Western Digital Launches New NVMe 'My Passport SSD' With Transfer Speeds Up to 1050MB/s

Western Digital today launched a new USB 3.2 Gen 2 My Passport SSD under its WD brand, with the new device equipped with NVMe technology that supports read speeds of up to 1050MB/s and write speeds of up to 1000MB/s.

mypassport1
The new My Passport SSD is available in capacities up to 2TB, and like most SSDs, it's small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. It features a metal casing with rounded corners and waved ridges, and it comes in gray, blue, red, and gold.

mypassport2
The My Passport SSD's casing offers shock and vibration resistance, and it is drop resistant up to 6.5 feet. It ships with a USB-C cable and a USB-A adapter, and works with both Mac and PC out of the box.

According to Western Digital, the new My Passport SSD can transfer content twice as fast as the previous version of the drive, and it features password-enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption.

mypassport3
The My Passport SSD can be purchased from select retailers like Amazon and Best Buy starting today. The 500GB model is priced at $120, while the 1TB model is priced at $190. Other capacities will be available later in the year.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

currocj Avatar
70 months ago
If I'm paying that kind of money I want thunderbolt 3 speeds. Picked up a 2TB OWC thunderbolt 3 drive for $418. I fusioned it with my internal 512gb ssd on my iMac and now I'm flying. 2700 MB/s Read, 2100 MB/s Write. Boot, account switching, apps are all much, much faster. Love me some T3!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
70 months ago

Is WD still a good buy for storage? I remember seeing a chart a few years ago with disk failure rates and they were up there, along with seagate which had the highest rate of failure.
All of my USB-powered external drives have been WD for a few years now. I have 1TB, 2TB and one 4TB external HDD and no issues with any of them. Two are used with laptops and one is used with an Xbone.

Every single Maxtor I’ve bought has given me troubles so that’s the one brand I currently avoid like the plague.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lederermc Avatar
70 months ago

If I'm paying that kind of money I want thunderbolt 3 speeds. Picked up a 2TB OWC thunderbolt 3 drive for $418. I fusioned it with my internal 512gb ssd on my iMac and now I'm flying. 2700 MB/s Read, 2100 MB/s Write. Boot, account switching, apps are all much, much faster. Love me some T3!
Fusion-drive'ing an external + internal sounds dangerous.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamespb78 Avatar
70 months ago
They sure look ugly
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Anuba Avatar
70 months ago
Is it OK to cover your hard drive in a brown paper bag when you're using in in public, or will it run too hot?

"We want something youthful that says this product is FAST and FUN!" said the committee of 60 year-olds.
"Fine, here" said the designer and threw up in his mouth.

I mean... those are hideous beyond measure. Been using WD for 15+ years as my go-to for storage. Never considered the possibility of having to look into other brands because WD would suddenly get too ugly to look at, but the latest gen MyBook designs with the diagonal lines look like puke, and now they ruined the portables with... what are those even... wings?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
70 months ago
Honestly, that pricing is really good and cheaper even than the mobile SSD G-Drives.

WD have had a long time to release these, so I can imagine the fit and finish will be spot on (the casing specs are encouraging).

The transfer speeds are more than adequate too.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)