Best portable SSDs, ranked by critic score

5 ranked by critic score · 1 more not yet ranked · 42 professional reviews

Pocket-sized external SSDs, judged on real-world speed, durability and price per terabyte.

Crucial X9 ProImage: Crucial
The critics' pick

Crucial X9 Pro

88
Highly rated
Average of 8 professional reviews
8 of 8 recommend it · critics agree
Where the 8 reviews landedRange 83–90
Score printed by the outlet Estimated from the verdict

8 professional reviewers tested the Crucial X9 Pro, and 8 recommend it. Most praised: speed and portability.

The catch: The included cable is short and there is no USB-A adapter.

7 of these 8 outlets print no score. We estimated theirs from the review text, then adjusted the estimates against the ratings outlets actually print (ours ran slightly low). An estimate is never higher than 92.

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Read all 8 reviews →
  1. 1
    Crucial X9 ProImage: Crucial
    Crucial X9 ProBest overall8 reviews88
  2. 2
    Crucial X10 ProImage: Crucial
    Crucial X10 ProBest for peak speed9 reviews84
  3. 3
    Kingston XS2000Image: Kingston
    Kingston XS2000Best for gamers7 reviews84
  4. 4
    Samsung T9Image: Samsung
    Samsung T9Best for creators7 reviews84
  5. 5
    Samsung T7 ShieldImage: Samsung
    Samsung T7 ShieldBest for rugged use11 reviews83
The short answer

The best portable SSD, according to professional reviewers, is the Crucial X9 Pro: critic score 88 out of 100 from 8 reviews, 8 of them positive. Most praised: speed and portability.

Early reads · 1 not yet ranked

Not ranked, listed A to Z. We publish a critic score once at least 4 professional reviews of the exact model exist; with 2 or 3 we show a provisional average.

How we score →Only professional reviews, never shop or customer reviewsEvery score links to its sourceCommissions never change a score

Common questions

What is the best portable SSD?

The Crucial X9 Pro, with a critic score of 88 from 8 professional reviews. Most praised: speed and portability.

Crucial X9 Pro vs Crucial X10 Pro: which is better?

Critics score the Crucial X9 Pro 88 and the Crucial X10 Pro 84. We list the Crucial X10 Pro under “Best for peak speed”. Its main drawback: full speed needs a rare Gen 2x2 port, and writes lag.