The best SSDs for 2023
Keep your valuable media files secure with the best SSD external hard drives.
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Whether you’re backing up files in the field or just trying to keep your laptop’s internal drive free from clutter, SSDs can help. If you’ve been capturing memories with your camera for a while, you know there are two types of drives: one that has already failed and one that is about to fail. External solid state drives (SSD) is made up of flash. Because of this, they lack the moving parts found in traditional external hard disc drives (HDDs), which makes the SSD less susceptible to damage from shock. No moving parts also mean it runs quieter and faster. Ultimately, the best SSDs are a lot more reliable when you are traveling around than using a drive with a spinning disc.
- Best overall: SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD
- Best value: Crucial X6
- Best rugged: LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive
- Best large-capacity: SABRENT Rocket XTRM-Q 16TB External Aluminum SSD
- Best budget: Samsung SSD T7, 500GB
How we chose the best SSDs
The writers and editors at PopPhoto are constantly moving photo and video files around, which makes fast transfer speeds and reliable drives crucial to our process. To choose the best SSDs, we relied on hands-on testing, personal experience, spec comparisons, editorial reviews, and user feedback to find drives with the right mix of portability, reliability, and affordability. We focused on drives from reputable companies with solid reputations for not losing data. We also emphasized portability and stuck only to external SSDs since internal SSDs are an entirely different can of worms.
The best SSDs: Reviews & recommendations
Best overall: 2TB SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD
Abby Ferguson
Specs
- Capacity: 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB
- Speed: Up to 2,000 MB/s
- Size: 0.41 x 2.28 x 4.36 inches
- Weight: 2.72 ounces
Pros
- Fast
- Reliable
- Very portable
Cons
- Pricey
The 2TB SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD has 2000MB/sec read/write speeds and is made of a forged aluminum that acts as a heat sink for the drive. It’s a rugged 2TB external hard drive in a tiny package that has 2-meter drop protection, is IP55 water and dust resistant, and has a little loop for a carabiner to keep it securely attached when you are on the move. The SanDisk SSD includes 256-bit AES encryption and password protection for when you are carrying sensitive data. It fits in the palm of your hand, and SanDisk SSDs also come in a 1TB capacity if you need less space and/or are working on a tight budget.
Best value: Crucial X6
Crucial
Specs
- Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB
- Speed: 800MB/s
- Size: 2.72 x 0.43 x 2.52 inches
- Weight: 1.48 ounces
Pros
- Easy to fit in a pocket
- Up to 4TB storage
- Affordable
Cons
- Not as fast as others on the list
This Crucial drive has rounded edges and a small form factor that make it easy to stick into a bag or even a pants pocket if you need to move in a hurry. At 800MB/s it’s not quite as fast as some of the other drives on this list, but it’s still speedy enough for transferring files and even video editing if you need it. It relies on a removable cable with a USB-C connection, but it comes with both a USB-C and USB-A cable to work better with older laptops.
Best rugged: LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive
Amazon
Specs
- Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
- Speed: 1,050MB/s
- Size: 0.67 x 2.56 x 3.85 inches
- Weight: 3.53 ounces
Pros
- IP67 rating for toughness and water resistance
- Rugged, rubberized coating
- Easy to see in a bag
Cons
- Bulky
LaCie’s bright orange SSDs have IP67-rated water and dust resistance, three-meter drop protection, and 2-ton car crush resistance. If you are going to be transferring photos and videos in the unforgiving outdoors, this is the drive for you. It offers read/write speeds up to 1050MB/sec for 4K footage and has Seagate Self-Encrypting technology. As an added bonus, the LaCie drive comes with a one-month complimentary membership to Adobe Create Cloud. It also includes a five-year protection plan with data recovery services in case you run into issues.
Best large-capacity: SABRENT Rocket XTRM-Q 16TB External Aluminum SSD
Sabrent
Specs
- Capacity: 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, and 16TB
- Speed: 1400MB/s per single SSD or up to 2800MB/s for RAID-0 mode
- Size: 4.5 x 2.56 x 0.68 inches
- Weight: 8.3 ounces
Pros
- 16TB storage option is tops on the list
- Rugged aluminum shell
- Thunderbolt compatible
- Fast performance
Cons:
- Requires a power adapter
- Expensive
Larger capacity drives come with much higher prices, but if space is what you need you can’t do better than this 16TB SSD drive from Sabrent. The XTRM-Q 16TB SSD is a dual disk drive consisting of two separate 8TB disks. Because of the dual drive configuration, it provides RAID functionality with four possible setups. You can choose to use them as two independent 8TB drives, RAID-0, RAID-1, or JBOD/Sequential. That means you can customize this SSD to truly work how you need it to.
The XTRM-Q from Sabrent is Thunderbolt certified by Intel, resulting in fast speeds. It offers 1400MB/s per single SSD or up to 2800MB/s when using RAID-0 mode. That’s fast enough to edit directly off the drive. While it’s certainly small for a device with this much storage, it does require a power supply, unlike the other options on our list. But that’s a small price to pay for the amount of storage and flexibility you are getting in such a small package.
Best budget: Samsung SSD T7, 500GB
Amazon
Specs
- Capacity: 500GB, 1Tb, and 2TB
- Speed: 1,050MB/s
- Size: 3.3 x 2.2 x 0.3 inches
- Weight: 1.48 ounces
Pros
- Very compact
- Fast transfers
- Affordable
Cons
- Barebones feature list
Drive capacity is the main thing that drives up the price of SSD hard drives. As a result, folks looking to save should opt for a drive with a lower capacity. That doesn’t mean you have to opt for lower quality, however. This 500GB Samsung SSD has a read/write speed of 1050MB/s and 1000MB/sec, which is nice and speedy. It is shock resistant and can withstand drops from 1.8 meters and features dynamic thermal guard to prevent overheating. And it can be password protected. At under $100 for the 500GB version, this Samsung SSD won’t put nearly as big of a dent in your wallet as some of the other drives on this list.
