WD announces new version of external My Passport SSDs

Manufacturer Western Digital has announced a new version of the portable My Passport SSD. Compared to the previous version, it has a new look and higher read and write speeds.

Writing goes with a maximum of 1000MB / s, reading with a maximum of 1050MB / s, claims WD. The previous version comes to 540MB / s. The NVME SSDs support USB 3.2 Gen 2, just like the previous version. The SSDs use a USB-C port and WD supplies a cable with a USB-C connector on both sides, although a USB-A converter is included.

Files are protected using the same 256bit-aes encryption as the previous version and users are given access to those files with a password. Like the previous version, the new SSDs must survive a drop of up to two meters.

The corners and sides of the new SSD are less sharp than the predecessor. The 512GB version comes out for 153 euros, while the 1TB variant should cost 246 euros. A 2TB variant will be released later this year for an as yet unknown price.