1. Apple
2. Most Dependable Hard Drive 2018
3. Most Reliable Portable Hard Drives For Mac 2018 Holiday
4. Best External Hard Drives For Mac

Hard disk drives (HDDs) can get damaged when dropped. Solid state drives (SSDs) have limited read and write cycles. So what should you buy when you want a portable drive that’s tough and will store your data safely?

The 2TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the overall best portable drive today, but it’s not rugged. Manufacturers have an entire class of different toughened drives, meant for people who travel a lot or lead adventurous lifestyles. Here are the best ones, depending on your needs.

If you have a favorite hard drive to use with your Mac, be sure to tell us all about it in the comments below! Updated September 2018: These are still our favorite external hard drives for your Mac. This post may contain affiliate links. The Top External DVD and CD Drives. Best External CD/DVD Drive for Mac. As more and more laptop manufacturers decided to eliminate the CD/DVD drives, considering it an acceptable sacrifice to make their devices thinner, it seems external drives have experienced a growing demand. And it’s quite understandable after all. It’s basically what the names suggest. An internal hard drive is the hard drive that comes inside your Mac or store-bought Windows system. While new internal hard drives have a ton of space compared to older ones (now measured in terabytes instead of gigabytes as in years past), it’s a good idea to have a backup of your work. The hard drives Backblaze uses are desktop hard drives, not portable hard drives, with some drives pulled from external enclosures. Even so, the Backblaze study is the largest, most recent sample of hard drive failures we have access to, and it’s always a fascinating read. LaCie Rugged 2TB USB-C and USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive + 1mo Adobe CC All Apps (STFR2000400) LaCie Rugged 2TB USB-C and USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive + 1mo Adobe CC All Apps (STFR2000400) Buy Now At Amazon $119.99. LaCie is the brand most synonymous with rugged hard drives. It has loyal followers worldwide who swear by the products.

Waterproof SSD: ADATA SE730

ADATA SE730 250GB USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C Waterproof Shockproof Portable External Solid State Drive (ASE730-250GU31-CGD)ADATA SE730 250GB USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C Waterproof Shockproof Portable External Solid State Drive (ASE730-250GU31-CGD) Buy Now On Amazon $155.97

Hard drives usually have open ports, so making them waterproof is difficult. But it’s not a problem for the ADATA SE730, a tiny portable SSD with a concealed port.

Of course, this is technically water-resistant, not waterproofWhat Makes a Device Waterproof or Water-Resistant?What Makes a Device Waterproof or Water-Resistant?A lot of devices are marketed as waterproof, but that can be severely misleading. Most are actually water-resistant. What's the difference? Here's everything you need to know about it.Read More, but that’s what you’ll get in any gadget. ADATA claims an IP68 rating, which means it is also dust-proof. The device has also been drop-tested with military standards (MIL-STD-810).

Portable SSDs are generally a lot faster than HDDs in copying data, so that will help those who need to copy-paste quickly. And the SE730 supports USB Type-C, making transfers that much faster if your laptop also has a Type-C port.

The small size of the ADATA SE730 is a big bonus — portable drives are lighter and easy to carry.

Tough but Not Waterproof: Samsung T3 250GB

Samsung T3 Portable SSD - 250GB - USB 3.1 External SSD (MU-PT250B/AM)Samsung T3 Portable SSD - 250GB - USB 3.1 External SSD (MU-PT250B/AM) Buy Now On Amazon $150.99

Waterproofing is usually not that important for most people. Unless you expect the drive to be dropped into a pool or something, the level of protection isn’t necessary for SSDs like the Samsung T3. On the other hand, you get much faster speeds.

Don’t get me wrong: it is a durable, tough drive nonetheless. The lack of moving parts, coupled with its metallic body, make it safe from drops. And as far as accidental water protection goes, it will work fine if you were to spill a glass on it or if it was in your pocket while walking in the rain.

The Samsung T3’s claim to fame is its speed, offering a scarcely believable 300 MB/s write speed and 350 MB/s read speed. Plus, it is formatted in exFAT to use with Windows or MacFAT32 vs. exFAT: What's the Difference and Which One Is Better?FAT32 vs. exFAT: What's the Difference and Which One Is Better?A file system is the tool that lets an operating system read data on any hard drive. Many systems use FAT32, but is that the right one, and is there a better option?Read More out of the box, no extra tools required.

While the ADATA is definitely more rugged, the Samsung T3 is the portable SSD most people should buy. If you are truly worried about waterproofing it, buy a case.

Since this article was published, Samsung has released a newer version of the portable SSD, the Samsung T5 250GB
Samsung Portable 250GB SSD T5 (MU-PA250B/AM) Alluring BlueSamsung Portable 250GB SSD T5 (MU-PA250B/AM) Alluring Blue Buy Now On Amazon $95.50

Why You Might Want HDDs over SSDs

SSDs are more durable because they don’t have any moving parts. Plus, HDDs can’t match solid state speeds, especially for data transfer.

