TechGearLab

Not everyone needs a top-of-the-line high-performance external hard drive. If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-use model with many storage capacity options, look no further than the Western Digital Elements. The Elements does not use AC power as it is entirely powered by USB. Although this model is far from the fastest, it shows comparable results to most HDD models during our write and read speed assessment. Best of all, it's affordable. While some external hard drives can cost several hundred dollars, the lower memory capacity versions of the WD Elements will hardly hit your pocketbook. 
Although the Western Digital Elements shows similar speeds to most of the other HDD models, it was substantially slower than the best. It's also only offered in one to five terabyte versions. If you know that you need a lot of memory and want to write and read your data quickly, you will need to invest in a higher-performing drive. We are a bit wary of the construction of the Elements. While several other models boast rubber coating, metal plating, or actual shockproof certifications, this device seems to be a bit susceptible to damage if dropped on a hard surface. Despite our small list of flaws, we think the Western Digital Elements is a fantastic option for those shopping for a quality external HDD on a tighter budget. 
Read more: Western Digital Elements review

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tom's Hardware

If you&rsquo;re on the hunt for a new external hard drive, WD&rsquo;s My Passport is an excellent choice. With a solid track record, password protection, and capacities of up to 5TB, it&rsquo;s prepared to store a lot -- if not all -- of your data and keep it safe.

As street prices have started to fall, it;s become a better value than ever. It looks good and comes backed by a plentiful 3-year warranty. To top things off, it boasts top-notch AES 256-bit hardware encryption password protection to keep your content secure from prying eyes. 
Read: WD My Passport 5TB Review
For those looking to spend a little less on an portable hard drive, who also don't need 5TB of storage, should also consider Seagate's Backup Plus Ultra, which features a good software suite AES 256-bit encryption, and USB-A and USB-C support via an adapter.

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Wirecutter

The Toshiba Canvio Flex offers the best mix of versatility, speed, and affordability, which makes it a good choice whether you’re backing up the computer at your desk or using it with your laptop at the office (or on the couch).

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The Best External Hard Drive

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The Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB is a standard SSD that offers benchmark reliability, storage, and speed. It's lightweight and portable, and its design seems more durable than other options in this price range, making the value hard to beat. It proved to be reasonably durable, surviving a five-foot drop test on both carpet and concrete. Its read and write times are sufficient for data backup and storage, though not the fastest. If you're in the market for something simple and affordable, this is a great choice.
While the timed speed tests reflect speeds in "optimized conditions," we saw this drive transfer data at a rate of 66 MB/s during our drag and drop tests, with significantly slower times read when moving larger files. For example, when dropping a 2GB file, it read at a rate of 90MB/s, while a 100GB file offered a speed of only 30MB/s. These speeds are about average for this price point. If the drive fails, there are no data recovery services or any included security features. Still, if low cost and simplicity are what you seek, this is the one to pick.

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