There’s no shortage of ways to manage your data, whether it’s an external SSD or HDD, a home NAS server, or buying a higher-storage variant of your phone. I have a DiskStation DS1823xs+ that stores over 150TB of my data, but when I’m on the go, I rely on external SSDs.
TeamGroup does a great job in this area, and its X2 Max is what I predominantly use while traveling. It resembles a USB flash drive, but it houses an SSD, and it has both USB-C and USB-A connectors, allowing me to connect it to just about any device. And coming in at $149 for the 1TB variant, it’s a decent choice if you want a fast external drive.
If you want a drive that attaches to your phone, you should take a look at the PD20M. The key benefit to this external SSD is that it securely attaches to your iPhone — or any Android phone with a magnetic case. I have the 2TB model of the drive, and it currently costs $233 on Amazon, which is $60 more than what it launched at two years ago; you don’t need me to tell you that all storage and memory drives have inflated prices these days.
I used a half-dozen of these MagSafe drives over the last two years, and I like the PD20M the most because of its size. At just 8.2mm and 40g, it is thin and light, and the build quality is decent. The drive is made out of plastic, and while it isn’t anywhere as durable as LaCie’s Rugged SSD4, it held its own in everyday usage.
There is some flex to the housing when you squeeze it, but after six months of extensive use, I didn’t see any issues with the build quality. The only omission in my point of view is ingress protection — having any kind of resistance to dust or water ingress would have made it a much better choice for outdoor use.
The PD20M has a rubber base that ensures it doesn’t damage your phone when it’s attached, and the magnets have a strong connection — I didn’t see any issues using it with my iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, or Galaxy Z Fold 7. The PD20M has a flat cable that lets you connect it to your phone, and while it’s long enough to attach without any issues, the cable gets in the way — particularly when you’re shooting videos while it’s connected.
I used this drive predominantly with the Pixel 10 Pro XL because it has the requisite magnets pre-installed, and as I have the 256GB model of the phone and constantly run out of storage, I needed a reliable external drive to store videos and photos.
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The drive itself uses the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface and has a bandwidth of 2,000MB/s. In my testing, I got reads of 1,750MB/s and writes of 1,590MB/s, which is more than adequate when it comes to transferring data to and from the drive. The bandwidth makes it a great choice when recording 4K footage.
MagSafe inclusion gives it an edge over most other external SSDs, and even if you have a phone that doesn’t have the requisite magnets, you can use it as a portable drive. However, the PD20M is best-suited if you have an iPhone or the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the slim design along with reliable bandwidth make it a good overall choice.
TeamGroup PD20M 2TB MagSafe SSD
The PD20M is a reliable MagSafe SSD that attaches securely, has a sleek design that doesn’t add any bulk to your phone, and transfers data faster than its rivals.
