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We really like Flash disks here at Macitynet, and when we saw the new My Passport SSD during the presentation in Milan, we immediately wanted to try it.
The disk was born as a first example from the merger of Western Digital and SanDisk (we broke the news here), two of the most important companies in the storage memory sector in the world, which today operate as a single entity, while maintaining the independent historical brands.
My Passport SSD therefore inherits the design of the MyPassport external drives (here the review of the mechanical model for Mac) presented last year, but with a Flash heart where it shows the whole SanDisk experience.
And it is a combination that we liked, as we liked the shape of the other WD drives: a special feature of this My Passport SSD drive is also that it is smaller than the mechanical brothers, because Flash drives need less space, and basically it fits well in your jacket pocket, purse or in our case, literally “hanging” from the NAS connector during copying (given the extreme lightness of the case).
The dimensions speak of a case of 90 × 45 mm for a thickness of only 10 mm: the external plastic is divided into two parts, the upper one in matt black and the lower one a metallic gray with a play of oblique bands in relief (convenient for detecting, to the touch, the position disc blindly).
My Passport SSD, USB-C and compatibility
A USB-C connector was chosen for the only rear connection port, a port in which Western Digital strongly believes and which we will see more and more in future devices.
This type of connection, among other things, is also the only one capable of making the most of the read and write speed of the SanDisk internal drive: during our tests, in fact, the USB-C connection is is shown to be about a fifth faster than the more classic USB 3.0 on USB-A connector, and although the numbers often leave the time they find, we can say that the impression we had is that connected in USB-C mode the disk looks “cooler” and ready than the other connection.
Speed test with USB-A 3.0 connector
But do not worry about readers who do not yet have a USB-C connector (present in all new MacBook Pro and iMac 21.5 “or 27”, but now also in many Windows PCs), inside the The package contains a USB-C / USB-A 3.0 adapter that allows it to be used even with older Macs.
Test speed with USB-C connector
We didn't like the adapter very much, we would have preferred a second cable, because so small and black it tends to get lost in your bag when not connected to the cable: between other, the presence of a tooth at the base limits it only to the Western D cord igital, while the writer often takes little care of the cables and tends to use the ones he finds, not the proprietary ones.
Speed we said: excellent, with values of about 250% compared to a mechanical disc, therefore perfect for the use of complex active documents such as movies, RAW shots but also real Applications launched directly from the disk (if the Apps allow it, however).
The only real flaw is that during prolonged sessions the disc tends to heat up a lot (also thanks to the African heat that plagued Milan this summer), although operation is not affected and it only takes a few seconds for the disc to return to normal temperature.
The Discovery Surprise
Together with My Passport SSD Western Digital also presented a new software for Mac and Windows, Discovery. The utility, which is essentially not exclusive to the SSD disk but should work with all the new My Passports, can be downloaded from the Western Digital website and allows, through a small utility on the menu bar, to download the content of various cloud services. starting from the various Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Amazon Drive up to Facebook and Instagram.
Discovery was born with the intention of backing up one's digital life on a physical medium, while continuing to operate on the cloud: if for the various Dropbox and brothers the process would also be simple in other ways, the download via Facebook and Instagram is excellent news, which will make those who do it happy even for work.
Some screenshots of the App Discovery
Considerations
As with other SSD disks on the market, the choice of a model like My Passport SSD is not accidental: the smaller shape, the higher speed and an interesting design make the apolino at a price obviously much more full-bodied than a mechanical disc, but it is a choice that is rewarded during use, when the speed and silence are noticed.
If you intend to use it only as a Backup, honestly you can evaluate other solutions (such as a mechanical disk), otherwise if this disk will act as an expansion of the internal disk, to launch some App or for the use of complex files, you will have fun and the investment will certainly seem more content.
Pro
• Small, fast and quiet • The shape is elegant
Cons
• The USB-C / USB-A adapter is uncomfortable • It gets hot in heavy use
Price
Covered by a three-year limited warranty, the WD My Passport SSD is on sale in four different denominations right now on offer on Amazon:
My Passport SSD is available at large distribution chains, the Western Digital website, but you can find it also on Amazon.it
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