Best USB-C Hard Drives for Mac in 2018
- aug
- 07
Looking for the best USB-C hard drive for your Mac? Here are a few of our favorites!
The new MacBook Pro is here and it only has Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. But that's OK, because USB-C is fast, future-proof, and will eventually (probably) replace standard USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, power, and more. A USB-C hard drive is the perfect way to locally back up all of your most important files, including photos, documents, music, movies, and anything else that's important to you. Save your Mac's hard drive and pick up a USB-C hard drive.
- G-Technology G-Drive hard drive
- Samsung T3 SSD
- Glyph Blackbox Plus 2TB
- LaCie Porsche Design
- SanDisk Extreme 900 SSD
- G-Technology G-Drive SSD R-Series
- LaCie Rugged 2TB
- CalDigit Tuff 2TB
G-Technology G-Drive 1TB
Fan Favorite
The G-Drive by G-Technology is a great USB-C hard drive for most people. It has 1TB of storage and you can find it for around $80.
It features a quick drive speed of 7200RPM, with transfer rates of up to 136MB/s, thanks to USB 3.1.
The G-Drive comes in silver, as well as Apple-exclusive colors: gold, rose gold, and space gray and starts around $80.
Samsung T5 SSD 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Best for Speed
Samsung's T5 SSD is a solid state drive that provides way faster transfer rates than physical hard drives. Solid state drives don't have moving parts, so if you happen to drop this one, there's less to break!
SSDs are more expensive, but with this one you get write speeds of up 540MB/s, which is over three times faster than many hard drives. If you're like to store TV shows and movies on your hard drive, consider a solid state drive!
The Samsung T5 starts as low as around $130 for 500GB and goes up to around $660 for 2TB.
Glyph Blackbox Plus 2TB
Rugged Option
The Glyph Blackbox Plus is a rugged, portable hard drive that can keep up with you wherever you go. It's surrounded in rubber to protect from drops and has enough capacity for all your backups and then some.
You get write speeds of up to 140MB/s from just 5400RPM, as well as a 3-year warranty in case anything goes wrong. It also features fan-free heat dissipation so it's nice and quiet.
If you need a lot of storage and a rugged hard drive that can withstand having its jimmies rustled, grab the Blackbox Plus. It starts at around $150.
LaCie Porsche Design 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Most Stylish
LaCie is widely recommended for Apple users (they even sell LaCie products on Apple's site!), and the Porsche Design external hard drive is a great looking solution to your USB-C needs.
The mobile version comes in 2TB, while the desktop version is available with 4TB of storage. If you have older devices you'd like to use as well, this hard drive is also compatible with USB 3.0 ports.
These hard drives have a strong, lightweight aluminum enclosure, so they can withstand some jostling and bumping around in your bag. They're by no means rugged, though, so avoid drops as best you can.
You can get the Porsche Design starting around $90.
SanDisk Extreme 900 SSD 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB
Premium Choice
SanDisk's Extreme 900 SSD is a powerhouse solid state drive that offers up to nine times the transfer speeds of external hard drives.
It's made of durable aluminum and rubber, and the solid state core is shock-proof, so this is far less likely to die on you should you drop it (compared to hard drives).
You get a 3-year warranty with the Extreme 900, as well as SanDisk's encryption, which protects your data and encrypts private files.
SSDs are considerably more expensive than hard drives ($700 for 1.92TB!), but they're incredibly fast, durable, and essentially future-proof. Pricing starts at $270 for 480GB.
G-Technology G-Drive SSD R-Series
Best Value
At roughly $350 for 1TB, G-Technology's G-Drive SSD is one of the more affordable solid state drives on the market, and it comes recommended by Apple itself. If you're constantly on the go and worried about bumps and jostles wrecking your hard drives, then an SSD with no moving parts is the perfect solution, and G-Technology takes it even further.
This USB-C drive is IP67 water- and dust-resistant, which means submersion won't destroy it; it's drop tested to three meters (about 10 feet); and G-Technology claims it has a crush resistance of up to 1000 pounds. You'll get transfer rates of up to 560MBps, and it comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable.
LaCie Rugged 2TB
Long Lasting
The LaCie Rugged of yesteryear got me through my entire post secondary education, and now that there's a USB-C option, it'll help get you (and maybe even your children!) through school or work with reliability and that fast connection. The body is rubberized to help it stand up to daily wear and tear, and 2TB should be more than enough for all of your files, documents, Final Cut projects, and much more. There's a 2-year warranty on these, which includes data recovery services.
Not bad for about $120.
CalDigit Tuff 2TB
CalDigit's Tuff hard drives are rugged, colorful 2TB drives that offer USB-C connectivity and there's even a USB-C to USB-A cable for backward compatibility. With an IP57 rating, these drives are water-resistant in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes, and they're dust-resistant, so you can take yours with you anywhere knowing that your data is safe from the elements.
You have your choice of black, blue, gray, green, or orange for a very reasonable $180.
What drives you?
Are you using an awesome USB-C hard drive or solid state drive with your Mac that we didn't mention? Let us know in the comments below!
Updated August 2018: Updated pricing. Added the durable CalDigit Tuff 2TB hard drive.
