Expert Reviews

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External hard drives

Most Popular External hard drives

Best external hard drive 2024: We test the best SSDs and HDDs for Mac and PC
Whether you need a drive for backups or extra space for apps, games and files, these external hard drives provide the storage boost you need
Best external drive for Xbox Series X 2024: The top hard drives and SSDs for Xbox Series S/X
Give your Xbox a serious storage boost with the best external SSDs and HDDs and plug-in expansion cards
best external hard drive for PS4 - lead
Best external hard drive for PS4 2023: The top PlayStation 4 drives from just £50
Too many games, not enough hard drive space? Get more the easy way with a USB 3 external hard drive for PS4

Latest External hard drives

Freecom Mobile Drive Mg 1TB
Freecom Mobile Drive Mg 1TB review
External hard drives

A sleek-looking portable Thunderbolt hard disk, but it’s slow and expensive

Published :
£201 inc VAT
Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB
Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB review
External hard drives

Easy to use and versatile, but the lack of speed and high price disappoint

Published :
£191 inc VAT
LaCie ThunderBolt Series 120GB
LaCie ThunderBolt Series 120GB review
External hard drives

Impressive speed from both connections, but the rugged construction, high price and low capacity give it niche appeal

Published :
£162 inc VAT
Buffalo Technology MiniStation Thunderbolt
Buffalo Technology MiniStation Thunderbolt review
External hard drives

Thunderbolt seems overkill for a 5,400RPM disk, although it may find a niche with Apple fans

Published :
£198 inc VAT
Elgato Thunderbolt SSD
Elgato Thunderbolt SSD review
External hard drives

Incredible performance if you need the absolute best external hard disk, but you don't get a lot of capacity

Published :
£250 inc VAT
Western Digital My Book Studio 3TB
Western Digital My Book Studio 3TB review
External hard drives

Plenty of storage, but the old USB interface is slow and cheaper USB3 disks are available

Published :
£162 inc VAT
Western Digital My Passport USB3 2TB
Western Digital My Passport USB3 2TB review
External hard drives

A lot of storage in your pocket for a very reasonable price, plus it's pretty quick, too

Published :
£153 inc VAT
Western Digital My Book Essential USB3 1TB
Western Digital My Book Essential USB3 1TB review
External hard drives

Strong performance and a useful software suite, but you can find faster for the same price

Published :
£66 inc VAT
Toshiba Stor.E Essential USB3 500GB
Toshiba Stor.E Essential USB3 500GB review
External hard drives

It's very slow and there are faster disks available for the same amount of money

Published :
£57 inc VAT
Verbatim Executive Portable Hard Drive 500GB
Verbatim Executive Portable Hard Drive 500GB review
External hard drives

Encryption will be useful for some, but it’s an unnecessary expense for most

Published :
£79 inc VAT