Samsung just took its portable storage to a new speed tier with its latest external SSDs. On Wednesday, the company unveiled the P9 and P7, a new generation of portable solid-state drives equipped with USB4 connectivity.
The flagship P9 is aimed at professionals who need to move huge amounts of data quickly, while the P7 offers a more affordable option for everyday storage. Both are designed to work with a broad range of devices, including the latest Macs and high-end iPads.
The SanDisk Extreme is a pocket-size 2TB SSD that’s speedy and reliable. It hits read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1,000 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2.
And right now, you can grab this tiny SSD (that’s gigantic on the inside) on sale for just $269.99. That’s nearly half off the regular price of $499.99.
Need a portable SSD to add terabytes of capacity to your Mac or iPad? Prepare yourself for sticker shock — prices have taken quite a jump. Blame it on the severe global shortage of memory.
But you don’t have to pay more than necessary for that portable SSD. We can point you toward a few deals. Save up to 34%.
This deal on Samsung’s T9 portable SSDs can land you a massive amount of storage at a reasonable price. That’s great news for Apple users who need a reliable place to stash large files, even as prices for SSDs skyrocket.
The T9s deliver fast data transfers, rugged portability and enough space for huge Apple workflows, and this deal drops them to prices that currently beat Amazon.
Solve your storage crisis with a Samsung T9 SSD, on sale from Cult of Mac Deals in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB options.
Anyone thinking about adding a portable SSD to their Mac or iPad would be wise to make that purchase soon. Prices for the external storage devices are already on the rise.
Why? For the same reason that Apple needed to raise prices for its newest MacBooks.
Adding storage space to your iPhone is easy — you just need the right SSD. I’ve tested ones that work with Apple’s handset and found three standout options for holding gigabytes of images, video and more without massively bulking up the handset.
So here are the best SSDs for your iPhone. All you need to do now is decide whether you want the tiny drive to emphasize speed, security or affordability.
Sandisk just launched a third generation of the Extreme Portable SSD. It offers 2,000 MBps data transfers, drop protection and more. Capacities go up to 4TB.
The drive will be joined later in 2026 with two more additions to the line of SSDs — one with even faster data transfer speeds, and the other expected to be more affordable.
★★★★☆
The Kingston Dual Portable SSD brings up to 2TB of storage to anyone in the process of transitioning from the old USB-A to the smaller USB-C standard. It’s small enough to easily carry around, and fast enough to quickly handle large files.
I ran tests on the drive to see how the portable SSD fares in real-world use. Read on to see how well it performed.
A ByteSize SSD from BMX is small enough to fit snugly along the bottom of a iPhone with USB-C, adding up to 2TB of storage. The Ultra and Pro variants offer fast enough connections for recording high-res, high-frame rate ProRes video.
But what really sets the premium variant of the new portable SSDs apart from rivals is support for Apple FindMy tracking system. Plus, multiple models also include fingerprint biometric security.
OWC launched an 8TB version of its Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD on Monday. Previously, the rugged portable SSD topped out at 4TB. Thanks to Thunderbolt 5, the external solid-state drive can move files at up to 6,000 MBps, making it up to twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4 and USB4.
After doubling the capacity, this is the first 8TB drive with Thunderbolt 5 support.
★★★★☆
No one but you can access the files stored on the iKlips S, a tiny SSD from Adam Elements. Simply tap your finger on the drive to unlock it. The biometric security system is similar to Apple’s Touch ID and keeps everything on the SSD private. No passwords are necessary.
File transfers are quick, and the drive uses USB-C, so it works with a broad array of computers, including Mac, iPad and iPhone.
I put the iKlips S through testing for this review and came away quite satisfied with its performance. Just be aware, though, that you’re paying a premium for the extra security. We can get you a 30% discount, though!
Cyber Monday has arrived, and with it come amazing deals on portable SSDs. If you’ve been constantly running out of space on your laptop, desktop or tablet, this is your moment.
There are deals from top brands: Sandisk, Samsung and Kingston that shouldn’t be missed.
★★★★☆
Sandisk gives its new Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive the crown as “the world’s smallest 1TB USB-C flash drive.” It’s undeniably very, very small — so tiny that you can leave it plugged into your MacBook. That means it can semi-permanently boost the storage capacity of your older notebook — and at quite a good price.
