External SSDs have come a long way in the last two years, and you can get 4TB SSD that's no larger than a regular USB drive. Samsung is one of the best brands in this category, and its T5 Evo SSD is a great choice if you need plenty of storage on the go. The 4TB T5 Evo is down to just $199 on Amazon, and that's a fantastic deal — the drive usually sells for over $300.
Now, the T5 Evo isn't the fastest SSD around, but with reads/writes of 460MB/s, it is magnitudes better than a regular HDD. The best reason to pick up the drive is the value; you're just shelling out $50/TB, and that's a downright bargain. If you need a faster SSD to use with your notebook, Samsung's T7 Shield is my recommendation, and right now, the 2TB model is just $149 on Amazon.
Want an SSD that's masquerading as a regular USB drive? The SK Hynix Tube T31 is a terrific choice, and with the 1TB option going down to $79 on Amazon, it is an easy recommendation if you have a machine with a USB-A connector.
You can't go wrong with any of these SSDs, and if you just want plenty of affordable storage, the T5 Evo is the go-to choice. It connects over the USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard, and while it excels at storage, it maxes out at 460MB/s, and that's less than half of what you get with most other external SSDs. It's still four times higher than mechanical drives, and the smaller size combined with 4TB of storage and rugged design makes it a strong contender — particularly at just $199.
If you need blazing-fast transfers, you should just get the Samsung T7 Shield. The best-selling SSD uses the USB 3.2 Gen 2 protocol, and with transfers of 1,050MB/s, it is among the best in this category. You get a durable design with IP65 ingress protection, and you can connect the drive to your phone and transfer photos and any other data you want to back up with ease. Obviously, you don't get as good a value as the T5 Evo, but the 2TB model is still a great choice at $149.
Lastly, the Tube T31 gets my vote because of the design and what it brings to the table. The SSD looks like a regular USB drive, but you still get transfers of up to 1,000MB/s, and it is also based on the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard. It's the obvious choice if you want to use an external SSD with a gaming console alongside your notebook, but as there's just a USB-A port, there isn't a way to connect it to your phone. If your use case revolves around gaming and notebook use, the Tube T31 is a standout choice at $79.
