The 10 Best External Hard Drives as of June 2026

How we ranked these external hard drives

Each pick earns a score out of 10 from weighted criteria:

Performance (35%) — how well each external drive does its core job.
Value (25%) — quality and features for the price.
Build & reliability (20%) — materials, longevity and warranty.
Features (20%) — meaningful extras that improve the experience.

At a glance: top 10 compared

Swipe across to see all columns, including Amazon links →

#	External Hard Drives	Score	Best for	Type	Approx. Price	Amazon links
1	Samsung T7 Shield SSD	8.8	Best portable SSD	Portable SSD	$100 (1TB)	View Price
2	Samsung T9 SSD	8.7	Best fast premium	Portable SSD	$160 (1TB)	View Price
3	Crucial X9 Pro SSD	8.6	Best value SSD	Portable SSD	$90 (1TB)	View Price
4	SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD	8.5	Best rugged	Portable SSD	$110 (1TB)	View Price
5	WD My Passport (HDD)	8.4	Best value backup	Portable HDD	$60 (2TB)	View Price
6	Crucial X6 SSD	8.4	Best compact value SSD	Portable SSD	$70 (1TB)	View Price
7	Seagate Expansion (HDD)	8.3	Best big budget	Desktop/portable HDD	$80 (4TB)	View Price
8	Seagate Game Drive	8.3	Best for consoles	Console HDD	$75 (2TB)	View Price
9	WD Elements (HDD)	8.2	Best ultra-budget HDD	Portable HDD	$55 (2TB)	View Price
10	Toshiba Canvio (HDD)	8.0	Best simple HDD	Portable HDD	$55 (2TB)	View Price

The full ranking

Best portable SSD

Samsung T7 Shield SSD

8.8Our number one pick.

Samsung's T7 Shield is a rugged, fast USB 3.2 portable SSD with IP65 dust and water resistance and a grippy coating, the best portable drive for most. It is pricier per GB than HDDs, but the speed and durability are excellent.

Speed: 9.2Capacity: 8.6Reliability: 9.0Value: 8.6

Pros

Fast SSD speeds
Rugged and water-resistant
Compact

Cons

Pricier than HDD
Caps at a few TB

Check price on Amazon≈ $100 (1TB)

Best fast premium

Samsung T9 SSD

8.7A superb runner-up.

Samsung's T9 is a high-speed USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 portable SSD for creators moving large video files fast, with a durable rubberised body. It is expensive and needs a fast port, but the speed is excellent.

Speed: 9.4Capacity: 8.6Reliability: 9.0Value: 8.2

Pros

Very fast transfers
Durable body
Great for video

Cons

Needs fast port
Expensive

Check price on Amazon≈ $160 (1TB)

Best value SSD

Crucial X9 Pro SSD

8.6Rounds out our top three.

Crucial's X9 Pro is a fast, compact portable SSD at a competitive price, strong value for quick backups and file transfers. It is less rugged than the T7 Shield, but the speed and value are excellent.

Speed: 9.0Capacity: 8.6Reliability: 8.8Value: 9.0

Pros

Fast and affordable
Compact
Reliable

Cons

Less rugged
SSD price premium

Check price on Amazon≈ $90 (1TB)

Best rugged

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

8.5A standout in the upper half.

SanDisk's Extreme portable SSD is fast and IP55 water- and dust-resistant with a carabiner loop, great for outdoor and travel use. It is pricier per GB, but the ruggedness and speed are excellent.

Speed: 9.0Capacity: 8.6Reliability: 8.8Value: 8.6

Pros

Rugged and weather-resistant
Fast
Carabiner loop

Cons

SSD price premium
Check firmware updates

Check price on Amazon≈ $110 (1TB)

Best value backup

WD My Passport (HDD)

8.4A well-rounded mid-table pick.

WD's My Passport portable hard drive offers lots of cheap storage with backup software, ideal for affordable large backups. It is slower and more fragile than SSDs, but for value capacity it is excellent.

