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

If you’ve picked up a Mac mini or MacBook Air equipped with M1, one of the issues it’s going to be to expand its storage capacity. Because there are no upgrade options available, consumers will need to look for external storage options, and this usually means a portable hard drive of some description.

Western Digital’s My Passport line is long-lasting and aims to provide user-friendly storage wherever you go. The My Passport SSD has been updated for 2020, improving its speed and refreshing the look of the portable drive.

• Options up to 2 TB capacity
• 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ready
• A USB Type C to USB Type A converter is included
• Read speeds of up to 1,050 MB / s and write speeds of 1,000 MB / s
• Fall protection at 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 with a weight of 45.7 grams (1.6 ounces).

Although it is slightly larger than the previous generation and slightly thinner, the unit is still very pocket-sized and can be easily carried inside a bag.

The two-tone housing of the previous version has been changed to a metal enclosure with a wide motif and is available in a variety of five colors. While the latest version was a bit sleek, the new version is understated, but still elegant on its own.

The metal housing also helps keep it protected, with its resistance to shocks and vibrations accompanied by resistance to falling to a height of up to 6.5 feet. This means that the unit will easily take on the rigors of daily use without too much trouble.

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

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

We don’t like this cable and the stiffness of the cable is not great. Fortunately, the best replacement cables are cheap and plentiful.

The unit appears to be compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2 up to 10 GB / s. Given that it is a USB drive, it supports proper wiring.

As part of the upgrade, WD has upgraded the type of storage within the unit itself, moving the line to higher-speed NVMe. WD claims read speeds of up to 1,050 MB / s and write speeds of up to 1,000 MB / s and 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 review.

We routinely see speeds of about 930 megabytes per second of writing and 910 megabytes per second read in the real world. With an extended hammer of the drive speed test, thermal acceleration reduced the speed to about 720 megabytes per second read and write, even faster than a single SATA-based SSD can provide.

1 TB SSD speeds from WD My Passport

When connected to a USB 3.0 type A port, speeds were limited to about 410 megabytes per second for reading and 400 megabytes per second for writing. These speeds are approximately as expected, given the limitations of the port.

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

WD Discovery software for Mac is suitable, but we won’t go into too much detail. When encryption is enabled, speeds are limited to about 700 megabytes per second read and 550 megabytes per second write on a 15-inch MacBook Pro i9 2018 or a Mac mini M1 M1, and a hair less on a MacBook Pro 15-inch 2016.

While WD has its own backup software, Mac users have better options. For starters, even without including third-party cloning software, the unit also supports macOS Time Machine. However, it needs to be reformatted beforehand, which most Mac users usually do anyway, unless they work across platforms.

WD claims that the drive will run immediately in exFAT format on both computers and Macs. As for the PC, it is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, and can do so for other operating systems, again with the format.

For those who need to have external storage, you can’t really go wrong with the WD My Passport SSD. Using NVMe means it’s faster than ever, along with a metal case and built-in hardware encryption that can help you keep your precious data safe.

Its small size and high capacity make it an idea for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro users. The unit is also reasonably priced for what it provides and is a good option for expanding storage (even externally) on Macs that can sometimes be priced very high for additional internal storage.

The WD My Passport SSD is a solid, uninspired external USB-C drive, a product that is readily available to most electronics manufacturers. Not everything has 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 your size.

The WD My Passport SSD is the epitome of the right tool to get the job done without breaking the bank.

• Compact and light in size.
• Separate USB type C cable.
• Resistant to shocks and falls.
• Adequate encryption suite but not great.
• Fast transfer speeds

• The included cable is quite short.
• Refurbished needed for Time Machine.

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