Things to consider when shopping for SSDs
When shopping for computer storage, the price of the drive has a lot to do with storage capacity and read/write speeds. Larger capacity drives with faster read/write speeds will be the most expensive, while lower-capacity drives with slower speeds will cost less.
Speed
Speed and reliability are probably the most important features for photographers, while capacity is likely more crucial for videographers. To futureproof yourself with the fastest transfer speeds, the best computer storage will be USB 3.1 or 3.2—avoid the older, slower USB 3.0 models. Some drives offer a rugged build for additional protection, which is great if you often find yourself working outdoors or in a location where you have to improvise with desk space. The majority of SSD drives are compatible with both Mac and PC and just require formatting for the appropriate platform before use.
Size
The physical size of SSDs can vary greatly, as do colors and design elements. But these factors are typically less important than capacity when it comes to computer storage. In recent years the speed and capacity rates of SSD drives on the market have exploded. Selecting the right SSD size has a lot to do with the files you’ll store on it, where you will use it, and how much space you need. If you are working with 4K video files, a large capacity 4TB drive might be the best option. But if you are diligent about getting your files off of the portable SSD and into an archival storage system and are primarily shooting photographs, smaller-capacity SSDs will suffice. Ultimately, the best SSD for you is the one that fits in your bag and can fit all your files.
Connectivity
Most drives on the market at the moment connect to a computer via USB-C. Speed can vary with that connection, so be sure to make sure the device comes with a cable that makes the most of your computer’s actual connections. Some drives have the cable integrated, while others require you to carry an external wire. The former has an advantage when it comes to convenience (you’ll never be out of luck when you forget a cable), but if that wire dies, it takes the whole device with it.
FAQs
Q: Is an external SSD worth it?
If you are a photographer or videographer, an external SSD drive is an invaluable tool and absolutely worth it. Fast external SSD drives are extremely helpful when transferring large amounts of files for clients or personal use. They are more reliable than SD cards and a better option while on-the-go than a traditional platter-based external hard drive.
Q: Is SSD better than HDD?
SSD and HDD are both important tools for photographers and videographers and should be used for different purposes. In an external SSD drive there are no moving parts—this makes an SSD drive faster and more reliable in the short term than an HDD. Also, an external SSD drive is an excellent tool for transferring photo or video files while you are out on an assignment or on an adventure. An HDD drive, on the other hand, is a better archival file storage system because of its gigabytes-per-dollar ratio. Think of your SSD drive as the ideal choice for throwing in your camera bag before you leave the house for a shoot, while your HDD sits safely at home on your desk storing all the photos and videos that you’ve taken in the months and years before.
Q: Does an SSD get slower over time?
Like all camera tech, you will notice that your SSD drive will get slower over time. SSD’s typically have a limited number of read/writes and will slow down as you put more files on them. This is why it’s great to use them as storage on-the-go, transfer those files to an archival drive, and then wipe them before your next job. Drives with larger capacities will take longer to slow down, which is one reason that a 2TB drive may be a better choice than a 500MB drive.
Q: Why choose an SSD over a traditional large-capacity HDD?
Because an external solid state drive forgoes the physical spinning platters of traditional hard disc drives, it also avoids the space needed for a spindle, an arm with a magnetic read/write head, etc. This means SSDs are typically smaller and faster than HDDs. All that static silicon is a great option when on location and/or working on time-sensitive assignments, as beyond being durable, they are compact and typically have faster read and write speeds. Although a large-capacity HDD array and/or the cloud are better choices for archival storage, having a speedy SSD drive at your disposal is ideal for accessing and storing your most recent projects while on the go.
Related: These are the fastest SD cards for your camera
Final thoughts on the best SSDs
- Best overall: SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD
- Best value: Crucial X6
- Best rugged: LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive
- Best large-capacity: SABRENT Rocket XTRM-Q 16TB External Aluminum SSD
- Best budget: Samsung SSD T7, 500GB
External SSDs come in a variety of sizes and speeds and price typically goes up with higher capacity drives with faster read/write speeds. A 1TB or 2TB drive will probably be plenty of space for most photographers and will encourage you to get those files off of the SSD and onto a more archival format for long-term storage. Ultimately, having an SSD drive at your disposal as a photographer will help speed up your workflow and give you peace of mind that the images and videos stored on your SD cards are safely duplicated in an additional location.
Why trust us
PopPhoto has a long history of delivering the opinions of some of the sharpest and most prolific camera dorks the world has to offer. Since 1937, we’ve been reviewing cameras, providing wisdom from well-known photographers, and generally just nerding out about all that goes into making great pictures. Our current crop of writers and editors have decades of professional photography and camera writing experience among them. Collectively, we’ve probably shot with just about every camera and lens combo you can imagine—as well as some obscure stuff you may not even know about. Remember the Casio Tryx folding camera? PopPhoto does.
We also get that buying a camera is a big decision, which is why we’re dedicated to helping folks choose the right one (or, in our case “ones”) for their needs. Case in point: Handing over top dollar for an expensive rig may leave you unsatisfied if it doesn’t fit your preferred shooting style. Sure, a $6,000 sports-oriented DSLR can capture landscapes, but do you really need to do it at 30 frames-per-second? No, you don’t.
