G-Drive R-Series 500GB
Speedy storage that’s built to withstand bumps
£169.95 FROM G-Technology, g-technology.com FEATURES USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) port, USB-C and USB-A cables
This striking SSD follows after the MacBook Pro’s
lead. Like many SSDs we’ve seen since late 2016, it adopts a fast USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface.
The drive has an IP67 rating for resistance to water and dust. Disconcertingly, there’s no cover or plug for the USB-C port. The drive’s maker also says the R-Series is drop-proof up to 3m, and crushproof to 453kg – for the former, though, it notes that the tolerable drop is onto a carpeted concrete floor.
Even so, the drive’s body feels a lot more durable than many consumer-focused drives. At 86g, it’s not much heavier than Samsung’s T5 (51g), and if it’s typical office hazards you want to protect against, you really don’t need the designed-for-outdoors CalDigit Tuff (270g, and bulkier to boot).
G-Technology quotes a maximum transfer rate of 560MB/sec. In our testing, the peak figure was 537.4. That makes the R-Series the best (non-RAID) mobile SSD for sequentially reading data that we’ve tested, and puts it within a whisker of the best for writing – the CalDigit Tuff. But it’s average in tougher random read/write tests; its 366.6MB/sec peak when reading is slower by 46.6 (T5) and 62.7 (Tuff).
So, the R-Series provides good to great transfer rates, in a tough but attractive form.