Best External Hard Drives 2026

The Samsung T7 Shield is a portable SSD that transfers files at over 1,000 MB/s, survives three-meter drops, and fits in your pocket. The WD My Passport is the reliable workhorse for backups with hardware encryption and up to 5TB of storage at a reasonable price. The SanDisk Extreme Pro is the fastest portable SSD we've tested with 2,000 MB/s reads. The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the cheapest way to get 2TB of portable storage. SSDs are worth the premium if speed matters to you.