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We’re back at it again with the 2016 Holiday Gift Guide where we show everyone the best products from various categories. On top of that, we’ve been giving away various products from each category to thank you for being a loyal reader of Phandroid.
Today, we take a look at all of the different storage options that are available for not only our mobile devices. We also take a look at some of the best external/portable hard drives, as well as a few OTG drives to make for a better overall experience without sacrificing precious storage space.
MicroSD Card
When it comes to making sure that you have enough room on your device for all of your files, nothing is better than having a MicroSD card slot. Luckily, smartphone manufacturers are beginning to release more devices to take advantage of this.
Some devices are limited in the maximum capacity, while others can make use of a 200GB MicroSD card. The device will determine what size MicroSD card you’ll need, so make sure you double check before picking one of these options up.
- SanDisk Ultra 8GB
- SanDisk Ultra 16GB
- Sandisk Ultra 32GB
- SanDisk Ultra 64GB
- SanDisk Ultra 128GB
- SanDisk Ultra 200GB
- SanDisk Ultra 256GB
Portable Storage
So what are you supposed to do when you need to backup those important files that are hiding on your computer? Well, there are plenty of different options for those looking for a reliable external hard drive. Some are more portable than others, but all of these will do the trick just fine. After all, it’s better to have a backup than to have to worry about losing everything in the case of an emergency.
Best by Category
| Best Overall | Most Rugged | Best Design | For Power Users | Most Versatile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Seagate Expansion Price: $55 Buy it |
Lacie Rugged 1TB Price: $98 Buy It |
LaCie Porsche Design Price: $70 Buy it |
Seagate Backup Plus Price: $119 Buy it |
WD My Passport Wireless Price: $149 Buy it |
Best Overall – Seagate Expansion 1TB
The Seagate Expansion 1TB external hard drive gets our vote for best overall due to the reliability from the manufacturer, as well as the price. Plus, it looks good in the process. The Seagate Expansion also comes in various capacity options with prices ranging from $79 all the way to $119.
Most Rugged – LaCie Rugged 1TB
Whenever you ask someone what the most rugged portable hard drive is, 9 times out of 10 you’ll be directed towards the LaCie Rugged external hard drive. This hard drive can withstand drops of up to 4 feet and is dust and water resistant. If 1TB is either not enough, or too much for your taste, there are other storage options as well.
Best Design – LaCie Porsche Design 1TB
LaCie is back at it again with the Porsche Design external hard drive. This may be the sleekest and sexiest portable hard drive that we’ve ever seen, and would match up quite well with your new MacBook Pro or Dell XPS laptops. Hell, it would still look great even if you left it on your desktop with its aluminum casing and USB 3.0 interface.
For Power Users – Seagate Backup Plus 4TB
When it comes to packing the biggest punch, the SeaGate Backup Plus is definitely the front runner here. With its 4TB of storage available through hard drive space and another 200GB of cloud storage through OneDrive, the BackUp Plus can serve all of your needs for those who need a lot of storage.
Most Versatile – Western Digital My Passport Wireless
When it came to deciding what option was more versatile between the Western Digital My Passport Wireless and the Seagate Backup Plus, it came down to the SD card option. The My Passport Wireless gets the nod in versatility due to the fact that you can wireless connect up to 8 devices at once, backup or transfer files from your SD card and the fact that you don’t need an internet connection to experience your music or videos on the hard drive.
Best Desktop Hard Drive – Western Digital My Book
Some of us work from home and have limited storage capacities on our computer base stations. This is where the desktop hard drive comes into play with the Western Digital My Book. This desktop hard drive is not designed to be taken with you on the go, but will serve just fine as your backup station for any computers you want to attach to it.
Also Recommended
Now that you have some great storage options for your devices of choice, there is still one more accessory that you may want to look into. These USB On-The-Go (OTG) drives essentially allow for quick transfer of files between your Android smartphone and your computer.
SanDisk OTG Drive
The SanDisk OTG drive is a great option as it allows for you to quickly plug into your microUSB smartphone and transfer files until you run out. This drive will also make it easy to store videos or music on the OTG drive then plug it into your smartphone and view your favorite content without using up precious storage space.
PNY MicroSD Card OTG Reader
The PNY OTG reader provides the same amount of usefulness as the aforementioned SanDisk option, but this one is a bit better. Instead of being limited to the built-in storage on the OTG drive itself, you can use a MicroSD card to transfer files to and from on your device.
Giveaway: 128GB SanDisk Ultra MicroSD Card
To enter, click the ENTER GIVEAWAY button above. We’ll randomly select 1 winner from the first 1000 entries. Since the results are updated in real-time, you’ll know right away if you’re the lucky winner. Amazon will take care of the rest. Be sure to leave a comment below if you win!
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