Speed: 8.0Capacity: 9.2Reliability: 8.4Value: 9.2

Pros

Cheap per GB
Lots of capacity
Backup software

Cons

Slower (HDD)
Fragile when dropped

Check price on Amazon≈ $60 (2TB)

Best compact value SSD

Crucial X6 SSD

8.4Great value in the middle of the pack.

Crucial's X6 is a tiny, light portable SSD with solid speed at a competitive price, good value for everyday fast storage. It is slower than the X9 Pro, but for value SSD it is good.

Speed: 8.6Capacity: 8.6Reliability: 8.6Value: 9.0

Pros

Tiny and light
Good SSD speed
Affordable

Cons

Slower than Pro
Plastic body

Check price on Amazon≈ $70 (1TB)

Best big budget

Seagate Expansion (HDD)

8.3A dependable pick if the price is right.

Seagate's Expansion drives offer large, cheap capacity for archives and media libraries, simple plug-and-play storage. They are slow and HDD-fragile, but for bulk cheap storage they are excellent value.

Speed: 7.8Capacity: 9.4Reliability: 8.2Value: 9.2

Pros

Large cheap capacity
Plug-and-play
Good for archives

Cons

Slow
HDD fragility

Check price on Amazon≈ $80 (4TB)

Best for consoles

Seagate Game Drive

8.3Solid, if outshone by pricier rivals.

Seagate's Game Drive expands console storage with a plug-and-play HDD styled for Xbox and PlayStation, handy for storing more games. It is slower than internal SSDs, but for cheap game storage it is good value.

Speed: 8.0Capacity: 9.0Reliability: 8.4Value: 8.8

Pros

Easy console storage
Lots of capacity
Plug-and-play

Cons

Slow for current-gen play
HDD

Check price on Amazon≈ $75 (2TB)

Best ultra-budget HDD

WD Elements (HDD)

8.2A budget-friendly option worth a look.

WD's Elements drive is a no-frills, very cheap portable hard drive for simple large storage and backups, doing one job at the lowest price. It is slow and basic, but for value capacity it is good.

Speed: 7.8Capacity: 9.0Reliability: 8.2Value: 9.2

Pros

Very cheap storage
Simple plug-and-play
Compact

Cons

Slow
No software

Check price on Amazon≈ $55 (2TB)

Best simple HDD

Toshiba Canvio (HDD)

8.0Rounds out our top ten.

Toshiba's Canvio is a dependable, simple portable hard drive for everyday backups at a low price, a sensible budget pick. It is slow and basic, but for value it works.

Speed: 7.8Capacity: 8.8Reliability: 8.2Value: 9.0

Pros

Cheap and dependable
Compact
Plug-and-play

Cons

Slow
Basic

Check price on Amazon≈ $55 (2TB)

Frequently asked questions

What's the best of the external hard drives in 2026?

Our top overall pick is the Samsung T7 Shield SSD, which leads on our combined score for performance, value and features. The Samsung T9 SSD and Crucial X9 Pro SSD are excellent alternatives depending on budget and needs.

How did we choose these?

We weight performance, value, build quality and features, drawing on hands-on use and independent testing. See the methodology box above for the full breakdown.

Are these prices accurate?

Prices are approximate UK figures at the time of writing and change frequently. Click through to Amazon for the current price.

The bottom line

If you just want the best external hard drives without overthinking it, the Samsung T7 Shield SSD is our top recommendation — it earns the highest overall score for performance, value and features. Have a look at the current price and see what you think.

Check price on Amazon ≈ $100 (1TB)

Our top picks at a glance

Samsung T7 Shield SSD

Crucial X9 Pro SSD

Samsung T9 SSD

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How we ranked these external hard drives

At a glance: top 10 compared

The full ranking

Samsung T7 Shield SSD

Pros

Cons

Samsung T9 SSD

Pros

Cons

Crucial X9 Pro SSD

Pros

Cons

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

Pros

Cons

WD My Passport (HDD)

Pros

Cons

Crucial X6 SSD

Pros

Cons

Seagate Expansion (HDD)

Pros

Cons

Seagate Game Drive

Pros

Cons

WD Elements (HDD)

Pros

Cons

Toshiba Canvio (HDD)

Pros

Cons

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

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