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition: Hardware specifications

Capacity2TB6TB
ModelWDBJXT0020BGN-WESNWDBECU0060BGN-WESN
InterfaceMicro-USB 3.2 Gen 1
 (USB 2.0 compatible)
Dimensions (LWH)4.33 x 3.21″ x 0.55 in
(11 cm x 8.15 x 1.4 cm)
4.33″ x 3.21″ x 0.87″
(11 cm x 8.15 x 2.21 cm)
Weight0.35 lbs (159 g)0.52 lbs (236 g)
Security256-bit AES hardware encryption
Accessories
(included)
SuperSpeed USB-C to USB-C cable (5Gbps)
USB-C to USB-A adapter
File System
(preformatted)
exFAT
CompatibilityWindows
macOS
iOS
Android
Bundled SoftwareSoftware for device management and backup with password protection
Operating Temperature32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C)
Warranty3 years
MSRP$89.99$199.99
The WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition’s hardware specs

A sleek-looking portable drive

Design-wise, the new WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition comes in an emerald color finish that, per Western Digital, “traditionally signifies loyalty, peace, and security”. The drive remains compact, still about the same size as an actual passport, though its 6TB version is noticeably thicker.

According to Western Digital, its key features include:

  • Sleek Design: Enclosed with anodized metal in an emerald finish.
  • Seamless Compatibility: The drive is ready to use out of the box and universally compatible with Windows PCs, Macs, mobile phones, tablets, and other USB-C devices.
  • Expansive Capacity: Up to 6TB of storage space.
  • Enhanced Software: Acronis True Image for Western Digital device management software is included.
  • Password Protection: Password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption to help safeguard important files.

In all, other than the look, the new drive is very similar to the previous WD My Passport in terms of features and performance.

WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition 2TBWD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition 6TB
The 6TB version of the new portable hard drive is slightly thicker than the 2TB (left) counterpart.

Availability and pricing

Western Digital says the new WD My Passport Ultra 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition is available today in 2TB and 6TB capacities that carry the suggested retail prices of $89.99 and $199.99, respectively. Looking to carry a bit of storage history together with your data on the go? Grab one today!

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