WD My Passport Wireless SSD
The humble portable hard drive, reworked for photographers
As its name suggests, the My Passport Wireless SSD is based on a fast SSD. We clocked it at a blazing 350MB/s-read and 285MB/s-write speeds during sustained video transfer, while folders of images shift at an equally impressive 290MB/s and 256MB/s.
But this is more than just an SSD; It’s a device designed to be used as standalone storage in the field, so during a shoot you can back up images from your memory card without a computer. This is made possible by the Passport’s built-in SD card reader. Just insert a card, press the transfer button for two seconds, and the Passport copies the card’s contents to the SSD, with status LEDs showing the transfer progress.
Once your shots are on the drive, you can then view them on your smartphone or tablet, as the Passport also acts as a wireless media server with its 802.11ac/n Wi-Fi hotspot. Even Raw images stored on the drive are viewable, and though we tried to break this feature by using Raw files from newly released cameras, the Passport wasn’t fazed. WD also claims the device can wirelessly stream 4K video, however it does so by offloading the video to the default media player installed on your smart device. If this is incompatible with the video codec used by your Nikon, you won’t be seeing anything.
Powering all this is a built-in battery good for up to 10 hours continuous use. But if you don’t need all-day power, the battery can also double as a 6700 mAh power bank, with a USB output on the drive able to supply 1.5A of charging power.
Packing so much tech does make the My Passport Wireless SSD relatively large by portable SSD standards, measuring 135mm square and 30mm thick. You can streamline things a little by removing the soft rubber bumper, if you can manage without its shock protection.
Then there’s the issue of cost. At £260/$300, our 500GB review unit is the price/capacity sweet spot in the range. Step up to the 1TB model and you’ll need to part with £440/$500. Do away with the extra features of the My Passport Wireless SSD and an ultra-compact 512GB My Passport SSD will cost £170/$180, and just £55/$60 buys you a 1TB hard drive-based My Passport.