That said, HDDs offer better safeguards against data loss. For example, some Samsung SSD drives slowly degradeHow Ultrabook Performance Degrades Over Time with a Samsung TLC SSDHow Ultrabook Performance Degrades Over Time with a Samsung TLC SSDSamsung's TLC SSDs are screwing their customers! A bug with Triple Level Cell NAND memory causes performance to degrade and voids warranty early. Find out whether you're affected and get a fix.Read More over time. On top of that, a comparison of how long your storage media lastsHard Drives, SSDs, Flash Drives: How Long Will Your Storage Media Last?Hard Drives, SSDs, Flash Drives: How Long Will Your Storage Media Last?How long will hard drives, SSDs, flash drives continue to work, and how long will they store your data if you use them for archiving?Read More found hard drives were the longest-lasting option.

Hard drives also offer more capacity than SSDs for the same price. You can usually get double or quadruple the amount of storage on an HDD.

So if you want more capacity for a longer time, a rugged hard disk drive might be the better option for you. If you use the portable drive for regularly transferring files from one computer to another, or while traveling around, stick with an SSD.

Waterproof and Toughest: Silicon Armor A85 4TB

Silicon Power Armor A85 IP68 Shockproof 4TB Waterproof USB 3.0 2.5-Inch Military Grade Portable External Hard Drive for PC, Mac, Xbox One and Xbox 360 (SP040TBPHDA85S3S) - SilverSilicon Power Armor A85 IP68 Shockproof 4TB Waterproof USB 3.0 2.5-Inch Military Grade Portable External Hard Drive for PC, Mac, Xbox One and Xbox 360 (SP040TBPHDA85S3S) - Silver Buy Now On Amazon $130.95

The Silicon Armor A85 is the toughest, most durable hard disk drive you can buy. With a sealed flap for the port, double-layer protection for the drive, and a way to carry the cable with it, this is a winner.

The A85 looks quite snazzy in its aluminum casing, which can take up to 500 kg of force. Under that is a unibody rubber case enveloping the drive for double protection. The port on the tap has a rubber flap to protect it from water ingress.

The portable HDD is compatible with all operating systems, as well as the Xbox OneEverything You Need to Know About Xbox One External Hard DrivesEverything You Need to Know About Xbox One External Hard DrivesAdding an external hard drive to your Xbox One brings many benefits. Here's why you should consider buying one, and what to look for in an external HDD.Read More and PlayStation 4 gaming consoles. A neat little rubber band at the back holds the cable for a standard USB 3.0 port.

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The Armor A85 has a three-year warranty and has passed military-grade drop tests. While it failed a test by The Wirecutter, it passed similar tests from other reviewers.

Waterproof and Cheap HDD: ADATA HD720 1TB

ADATA HD720 1TB USB 3.0 Waterproof/Dustproof/Shock-Resistant External Hard Drive, Blue (AHD720-1TU3-CBL)ADATA HD720 1TB USB 3.0 Waterproof/Dustproof/Shock-Resistant External Hard Drive, Blue (AHD720-1TU3-CBL) Buy Now On Amazon

ADATA has a tendency to make reliable portable drives for a low cost. The HD720 is the perfect example of that, giving you a TB of storage and water-resistance for just $70.

Like the SE730, ADATA has a flap for the connector port, which is an important feature for such drives. The IP68 protection means it can be submerged in up to two meters of water for two minutes. And there is reliable dust protection too.

The HD720 also has a sensor that detects if it has fallen or gotten a jolt. The drive will immediately stop operations in such a case. Once the shock has subsided, it will resume working. It’s a small feature, but it can go a long way in protecting your data on a hard driveHow to Care for Your Hard Drives and Make Them Last LongerHow to Care for Your Hard Drives and Make Them Last LongerSometimes an early death is the fault of the manufacturer, but more often than not, hard drives fail earlier than they should because we don't take care of them.Read More.

Best deal on microsoft office 2019 for mac. Overall, the HD720 isn’t the toughest or most rugged drive we have seen, but it’s an excellent entry-level option.

USB Type-C: LaCie Rugged USB-C 2TB

LaCie Rugged 2TB USB-C and USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive + 1mo Adobe CC All Apps (STFR2000400)LaCie Rugged 2TB USB-C and USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive + 1mo Adobe CC All Apps (STFR2000400) Buy Now On Amazon $129.99

LaCie is the brand most synonymous with rugged hard drives. It has loyal followers worldwide who swear by the products. That orange rubber shell with the aluminum case in the center is also a distinct, recognizable style. And now it has been updated for the newest standard.

