Most of my information is saved on varied NAS servers — I’ve a DiskStation DS1823xs+ and DS1621xs+ — however these days, I’ve gotten used to having a number of exterior SSDs available to maneuver photographs and retailer important information. Exterior SSDs have gotten a lot better lately, and I choose utilizing LaCie’s Rugged SSD4 at my desk and have the Thunderbolt 5-enabled Rugged Pro5 within the bag if I would like extra storage on the go.
Along with LaCie’s drives, I’ve the TeamGroup X1 Max; I used this stick SSD for properly over a 12 months now, and its versatile design means it at all times stays in my tech bag. With USB-C and USB-A connectors, it is simply straightforward to attach it to simply about any machine. TeamGroup now has a brand new exterior SSD dubbed the PD20, and it is designed to look just like conventional moveable SSDs.
It has related dimensions as Seagate’s One Contact SSD, and weighs simply 22g — it is small and light-weight sufficient you can take it wherever. It is out there in a 1TB mannequin that prices $95 on Amazon, and a 2TB model that is $150. I’ve the 4TB mannequin, and that retails for $277. That is broadly just like what you’d pay for many moveable SSDs, and the benefit with the PD20 is that you simply get a 2,000MB/s bandwidth — double that of Samsung’s T7.
TeamGroup additionally has a beneficiant five-year customary guarantee, and I like that in regards to the model. Okay, let’s speak in regards to the SSD itself. The PD20 is designed to be moveable, and it suits right into a pocket with ease. The hanging gap design means you possibly can connect it to your bag, and the aluminum chassis is designed to be sturdy. The PD20 will get a pre-installed silicone case as an added supply of safety, and it doubles as a canopy for the USB-C port.
The PD20 is clearly constructed to final; I used it for the higher a part of 4 months, and it is pristine. I’ve little question that it’ll maintain up simply as properly in long-term use because the X1 Max and different exterior SSDs I’ve. It will get IP54 mud and water resistance as properly (offered the USB-C cowl is closed), so it ought to climate any spills with out points.
A giant promoting level of the PD20 is that it connects by way of the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 customary, providing double the bandwidth of most exterior SSDs. I used Essential’s X10 Professional fairly a bit within the final two years, and just like the PD20, that drive additionally makes use of the identical customary, and the one draw back is that not all Home windows machines can leverage the extra bandwidth.
TeamGroup touts 2,000MB/s bandwidth, and in my testing, I noticed reads of 1,800MB/s and writes of 1,630MB/s, with the drive outmatching the X10 Professional. Mainly, outdoors of LaCie’s rugged drives, the PD20 is the quickest SSD I examined, and it does not value wherever as a lot. In reality, it’s on the decrease finish of the size in terms of Gen 2×2 SSDs, and that alone makes it worthy of consideration.
I’d have preferred a built-in USB-C cable as I are likely to lose these tiny cables which might be bundled with the drive, however aside from that, I did not see any points with the PD20. I used it with my Home windows machine, Pixel 10 Professional XL, and iPhone 17 Professional amongst different units, and I did not see any issues.
In the end, the PD20 is a straightforward promote; it is without doubt one of the quickest exterior SSDs I’ve used, and it’s small and light-weight sufficient you can take it wherever with ease. The worth on provide is the icing on the cake.
The PD20 is designed for use wherever, and with as much as 4TB of storage, it may well simply retailer all of your information. The most effective half is that it does not value as a lot as its rivals.
