It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed external hard disk drives so the sheer ultra compact mobility of the WD My Passport SSD certainly surprised me. Small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, it certainly looks like the most mobile external storage yet but how does it perform and who is it made for? Find out in our review of the WD My Passport SSD below.
At first glance, the super small My Passport SSD looks about the size of a TicTac case but is both slimmer and sleeker with grooves running down the side to the bottom. WD says that it’s a shock-resistant case and it feels somewhat metallic. A single USB Type-C port is on the bottom.
The WD My Passport SSD looks super sleek and compact
The metallic body is quite slim
A single USB Type C port is on the bottom
Inside the box, there’s the usual guides and documentation along with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable along with a USB Type-C to USB Type A adapter. The cable isn’t very long so it should be quite portable to carry both the My Passport SSD and it’s cables in a small ziplock or pouch inside your bag or pocket.
Our review unit was the 1TB variant, but it also comes in 500GB and 2TB versions as well. At first we were thinking that WD had finally made a mobile external SSD for mobiles, but the My Passport SSD is clearly made for just Windows 10 or 8.1 and MacOS running machines.
The WD My Passport SSD and its box
What's in the box? The usual documentation, cable, adapter and external SSD
This is because the pre-installed WD Discovery software to help automate your backups are just for those personal computers. You can still use the My Passport SSD for your mobile devices like your phone or tablet but backup will have to be done manually or through third-party backup apps.
According to WD, their My Passport SSD can do transfers up to 1050MB/s and to a certain extent this much is true from our testing. However, CrystalDiskMark noted that this is just for reading data. Writing went up to just 954.72 MB/s, which is still quite fast nonetheless.
Performance in CrystalDiskMark
We do have to note that the My Passport SSD did become quite warm and toasty (about 38 to 40 degrees celsius) when used continuously for a while, so be sure to let it cool down before picking it up. It’s not enough to burn you but it might be a bit of a surprise if you’re not aware of it.
Overall, the My Passport SSD is a nicely compact external storage device that should look and work well in most mobile or on-the-go situations. However, at RM1069 for the 1TB variant, it can be a bit pricey, so you may want to consider other external SSDs such as the SanDisk Extreme Portable E60 which is more rugged and about RM300 or so less. However, it is only about half as fast as the My Passport SSD, so if speed is an issue for you, then you should probably consider the My Passport SSD more.
Tech specs and features
These are the WD My Passport SSD tech specs and features:
- transfers up to 1050MB/s
- comes in 500GB / 1TB / 2TB variants
- portable SSD (USB 3.2 Gen-2)
- shock resistant chassis
- WD Discovery password protection and backup
- available in gray, red, blue and rose gold
- 256-bit AES hardware encryption
- compatible with Windows 10 / 8.1 and macOS Catalina, Mojave or High Sierra
- 5-year limited warranty
Pros and Cons
Pros: Ultra compact, portable, lightweight, sleek and very fast external SSD.
Cons: Gets warm fast. A bit pricey. Designed for laptops.
Summary: A super fast and premium portable external storage device for those with a bit more money.
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