10 Best External Hard Drives in India 2021

Tech |

August 29, 2020

| by HomeExpert

Storing bulk data is easy today because of external hard drives. They are available in different storage capacities and various brands. You can use this for expanding the space on your laptop or PCs and also carry it anywhere you want. Let us see some of the best external hard drives that can be bought online.

What is The Difference Between SSD and HDD?

HDD or Hard Drive Disk store data with the use of a spinning magnetic disk. You can hear some spinning sounds when the read or write heads alter the data as needed but Solid State Device(SSD) doesn’t have any spinning parts and they make use of small gate transistors in cells. On the basis of electric pulses, the transistors flip on or off. Among the two types, the SSDs are faster and expensive as well.

Top 10 Best External Hard Drives in India

1. Toshiba Canvio Basics External Hard Drive

This is a compact hard disk with a matte finish and a sleek design. Using it is quite easy as you just need to plug and play.

Features:

Model: HDTB420AK3AA
Dimensions: 7.8 x 10.9 x 1.4 cm
Weight: 149 Grams
Storage: 2 TB
Hardware Interface: USB, USB 3.0, USB 2.0
Hardware Platform: Mac and Windows
Connector Type: Wired
Color: Black
Warranty: 3 Years

Pros

Fast data transfer with USB 3.0
Inbuilt shock sensor.

Cons

Low rotational speed makes it somewhat time-consuming while taking backup of large files.

Rating: 4.2/5

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2. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch External Hard Drive

This hard drive comes with a stylish design of the tone-on-tone fabric. It lets you manage data like photos, videos, movies, and others with hardware encrypted password protection (256-bit AES hardware encryption). You just need to plug and play it.

Features:

Model: STHH2000300
Dimensions: 11.5 x 7.8 x 1.2 cm
Weight: 151 Grams
Storage: 2 TB
Hard Drive Interface: USB 2.0/3.0
Hardware Platform: Mac and Windows
Color: Black
Warranty: 3 Years

Pros

Fast data transfer with USB-C and USB 3.0 ports.
Works well with Mac OS as well as Windows.
It comes with a complimentary subscription of 1 year to Mylo Create along with a 2-month membership plan to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography.
On-demand and automatic options for backup through the Seagate Toolkit.
Seamless access to files across different devices through the mirroring software.

Cons

Transfer speed is not good with the exFAT format and it has to be converted to NTFS for better speed.

Rating: 4.1/5

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3. Buffalo Portable Hard Drive

This is a high performance external hard drive that offers the fastest portable storage. It is suitable for individuals in creative fields and for those who are multimedia enthusiasts. It has universal connectivity along with USB 3.0 port also.

Features:

Model: HD-PA1.0TU3
Dimensions: 2.31 x 8.05 x 13 cm
Weight: 263.08 Grams
Storage: 1 TB
Color: White

Pros

Plug and play.
Thunderbolt technology ensures speed up to 10 Gbps. It is twice more than USB 3.0.
The sleek aluminum body makes it durable as well as imparts a classy look.
The bus-powered interface removes the need for any additional cables, making data transportation hassle-free.

Cons

Expensive.

Rating: 4.4/5

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4. ADATA Portable External Hard Drive

This external hard disk comes in a unique design and amazing performance. It has distinctly symmetrical sloping edges with RGB strips of light beam shape, imparting a rich and elegant look.

Features:

Series: External hard drive
Model Number: AHD770G-2TU32G1-CBK
Dimensions: 19 x 13.1 x 4.2 cm
Weight: 340 Grams
Storage: 1 TB
Hard Drive Interface: USB 3.0
Hardware Platform: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and Mac OS X 10.6 or later, Linux Kernel 2.6 or later.
Color: Black
Warranty: 3 Years

Pros

Shock resistance.
Good data transfer rate.
Protection from dust and water, operating in water that is 1.5 m deep for about 60 minutes.

Cons

The drive needs to be formatted to NTFS from FAT32 to remove limitations on the transfer of larger files.

Rating: 4.3/5

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5. Samsung Portable SSD

This is a lightweight and compact hard disk with a classy look. You can make use of the optional password protection and AES 256 bit hardware encryption for this.

Features:

Model: MU-PA500B/WW
Dimensions: 5.73 x 1.05 x 7.4 cm
Weight: 51 Grams
Storage: 500 GB
Hard Drive Interface: USB 1.1
Connector: Wired
Color: Blue
Warranty: 3 Years

Pros

Easy to use.
Shock resistant for falls up to 2 m.
It has software for PCs and Mac that enables easy set up of passwords and get the firmware updates.
Its speed of 540 MB/s is 4.9 times faster with respect to HDD.

Cons

USBs do not provide stable connection as they do not lock in well.
The transfer rate is not so good even after connection to USB 3.1, Thunderbolt, or Type C port on a device.

Rating: 3.8/8

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6. WD My Passport External Hard Drive

This is a stylish hard drive with an innovative style and metallic case. It has been formatted for use with the Windows 10 system.

Features:

Model: WDBFTM0040BSL-WESN
Dimensions: 11 x 8.15 x 2.11 cm
Weight: 231.33 Grams
Storage: 4 TB
Hardware Interface: USB-C, USB 3.0
Color: Silver

Pros

Protection of data with 256 bit AES hard encryption.
Besides Windows 10, it works well with Linux Mint and Mac also.

Cons

Modest transfer rates of 50 Mb/s write.