Most Dependable Hard Drive 2018

There aren’t yet many portable hard drives with the USB Type-C portWhat Is USB Type-C?What Is USB Type-C?Ah, the USB plug. It is as ubiquitous now as it is notorious for never being able to be plugged in right the first time.Read More, a new global standard used in smartphones, laptops, and tablets. The LaCie Rugged does, and it comes with two cables: USB-C to USB-C, and USB-C to USB-A (the standard port you are used to).

Like all its famous hard drives, LaCie claims this one survives falls from up to four feet, getting crushed by a one-ton car, and being exposed to rain. There’s a two-year warranty thrown in for good measure. And yes, it is compatible with both Windows and Mac, including automatic backups with macOS’s Time MachineSchedule & Browse Time Machine Backups With These Powerful ToolsSchedule & Browse Time Machine Backups With These Powerful ToolsFrom custom backup times to finding out where those 2 GB of new files are, the right apps can give you power and knowledge Apple's own tools just don't provide.Read More.

If You Really Want Protection, Buy a Case

As you can see from these picks, portable hard drive protection is a pretty simple thing. It will be more durable with more solid layers between the disk and external elements. That’s why if you are really serious about protecting it from harm, get yourself a shockproof case.

This isn’t a range of products that tech reviewers spend their time on, so you’ll need to look at what customers have to say. Make sure you know how to trust an Amazon reviewHow to Know If You Can Trust an Amazon Product's ReviewsHow to Know If You Can Trust an Amazon Product's ReviewsAmazon product reviews are hit or miss. Sometimes they're helpful, sometimes they're fake. Here's a tool you can use to check the integrity of a given product's reviews.Read More, or you’ll fall for the company’s shills.

Based on similar research, the LTGEM EVA Hard Case seems like a good purchase. It’s water-resistant, adds some extra padding for the drive, and has a hard shell instead of a soft cover.

LTGEM Hard Case for Seagate Expansion 1TB 2TB 3TB 4TB Portable 2.5 inch External Hard Drive CaseLTGEM Hard Case for Seagate Expansion 1TB 2TB 3TB 4TB Portable 2.5 inch External Hard Drive Case Buy Now On Amazon

If you found some other great case, or a tough and durable hard drive, we’d love to know in the comments. What did you buy?

Explore more about: Computer Peripherals, Hard Drive, Solid State Drive, Storage.

Backblaze has released its data set for the full year 2018 and there are some surprises in it this time around. Annual failure rates for drives have fallen sharply in comparison with previous years as smaller-capacity HDDs have been replaced by higher-capacity counterparts. This isn’t automatically what you’d expect.

Most Reliable Portable Hard Drives For Mac 2018 Holiday

The Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) has fallen every year since 2016, from 1.95 percent to 1.25 percent. That’s a significant decline. Importantly, while this trend doesn’t hold true for every drive family, there are multiple HDDs that show lower AFRs in 2018 than in 2016. Seagate’s 10TB drive family has been particularly good, with a 0.33 percent AFR for 2018, improving on the already-low 0.89 percent AFR for 2017.

For those of you wanting an AFR comparison that stretches back farther than 2016, Backblaze has provided that data as well. The following is the AFR rating for HDDs from 4/20/2013 through 12/31/2018 for all drives still active as of 12/31/2018.

HGST drives continue to impress as far as overall AFR rates and this isn’t the first year that’s been true. Overall, these are some of the most reliable drives over time that Backblaze has tested. The complete AFR rate over all five years is 1.68 percent — higher than the 2018 data alone, but still within a very reasonable window.

The Caveats

I’ve written a version of this for every Backblaze post we do, so here’s the latest. Backblaze’s data set is not perfect. The company uses consumer drives in a decidedly enterprise context, which doesn’t remotely reflect the usage patterns these drives would receive if they were being used by an ordinary customer. It constructs and maintains its own storage pods and has iterated on these designs over time, often with improvements intended to reduce vibration or noise. This could also theoretically have an impact on drive reliability. As the video below illustrates, hard drives don’t like it when you scream at them. Always make certain to communicate with your spinning media in a thoughtful, calm voice.

Best External Hard Drives For Mac

The reason we continue to discuss and feature Backblaze’s data set is the same reason we refer to the Steam Hardware Survey. We know the data sets are imperfect — the SHS’s list of video cards doesn’t include multiple AMD GPUs like Vega 56 or 64 and only added the RX 570 last month. The total number of “Other” GPUs listed is 10.92 percent — more than enough to meaningfully impact the AMD versus Nvidia split listed at the top level of the page. But while these data sets are imperfect, they’re also the best window we have into an important question. HDD manufacturers do not release the kind of reliability information that HDD consumers often want and the handful of third-party studies on the topic frequently don’t identify drive vendors or models.

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