Our digital files are increasingly taking up more space than ever before. With all the pictures we click and videos we shoot, almost all our devices seem to be running low on storage space. This is where external drives come in, because not only are they good for moving stuff off your devices, they are also good for making copies of important data that you want to make sure you have redundant copies of. They also act as portable hard drives, allowing you to carry heavy data files to a friend's place, instead of wasting bandwidth uploading and then downloading that data.
With so many options available in the market, it's easy to get confused about what to buy, and that's where this list steps in to help narrow down your search.
ADATA HV620S 2TB External Hard Drive Slim and Light with USB 3.1
The ADATA HV620S hard drive checks all the boxes in both form and function. The super-stylish, glossy black, elegant hard disk is only 11.5mm in profile. Such a small form factor makes it highly portable and can be carried easily in any briefcase, backpack, or even in your jeans pocket. The hard-disk is not all about looks only… With its USB 3.1 interface, you can transfer data at superfast speeds. The hard disk also has an LED indicator that notifies when data is being read from or written to the drive and helps prevent disconnection during read/write operations.
Western Digital (WD) My Passport 2 TB
This My Passport hard disk drive gives you 2 TB of storage space for your various files, be they documents, music, photographs or videos. It uses the much faster Type A USB 3.0 port, which is also Type A USB 2.0 plug compatible, to connect to your laptop or PC. WD’s Discovery software is already loaded on the disk and enables backup, password protection and drive management. The Back-Up function allows you to backup files from a selected source (an internal/external hard drive or a cloud service account) to a selected target (an external HDD or a cloud service account) with a specific schedule. A password can be set, using 256-bit AES hardware encryption, to protect the contents of your drive from unauthorized access. Drive Management allows you to run diagnostics to check the health of your Passport. The software also lets you connect to and import from your social media platforms.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2 TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – Gold USB 3.0
Seagate’s Backup Plus Slim 2 is the latest upgrade over the first generation, with increased performance. The hard drive features a minimalist brushed metal enclosure with a USB 3.0 port that allows rapid data transfer. You can back up files with a single click or schedule automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backups with an easy first-time setup. You also get a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create and a four-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan on purchase of the hard disk, which also comes with a three-year limited warranty.
Transcend StoreJet 2TB Slim External Hard Drive
This hard disk from Transcend is equipped with a one-touch auto-backup button that instantly backs up your data with just one press. To leverage the hard disk to its maximum potential, you need to download Transcend's advanced data management software, Transcend Elite, which lets you keep important files organized, protected, and up-to-date. Data management cannot be much simpler than this. The USP of the hard drive, however, is the USB 3.1 interface, which allows you to copy files at super fast speeds.
Toshiba Canvio Basics 2 TB
Truly a palm-sized device, this Canvio Basics HDD is sleek and lightweight, making it easily portable for those on the go. Its connecting cable being a USB 3.0 (Type A to Type Micro-B) one, it connects to a Type A USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port on your laptop. Instead of the time-honoured copy-and-paste action, it allows you to simply drag and drop files from your laptop to the device, making the back-up action more intuitive. When connected to a USB 3.0 port, it gives you data transfer rates of upto 5 Gbps (giga-bits per second), which translates into a whopping 625 MBps, so that your files get transferred in the wink of an eye.
Seagate Expansion Portable 2 TB
The Seagate series of external hard disk drives is one of the oldest and most reliable in the business. Their Expansion Portable 2 TB offering makes backing up files easy: just drag the file to be backed up and drop it in the HDD. Connection to your laptop is simple, with no software being required at any stage, as it is pre-formatted to automatically recognize Windows Operating System files. If you’re using a mac, then the drive needs to be reformatted before connecting. Its 18 inch USB 3.0 cable uses the Type A end to connect to either a USB 3.0 port or a USB 2.0 one on your laptop. Data transfer speeds in the case of the former are phenomenal, but significantly lower in the case of the latter. Interestingly, Seagate Expansion Portable offers their 3 year Data Recovery Service, called Rescue, which helps you to recover accidentally lost data without cleaning out your wallet.
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