The best external hard drives are those HDDs and SSDs that guarantee the security of the data stored on them.
There are many factors to consider when buying the best external hard drive for backups.
The most important factor is to consider storage space, speed, portability, and reliability.
Given this multitude of factors, it is difficult for us to definitively name an external unit as the best.
Normally, there are hard drives that can fit anyone’s needs.
After reviewing dozens of external hard drives, we recommend the Samsung T5 because is a versatile and durable model, suitable for many purposes.
If it’s not to your liking, we have a few other favorite hard drives that are perfect for saving your files, whatever solution you’re in.
Best external hard drives for backups at a glance
Here is our top of the best external hard drive For Backups:
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1. ADATA Durable HD710 Pro is the best waterproof external hard drive, resistant to both dust and shocks.
Due to the silicone rubber coating combined with the hard plastic case, the manufacturer claims that the HDD exceeds the IP68 standard, although it does not say if it has been tested on IP68.
This external hard drive can last up to 60 minutes immersed in water at a depth of 2 meters.
It is resistant to falls up to 1.5 meters due to a “triple-layered” construction, being one of the best external hard drive for backups.
There is a short 30 cm USB cable that surrounds the outside of the shell and has a USB 3.0 type connector at one end and a simple USB connector at the other end.
This external hard drive has a capacity of 1TB and a cache of 16MB.
Due to the rotation speed of 5400 with two turntables, the unit reached up to 131 and 110MB / s respectively on the popular ATTO benchmark.
The hard did not become too hot to the touch during the test, and the cable does not seem to tend to come off.
ADATA has equipped the HD710M with shock sensors that will automatically trigger internal protection mechanisms that will protect the user’s data.
2. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim is one of the best external hard drives for backups at a reasonable price.
It weighs 135g and measures a thickness of only 9.65 millimeters, but also has an affordable price.
Driving speeds will not compete with those of an SSD, but our indicators show that they can compete with any external hard drive on the market.
The case is available in metallic, silver, or gold and is mainly made of plastic, only one side is made of aluminum.
Because it has a more special design, this makes it not always affordable to buy.
A similar option is Seagate Backup Plus Slim Portable which is on number 2 as a similarity.
It is also a great choice for the best external hard drive for backups.
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3. Samsung T5 SSD is an affordable and high-speed compact SSD that looks and feels like a top portable storage solution.
This SSD uses the latest 3D V-NAND technology from Samsung.
Its storage capacity is up to 2TB dedicated in a small design, although it comes in a variety of storage sizes at different prices.
Because it is encased in a solid aluminum case, Samsung claims that this outdoor unit can withstand a fall of up to two meters without difficulty.
This makes from this Samsung T5 SSD one of the best external hard drive for backups.
Although we do not recommend trying this at home, the outdoor units must be strong enough to withstand physical abuse.
Due to its speed, compact size, and additional features such as compatible encryption software, there is no other unit that we can recommend as much as the Samsung T5.
Because it is considered the best external hard drive of the moment, it can be expensive for variants with more storage space.
If you can afford this SSD, Samsung T5 is the best external hard drive for you.
4. Western Digital My Book Duo is an excellent choice, being a more robust, long-stroke outdoor unit.
This model comes with several variants, starting from 4TB to 12TB, and a few other configurations between them and is a great choice for the best external hard drive for backups.
You can configure the two drives inside this enclosure as RAID, for file redundancy, or you can take advantage of every byte of storage.
With a USB 3.1 interface for high-speed data transfer, the My Book Duo case is serviceable by the user.
This means that you can replace the hard drives inside yourself if they fail, so you have the option to continue using the case.
Moreover, the best professional external hard drive provides full support for 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
If you do this, you can be sure that no one will be able to read the data stored outside of you.
5. WD Elements Portable is a cheap external HDD with a storage capacity of 1TB and a performance of 5400 rotations per minute.
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6. Seagate Expansion it's a great choice for the best external hard drive for backups
Although it has a performance of 5400 revolutions per minute, the energy consumption is quite low.
This external HDD from Seagate does not achieve a performance of 7200 rotations per minute, but only 5400RPM, but this minus is compensated by the lower power consumption it records.
According to the standard configuration, Seagate Expansion works on computers/laptops with Windows operating systems, given the NTFS file system.
We liked the possibility of working on a Mac through a format in HFS +, the process being a matter of only a few seconds.
And if you want to work on both Windows and Mac, then you will need a format in exFAT.
The great advantage of this HDD is that it offers the possibility to be used to expand the laptop/computer capacity and other devices, such as media players or game consoles and it is also a great choice for the best external hard drive for backups.
All you have to do is format it in the appropriate file system so that you can save your favorite games and applications or store media files.
The ease of configuration and use of the Seagate Expansion HDD is due to the Drag & Drop function, USB cable power, and USB 3.0 connectivity, with which you can make very fast file and data transfers.
7. Toshiba Canvio Basics has a storage capacity of 1TB with sequential read and write speeds of up to 120 MB / second and 5400 RPM.
This external HDD from Toshiba achieves a performance of 5400 revolutions per minute and is specially designed for working on a Windows device.
If you want to use it with a Mac OS device, then formatting will be required, but the manufacturers do not provide details on how this process should be done correctly.
Toshiba Canvo Basics has a sequential read speed of 115 MB / second and a sequential write speed of 114 MB / second, average values that could confuse you if you have to work with large files and data.
It also offers a fast USB 3.0 connection that is compatible with USB 2.0.
The HDD is not very noisy, which is an advantage, and is a great choice for best external hard drive for backups.
Toshiba Canvio Basics is not the best performing external HDD on the market, but it does its job quite well considering the price category in which it falls.
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8. Western Digital My Passport is not necessarily the lightest external hard drive on the market, but it has a good reputation for reliability.
It is often found in almost all the tops with the best external hard drives.
An advantage is that the unit does not require a separate power source, being one of the best external hard drive for backups.
Moreover, the fine and elegant design of the house explains easily why My Passport is probably the first choice for many.
The HDD comes in six different colors, with an elegant exterior design, with a height of 90 millimeters and a length of 45 millimeters with a thickness of less than 13 mm.
It is equipped with a single type C USB port that handles both data transfers and charging responsibilities.
Western Digital has introduced a lot of security features to this drive, including password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption options.
Users are also protected against other scenarios that could lead to data loss.
HDDs are tested to withstand a drop of up to 6.5 meters.
WD offers versions of My Passport storage spaces of 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, and 4TB.
Thank you for reading our blog post about the best external hard drive for backups. We hope that you will find the best product that fits your needs.