Rating: 3.7/ 5

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7. LaCie External Hard Drive

It is a simple, portable, and sturdy hard disk that works well with Mac and Windows. There is one-month membership provided with the device for Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan.

Features:

Model: STHY2000800
Dimension: 1.2 x 7.8 x 11.5 cm
Weight: 249 Grams
Hard Drive Interface: USB 2.0 and 3.0
Hardware Platform: Mac and Windows
Data Transfer Rate: 130 MB/s
Storage: 2 TB
Warranty: 2 Years
Color: Silver

Pros

Easy operation through plug and play.
Automatic backups make it time machine ready and prevent loss of data by any means.

Cons

The cord could have been of better quality.

Rating: 4.3/5

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8. Transcend External Hard Drive

This portable hard disk has a durable rubber outer case. The advanced hard drive suspension system is quite advanced. Its slimness makes it easy to carry.

Features:

Series: StoreJet
Model Number: TS1TSJ25M3S
Dimensions: 12.95 x 8.23 x 1.88 cm
Weight: 226.8 Grams
Storage: 2 TB
Hard Drive Interface: USB 3.0
Color: Grey

Pros

Data transfer rate up to 5 Gbps.
Shock resistance of military-grade with 3 stage protection system.
One-touch button for automatic backup.
Data protection through 256-bit AES file and folder encryption. It also comes with RecoveRx software for data recovery.

Cons

Heating issue.

Rating: 4.2/5

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9. Western Digital Elements Portable External Hard Drive

This is a compact hard drive with superb performance. It has been formatted to run on Windows. You can transfer files to this external hard drive for freeing up space on your PC to make it faster.

Features:

Model: WDBU6Y0015BBK-WESN
Dimension: 11.1 x 8.24 x 2.1 cm
Weight: 130 Grams
Storage: 6 storage options available (1, 1.5, 2,3,4,5 TB)
Hardware Interface: USB 2.0 and 3.0
Hardware Platform: Unix, PC, Mac
Data Transfer Rate: 2.5 GB/s
Color: Black
Warranty: 2 Years

Pros

Quick transfer rate.
Plug and play.
Lightweight
Noiseless operation.
No heating issue.

Cons

Short cable.
Sharp edges and hence you need to be careful so that you do not get injured.

Rating: 4.1/5

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10. Adata Portable External Hard Drive

This hard drive has a sturdy and reliable built. It has a smart design in which the USB cable can be easily tucked around the exterior slot for better storage. Along with this, it has faster data transfer rates making it a great device.

Features:

Series: DashDrive Durable HD710
Model Number: AHD710-1TU3-CBK
Dimension: 13.21 x 9.91 x 2.16 cm
Weight: 222.26 Grams
Hard Drive Interface: USB 2.0/3.0
Storage: 1 TB
Hard Platform: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7,8,8.1,10, and Mac OS X 10.6 or later, Linux Kernel 2.6 or later.
Color: Black
Warranty: 3 Years

Pros

Resistant to shock as it has passed MIL-STD-810G 516.6 drop test.
Water-resistant with IPX 7 rating.
You can know the status of data transfer through the bright blue LED indicator.

Cons

Data transfer speed could have been better.

Rating: 4.4/5

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External Hard Drive Buying Guide – How to Choose an External Hard Drive?

Some tips to follow while purchasing an external hard drive are as follows:

1. Storage:

Higher storage is needed when you want to back up your movies, complete OS, music, and other files. It is better to opt for at least 500 GB storage, though there are capacities as much as 8 TB.

2. Speed:

When a hard drive has higher RPM, the rate of data transfer will be more. This speed ranges from 5000 RPM to -15000 RPM. Another factor on which data transfer speed depends is the type of ports. Most were available with USB drives but today these have been upgraded to USB 2.0 which has a data transfer speed of 480 Mbps and USB 3.0 with a maximum speed of 5 GBPS.

3. Network-Attached Storage:

It is also known as cloud storage drives. Such devices are attached to a network router instead of just plugging into the laptop or PC directly. In such hard drives, all the devices that are linked to the network can store data and they are accessible over the internet.

There are certain NAS drives that support DLNA and let you share additional hard drives on the network. DLNA support implies that you can use any device in the network for streaming photos, music, and movies.

4. Hard Drives for Gaming:

Speed is an important factor in this case. Make sure to get one with USB 3.1 or 3.2 if you are a gamer. Some gaming consoles run better even with USB-C. Make sure the device has an auto-backup feature along with universal compatibility. Military-grade protection and inbuilt storage for cables are some other features that you can look for.

5. Other Features:

In some hard drives, utility software is bundled, such as online backup, remote backup, and software for password protection and others. Besides this, you need to see if the product comes with a good warranty period so that in case of any issue, that will be covered without any extra expense from your pocket.

Among the wide range of options available for external hard drives, you can get the best deal by following our buying guide and reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the different power input sources and form factors of an external hard drive?

USB cable is used for powering hard drives but certain models need an additional source of power. There is one power input port in the casing and another port for transferring data.
Some hard drives are portable but the form factor is thicker in some cases and slimmer in some other. So depending on your taste and preference, you can get one.

2. Is the data stored in the external hard drives secure?

You can encrypt the data stored in a hard drive by using some encryption software for securing the data. There are strong casing to eliminate the chances of physical tampering. Some devices have a secondary security layer embedded in the printed circuit board as they are dipped in resin which makes it difficult to physically access the chips.

3. Are external hard drives compatible with all OS?

No, a specific OS is used for formatting a hard drive so it may not be compatible with other OS.

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