When it comes to increasing the storage space on your laptop or desktop computer, one of the easiest means at your disposal is either an external solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). There are many pros and cons to both options (you can dive into that more in our SSD vs HDD guide), but HDDs usually cost less while still providing a lot of storage capacity that you can use. This makes them an especially good choice for people who want a lot of storage space without spending a lot of money on it.
Western Digital recently increased its top-of-the-line My Passport Ultra HDD to 6TB. I had the opportunity to evaluate this new option during the last week. Let’s dive into why this little device is so useful.
This review was made possible by a sample review provided by Western Digital. The company did not see the content of the review prior to publication.
My Passport Ultra: Price, Availability and Specs
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• Price: Starting at $64.99 at Best Buy
• Capacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB, 6TB
• Port: USB-C
• Interface: USB-A 3.2 Gen1
• Sequential reading: Up to 120 MB/s
• Transmission speed: Up to 5 Gbps
• Dimensions: 4.22 x 2.95 x 0.81″
• Mass: 0.46 lbs (0.21 kg)
Western Digital is a well-known manufacturer of data storage devices and disks. As such, its products, including the My Passport Ultra, are available at a variety of retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Newegg, and more. You can also purchase My Passport Ultra directly from the Western Digital website. This device is available in a variety of colors, with black, blue, silver, or gold being the most common options. However, some color variants are only available in specific stores.
This hard drive currently comes in five capacities, each with a different value – 1TB has an MSRP of $69.99, 2TB has an MSRP of $89.99, 4TB has an MSRP of $129.99, 5TB it has an MSRP of $139.99 and the 6TB has an MSRP of $204.99. These are good prices compared to other HDD competitors.
It is also possible to find some or all of these capacities for sale at lower prices during retailer sales events.
My Passport Ultra: Design and compatibility
While not the thinnest hard drive on the market, the My Passport Ultra looks nice and fits in my hand. Being less than an inch thick, it is compact enough for easy travel. I also appreciate that it’s sturdy enough that I feel comfortable throwing it in my laptop bag or backpack without feeling like it’s going to break in transit. Of course, you don’t want to throw it on purpose, but it should handle normal travel just fine.
Depending on the capacity you choose, there are several different color options and each has rubber pads on the bottom to prevent the device from sliding around on the table. The 6TB HDD I received has an attractive blue cover on the front that changes to a matte black cover on the back. It looks good in both formal and casual settings, making it a great choice for work or personal use.
By default, My Passport Ultra works with Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. However, the Western Digital website also explains that it can be used with macOS 11+ if you reformat the device and download the appropriate NTFS driver.
After looking around a bit online, I found that there are two versions of this hard drive – one with the outdated micro-B USB port and one with the much more modern USB-C port. The version I received has the latter and I recommend anyone looking to buy this hard drive to get the USB-C version. This will make the HDD compatible with more modern devices out of the box.
The My Passport Ultra I received also comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter to ensure I can connect it to any computer I need. Once plugged in, a small white light will illuminate and the HDD is ready to use. It is very comfortable and works well.
In terms of security, this hard drive offers 256-bit AES hardware encryption and also comes with a five-year license to Acronis True Image, a program that not only protects against ransomware attacks, but also allows you to back up and restore files. Essentially, this gives the My Passport Ultra an extra level of security and assurance that some other hard drives on the market don’t have.
To activate Acronis, I simply had to connect the My Passport Ultra to my computer, open the drive and click on the pre-installed program labeled “Install Western Digital Software for Windows”. This program then brought up a page that took me to download Acronis. After installation, I was able to use the program to clone the drive, clean the drive, and adjust active protection.
My Passport Ultra: Transfer Speed Tests
During my time with the My Passport Ultra, I transferred a lot of data to it and also used it with several different laptops and desktops. Every time I plugged it in, the My Passport Ultra was immediately ready to use, and I never had any major performance issues.
I ran the CystalDiskMark test using the My Passport Ultra, which showed a read speed of 118 MB/s and a write speed of 116 MB/s. It’s not the fastest hard drive on the market, but it’s solid and stable.
In addition to the CrystalDiskMark test, I also transferred about 4 GB of data (consisting of several small games, several large PSD files with digital artwork and large wedding photos) to the HDD and monitored the HDD speed. As usual, the HDD started up really fast, but slowed down a bit as the minutes went by. There were a few stretches where the read speed dropped and dropped as low as 20.7MB/s, but the HDD recovered and picked up. Overall, read speeds mostly stayed between 119MB/s and 91MB/s, which is good.
My Passport Ultra: The Competition
When considering other external storage devices, you can choose either the best external SSD or the best external HDD. In general, SSDs are faster but tend to be more expensive. So it really depends on what you want from your storage device.
As for SSDs, I suggest you check out our Samsung T7 Shield review. This SSD is available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities with a choice of black, beige or blue rugged housing. It reaches a read speed of up to 1050 MB/s, making it significantly faster than the My Passport Ultra HDD. The 1TB retails for $99.00 on Amazon, while the 4TB retails for $318.39 on Amazon.
If you’re specifically looking for a good Xbox gaming HDD, you should check out our WD_BLACK P10 review. This gaming drive supports transfer speeds of up to 130 MB/s and comes in 2 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB or 6 TB capacities. It is compatible with Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. The 2TB model costs $94.99 at Best Buy, while the largest 6TB variant sells for $189.99 at Amazon.
My Passport Ultra: Should You Buy It?
You should buy it if…
✅ Want to expand your storage without opening your laptop or desktop computer?
External hard drives like the My Passport Ultra simply require you to connect them to a laptop or desktop computer, and then you have more space for your files and programs. There are no additional steps to upgrade your computer to get more storage space.
You shouldn’t buy it if…
❌ You would really prefer an external SSD over an external HDD
HDD and SSD are useful storage devices. However, there’s no denying that SSDs are much faster if you’re willing to pay more to get them.
If you need extra storage space on your laptop or desktop computer, then this external HDD is a great choice. The My Passport Ultra has plenty of storage options to help meet your needs, all at a good price and in a reasonable range. In addition, this hard drive offers solid performance to handle all the files you need to store. Of course, getting a 5-year license for Acronis True Image with this purchase also helps to secure this device while making maintenance easier.
It’s not the sleekest or thinnest HDD, but it’s hefty and should move around well without getting damaged too easily. If you decide to buy a My Passport Ultra, make sure you buy the one with a USB-C port and not the outdated micro USB.
Western Digital My Passport Ultra HDD
Available in 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB and 6 TB capacities, the Western Digital My Passport Ultra HDD is a great external storage accessory for any desktop or laptop user.