When it comes to storing your files on the go, one of the best solutions is to have a portable external hard drive handy. Choosing the right drive that’s appropriate for your needs can be a daunting task. I have used many of the popular brands and out of all the brands I’ve tried, Western Digital has always been reliable and have given me the least amount of problems.
To help you make an informed decision, I will list Western Digital’s product offering in portable drives along with a summary of what each product line is best suited for.
WD Elements Portable
The first in the line up of portable Western Digital drives is the WD Elements Portable. This drive is great for backing up files on the go. It connects via USB-A 3.0 which will give you fairly fast data transfer rates.
This drive is perfect for those that need to quickly and easily backup files on the go.
WD 4TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive - USB 3.0 - WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN
- USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility
- Fast data transfers
- Improve PC performance
- High Capacity
- 2-year manufacturer's limited warranty
- WD quality and reliability
WD My Passport
My Passport drive is similar to the Elements Portable drive with the difference that the My Passport comes with a suite of backup and security software. The rest of the drives in the line up are also packaged with the same suite of software. The security software encrypts your data to keep your content private and safe. The backup software will assist you in backing up your laptop or desktop files automatically or on a schedule. The drive also has another backup software solution that connects to popular social media and cloud storage services, like Facebook, Dropbox and Google Drive that will import your photos, videos and docs to the My Passport drive. This drive connects via USB-A 3.0.
This drive is a great solution for those that need a drive to backup files and also need software to automate backups as well as the ability to encrypt data to ensure privacy.
WD 4TB Black My Passport Portable External Hard Drive - USB 3.0...
- Auto backup with included WD Backup software
- Password protection with hardware encryption
- Trusted drive built with WD reliability
- USB 3.0 port; USB 2.0 compatible. SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7. Requires reformatting for Mac OS X operating system
- 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty
WD My Passport Ultra
Next in the line up is the My Passport Ultra. The difference between the My Passport Ultra and the My Passport is the connection. The My Passport Ultra connects via USB-C and the My Passport connects via USB-A. You will get faster data transfer rates via USB-C and this should be your choice if your computer has a USB-C port.
This drive is great if you have big files that you need to backup quickly on the go. The USB-C connection will give you accelerated transfer rates as compared to USB-A.
WD 4TB My Passport Ultra Silver Portable External Hard Drive, USB-C - WDBFTM0040BSL-WESN
- USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible
- Innovative style with refined metal cover
- Password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption
- Formatted for Windows 10
- 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty
WD My Passport Go
The My Passport Go is equipped with an SSD hard drive whereas the Elements Portable, My Passport, and My Passport Ultra, use spinning drives. If you are in need of a rugged external drive that can take a beating, then you should consider this drive since it’s built to survive short distance drops. The connection on this drive is USB-A.
This drive is perfect for those that need to work on files on their external drive for task such as photo, video, or audio editing. It’s built tough to survive short distance falls.
WD 1TB My Passport Go Cobalt SSD Portable External Storage - WDBY9Y0010BBT-WESN
- Drop-resistant up to 2 meters, and endures bumps and shakes even while the drive is plugged in thanks to the SSD technology inside and rubber edges outside
- Solid state drive with no moving parts, purposefully designed and manufactured by WD for high reliability and dependability
- Formatted for PC and Mac computers, with included automatic backup software for Windows and compatibility for Time Machine (reformatting required)
- Pocket-sized drive with an integrated cable
- 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty
- Works with PS4 and XBOX One
- Delivers SSD performance of up to 300MB/s** |**Based on read speed and internal testing. As used for transfer rate, megabyte per second (MB/s) = one million bytes per second. Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software components and configurations
WD My Passport SSD
My Passport SSD is for those that really need a high-performance external drive. This drive uses an SSD drive and connects via USB-C. This drive can perform close to the performance of an internal SSD drive. If you need to edit video, audio or photo’s off your external, this is the right solution for you.
If speed performance is critical and you plan to edit video, audio, or photo’s on your external, this is the right solution for you.
WD 2TB My Passport SSD Portable Storage - USB 3.1 - Black-Gray...
- Blazing-fast file transfers with read speeds up to 540 MB/s
- Password protection with hardware encryption
- USB Type-C and USB 3.1 Gen 2 ready; USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and USB-A compatible
- WD Discovery software for WD Backup, WD Security, Social Media and Cloud Storage import, WD Drive Utilities
- 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty
WD My Passport Wireless SSD
The My Passport Wireless SSD packs quite a bit of features that are geared towards photographers and videographers on the go. This drive features an SD card reader and a backup button so that you can simply pop in an SD card and hit the backup button to automatically backup your SD card without the need of a computer. Internally the device uses an SSD drive for really fast data transfer rates. This drive has a built-in battery that can last up to 10hrs of continuous use and it can be used as a power bank to charge your phone if need be. This device has built-in WiFi that allows wireless file transfers or you can stream videos such as movies or view photo’s from this device to your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. There is a USB 2.0 port that you can use to backup USB storage devices using the backup button thus eliminating the need for a computer to interface between two devices. This device can be hard wired via USB-A 3.o.
This drive is great for photographers and videographers that need a backup solution on the go.
WD 2TB My Passport Wireless SSD External Portable Drive - WiFi USB...
- Built-in SD card reader with one-touch copy button
- Durable, shock-resistant SSD inside
- All-day battery (up to 10 hours)* |*Based on streaming HD 720p, 3 Mbps video to one device over Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz single band only. Actual battery life depends on file size, type, format, bitrate, devices connected, Wi-Fi connectivity, settings and other factors.
- Wirelessly stream 4K videos and view photos with the My Cloud mobile app
- Import from USB card readers
- Preview and export RAW images on iOS and Android
WD My Passport Wireless Pro
The My Passport Wireless Pro has all of the features of the My Passport Wireless SSD with some added features. This drive has an SD 3.0 card reader which the My Passport Wireless SSD has an SD 2.0 card reader. What this means is that you’ll get faster transfer rates from your SD card on this drive vs the latter. You can use this drive as a media server using Plex software. You can gain access, organize, edit, and share files stored on the drive through your tablet or smartphone using the My Cloud mobile app.
This drive is for photographers and videographers that need the ultimate wireless flexibility to not only backup files but also access them wireless via WiFi or over the internet. The added bonus is that this drive can be used as a media server to stream video such as movies directly to your smart tv.
WD 4TB My Passport Wireless Pro Portable external Hard Drive - WiFi...
- SD 3.0 card reader for fast media offloads
- Wireless 802.11ac to stream 4K videos and view photos with the My Cloud mobile app on iOS and Android* |*4K streaming requires native player on mobile device with codec support for 4K video files and is subject to mobile device capabilities, hardware and software components and configurations.
- All-day battery (up to 10 hours)* |*Based on streaming HD 720p, 3 Mbps video to one device over Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz single band only. Actual battery life depends on file size, type, format, bitrate, devices connected, Wi-Fi connectivity, settings and other factors.
- Built-in power bank to charge your phone, action camera and more (with output up to 1.5A)
- 2-year manufacturer's limited warranty
- RAW image preview support
- USB 3.0 connection to PC and Mac computers
