Review: WD My Passport SSD update brings NVMe fast to the table

If you chose a Mac mini or MacBook Air equipped with M1, one of the things that will be a problem is expanding your storage capacity. Since there are no upgrade options available, consumers will have to look for external storage options, and that usually means a portable hard drive of some description.

Western Digital’s My Passport line is long-lasting and aims to provide storage that can be moved with the user wherever they go. The My Passport SSD has been updated for 2020, improving its speed and renewing the appearance of the handheld.

• Options for up to 2 TB of capacity
• 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ready
• USB type C to USB type A converter included
• Read speeds up to 1,050 MB / s and write speeds of 1,000 MB / s
• Fall protection up to 6.5 feet
• 3.94 inches by 2.17 inches by 0.35 inches
• 5 year warranty

The My Passport SSD case is small, measuring just 0.35 inches thick, 3.94 inches long and 2.17 inches wide. It is also quite light, weighing 45.7 grams (1.6 ounces).

Although slightly larger than the previous generation and slightly thinner, the drive is still extremely pocketable and can easily be carried in a bag.

The two-tone box from the previous version has been replaced by a metal box with a comprehensive motif and is available in a variety of five colors. While the latest version was a little extravagant, the new version is discreet, but still has style in its own right.

The metal casing also helps to keep you protected, with its resistance to shocks and vibrations accompanied by resistance to falls up to 6.5 feet high. This means that the unit will easily withstand the rigors of daily use without much trouble.

A good design option is the use of a separate USB-C cable, which can be easily replaced by the user. This opens up the possibility of losing the cable itself, but will still work with any type C USB cable.

In addition to being supplied with a USB Type C to Type C cable (very short), WD includes a USB Type C to Type A adapter in the box. This allows the unit to work with USB-A 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports at slower speeds.

We don’t like this cable and the cable’s rigidity is not great. Fortunately, better replacement cables are cheap and plentiful.

The unit is listed as compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb / s. Since it is a USB drive, it is backward compatible with the correct cabling.

As part of the update, WD updated the type of storage within the unit itself, moving the line to high-speed NVMe. WD claims read speeds of up to 1,050 MB / s and write speeds of up to 1,000 MB / s on the USB-C 3.2 gen 2.

WD offers the unit in three capacities, covering 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB, with the 1 TB version used for this analysis.

We routinely saw speeds of around 930 megabytes per second of writing and 910 megabytes per second of reading in the real world. With the lengthy hammering of the drive’s speed test, thermal acceleration reduced speeds to about 720 megabytes per second of reading and writing – even faster than a single SATA-based SSD can offer.

1 TB WD My Passport SSD Speeds

When connected to a USB 3.0 type A port, speeds were limited to about 410 megabytes per second for readings and 400 megabytes per second for write. These speeds are what we expected, given the limitations of the port.

Like the previous version, WD includes 256-bit AES hardware encryption on the drive, allowing users to encrypt data with minimal impact on performance. The encryption element depends on the use of the included WD Discovery software, which can also be used to automate backups, but requires activation via the Internet in advance.

The WD Discovery software for Mac is adequate, but we are not going to go into it too much. When encryption is enabled, speeds are limited to about 700 megabytes per second of reading and 550 megabytes per second of writing on a 15-inch i9 2018 MacBook Pro or M1 Mac mini, and one less hair on a 2016 MacBook 15-inch Pro.

Although WD has its own backup software, Mac users have better options. For starters, without including third-party cloning software, the drive also supports macOS Time Machine. However, it needs to be reformatted beforehand – which most Mac users usually do anyway, unless they are working on multiple platforms.

WD says the unit will work immediately with exFAT formatting on PCs and Macs. On the PC side, it supports Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, and can do that for other operating systems, again with reformatting.

For those who need external storage, you really can’t go wrong with the WD My Passport SSD. Its use of NVMe means that it is faster than ever, along with the metal case and integrated hardware encryption can help keep your precious data safe.

Its small size and high capacity make it a no-brainer for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro users to bring with them. The unit is also reasonably priced for what it offers and is a good option for expanding storage – albeit externally – on Macs that can sometimes be very expensive for additional internal storage.

The WD My Passport SSD is a solid, uninspiring external USB-C drive, a product readily available from most electronics manufacturers. Not everything needs to be innovative or have record speeds. Sometimes you need a $ 10 hammer to get the job done, instead of a $ 120 ergonomic design, tailored to fit your hand.

The WD My Passport SSD is the epitome of the right tool to get the job done, without spending a lot.

• Compact and lightweight size.
• Separate USB Type-C cable.
• Shock and drop resistant.
• Adequate but not optimal encryption set.
• Fast transfer speeds

• The included cable is quite short.
• Reformatting required for Time Machine.

The WD My Passport SSD can be purchased from Amazon, with prices typically starting at $ 89 for the 500 GB model, $ 139.99 for the 1 TB version and $ 239 for the 2 TB variant with retail prices of $ 119, $ 199 and $ 379, respectively. It is available in gray, gold, red, silver and blue.