I tested the miniature external SSD with a variety of Apple devices, including my iPhone. Here’s how it stood up to real-world use.
★★★★★
The Planck SSD was created specifically for iPhone, and is so small and well-designed that it plugs into the handset’s USB-C port and practically disappears. But there’s still room for up to 2 terabytes of storage.
Even better, it’s rocket-fast. So fast that it enables high-resolution/high-framerate ProRes video to be recorded from iPhone Pro models, making the Planck SSD an ideal tool for creators and professional videographers.
I tested the drive and came away very impressed. It even comes with a useful collection of accessories.
The SanDisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive packs up to a terabyte of storage, but is tiny enough that you can leave it plugged into your MacBook. SanDisk touts it as “the world’s smallest 1TB USB-C flash drive.”
Outgrown the storage capacity of your older MacBook? This drive could be just the boost you’re looking for.
The mini SSD can even be used with an iPhone, as well as an iPad.
★★★★☆
The PNY Duo Link V3 external SSD includes both a USB-C and a USB-A connector. That means the flash drive can plug into a recent Mac, iPad or iPhone, but can also go into a smart TV or other accessory that lacks a USB-C port — no adapter needed.
And it’s quick, with data transfers at up to 800MB/s. Capacities go up to 2 terabytes.
I put the affordable SSD through a series of real-world tests. Here’s what I found.
★★★★★
The just-launched LaCie Rugged SSD4 from Seagate is for “creators working beyond the four walls of a studio.” It’s designed to stand up to punishment while offering terabytes of storage and USB4 data transfer speeds. That’s fast enough for iPhone Pro users to record ProRes 4K video.
I put the SSD through real-world testing. Here’s how it came out.
A deal on the Samsung T9 SSD lets you add terabytes of storage to your Mac or iPad without breaking the bank. The T9 offers up to 4TB of capacity and offers blazing fast data transfers, without the risks of cloud storage. And you can grab the SSD now at up to 36% below the original cost.
For an even more affordable option, the older Samsung T7 is available with considerable discounts, too.
Professionals who need an SSD with terabytes of storage and crazy-fast data transfers have a new option: the OWC Express 1M2 80G. The drive offers up to 8TB of capacity, and because it uses Thunderbolt 5, the SSD offers 48GBps real-world data transfers.
It’s available in a range of storage capacities, or users can insert their own NVMe M.2 SSD.
Adding high-speed plug-in storage capacity to your computer is so easy it’s something every Mac user should consider. Here are some of the best consumer-oriented external SSDs that are designed for portability. Even better: many of these are on sale.
We did hands-in testing for nearly all of these — look for links to our reviews.
The portable SSD you’ve been wanting is probably available at well below the usual cost. There are top-quality ones available at way below their list prices — we found deals on portable SSDs from Samsung, Kingston and more. Save up to 48%!
Even if you didn’t do your shopping during Amazon Prime Day last week, you can still easily increase the storage capacity of your Mac, iPad, etc. without over-stressing your credit card.
The OWC Guardian stands out from the pack of SSDs with built-in hardware encryption unlocked with its own touchscreen. No special software is needed.
The USB-C drive works with a variety of computers, offers fast data transfers and is available in up to 4 TB of capacity.
★★★★☆
SanDisk designed its Creator Phone SSD specifically for people recording large amounts of 4K ProRes video with a recent iPhone Pro/Pro Max model. The MagSafe drive magnetically attaches to the back of the handset so it’s out of the way during filming.
It holds up to 2TB of data without making the handset difficult to film with. And transferring data to a Mac for editing is a snap.
I tested the SSD with my iPhone and it worked very well. But the cable is bulkier than it should be.
Adding a high-speed SSD to the Mac mini M4 just got easier with the Satechi USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure. It can hold up to 8TB drives and transfer data at up to 5 GB per second.
The accessory hit store shelves Tuesday and comes with a 17% launch discount.
The PNY Duo Link V3 external SSD includes both a USB-C and a USB-A connector. That means the flash drive that launched Thursday can plug into any modern Mac, or it can go into a smartTV or other accessory that lacks a USB-C port — no adapter needed.
Even better, it offers 1,000MB/s data transfers, and capacities go up to 2 terabytes. The price is very competitive, too.