LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive USB-C
Portable drive with USB-C interface and 4TB capacity
1TB $119; 2TB $159; 4TB $224 Manufacturer LaCie, lacie.com Features 4TB hard drive (5,400 rpm), USB Type-C (with USB 3.0 adapter included)
The slimline MacBook introduced USB-C to the Mac range more than a year ago, but hard drives that use this new high-speed interface are only now becoming common. LaCie’s latest version of the Porsche Design Mobile Drive adds USB-C to the drive’s smart aluminum design, along with a USB 3.0 adapter so that you can use it with other Macs and PCs too. The Porsche drive also stands out by providing up to 4TB of storage. That’s more than enough for backing up files from most laptops, and will also provide plenty of storage for owners of desktop Macs and PCs too. And, unlike most desktop drives, it won’t need a separate power supply, either.
There are three versions available. The 1TB and 2TB models measure just 0.39 inches thick and weigh 6.8 oz, but the 4TB model that we tested is larger, at 0.83 inches and 11.1 oz. However, it’s still small and light enough to carry around quite easily, and for many people the 4TB storage will be worth a little extra weight.
It’s not perfect, though. The USB-C versions of the Porsche drives are quite a bit more expensive than the standard USB models, and they’re not particularly fast either. LaCie has opted for a basic 5,400 rpm drive, which produced unremarkable read and write speeds of 135MB/s and 75.8MB/s respectively. At these prices we’d have liked LaCie to use a 7,200 rpm drive for higher performance. But, as we’ve mentioned, there aren’t many 4TB portable drives around - especially with USB-C interfaces – so the Porsche Design Mobile Drive is worth considering if you need lots of back-up storage combined with a really portable design.
the bottom line. It’s expensive, but the Porsche drive’s 4TB capacity and USB-C interface make this a good back-up option for both laptop and desktop Macs.