How to choose an external hard drive

Backing up your most important files to cloud providers is great, but if your internet goes down it’s always good to have a backup close at hand too. That’s where external drives come in, and they even offer a great way to expand your storage for lower-end laptops and portable devices.

With so many drives out there though, how do you know which ones to buy? Should you buy a hard drive or an external SSD? Which version of USB do you need? Do connectors matter? What about encryption? We’ll answer all that and more in our guide on how to choose an external drive, to make sure you get the most for your money.

If you just want to skip to buying an external drive, here’s our list of the best ones available today.

Storage capacity

Arguably the most important specification to consider when buying an external drive is storage space. It’s no good buying a high-speed device with encryption and remote access if it’s not big enough to actually store the information you need. That said, you also don’t want to pay through the nose for a drive you’ll never even come close to filling, so what size should you be aiming for? It depends what you want to do with it.

If you want a device that’s good for transferring documents, photos, or other media from one device to the other, or just want to expand the storage space of your low-end laptop or tablet, then you might be best off with a mid-range flash drive. While the largest of those can stretch up to 2TB of storage space, they get very expensive and are unnecessarily big for this sort of usage. Really you’re better off saving yourself a lot of money and buying something in the region of 64GB. Some of those can be had for less than $20 and you can get ones double the size for not much more.

If you’re interested in storing a lot more or keeping files and folders on there long term, you’ll want something bigger. A 1TB drive should suit most needs for the foreseeable future, but if you envision storing hundreds of movies (maybe you ripped your DVD collection?), or just never want to run out of space, there are drives available today that offer multiple terabytes of space. The Seagate Backup Plus is available in sizes from 1TB all the way up to 5TB and even then it’s not much more than $100.

Transfer speed

Size isn’t everything, even when it comes to external drives. Transfer speed is incredibly important too, because if you transfer files back and forth to a huge drive on a regular basis, you don’t want to have to wait an age for them to complete.

There are two main factors that play a role in how fast your drive can operate at: The storage technology and the connector it uses. Although some drives are faster than others (and if you want bleeding edge speed, make sure to check reviews of your options) in general, solid state drives (SSD) can process data faster than hard drives (HDD). External SSDs tend to be more expensive than their HDD counterparts and often have less storage capacity. You don’t have to have one or the other, as there are larger SSDs out there, but you will have to pay a premium for it.

Maurizio Pesce/Flickr

In terms of the connector used to hook up your external drive to your desktop, laptop, or mobile device, there are several common options to consider. Most drives today use a USB interface, but there are several generations that have some distinct differences — most notably with transfer speed. USB 2.0 is an old standard and should be avoided if you’re doing anything but making infrequent small file transfers. USB 3.0 offers a substantial increase in speed (up to 5Gbps), while USB 3.1 (sometimes called USB 3.1 Gen 2) is becoming more common and offers up to 10Gbps transfer speeds. Devices that support Thunderbolt 3 offer the fastest connection medium out there, capable of transferring media at up to 40Gbps.

Some older devices use alternative connectors like eSATA and Firewire, but due to their reduced relevance, they should be avoided.

Portability and durability

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

If you want to only use your external drive for backups in your own home, you don’t need to consider portability and could even look to network attached storage solutions, for more permanent backup options. If you want to keep your drive with you when you’re out and about though, portability is of paramount importance. You want it to be light and small enough to fit in a bag or pocket so that it can be accessed quickly and easily without weighing you down all day. Ideally, you want one that doesn’t require an external power cable too.

Most external drives are far from weighty and some, like the Samsung T5, are tiny, offering huge digital storage capacity while being physically diminutive. In the inverse of storage space, SSDs tend to be a little smaller than their hard drive counterparts.

Another reason to consider an SSD over an HDD is durability. While modern-day external drives often come equipped with rugged casings to protect them against damage should they be banged or dropped, the two technologies have very different physical makeups. An SSD has no moving parts, making them more durable to drop damage than a traditional hard drive. While nobody plans to drop their external drive, if you think you might, SSDs offer a little more protection against such unfortunate events.

Security

If the data you store on your external drive is sensitive in any way, encrypting the data is a good idea. There are many drives out there that are compatible with software encryption solutions and those are fine for most people, but for those who take their data security more seriously, you want to find a drive with hardware encryption. If you’re extremely security conscious, you could even opt for a physical security system like the pin-code input on the Apricorn Aegis Padlock drive.

Some drives will also come with strong casings to prevent physical tampering. While Kingston’s Ironkey flash drives don’t offer the same storage capacity as full-scale drives, they have a secondary security layer in that their drive PCBs are dipped in a resin that makes it hard for anyone to access the internal memory chips.

Extra features

There are a multitude of different external drives out there, and that means stiff competition. While all of the above features and specifications are worth considering before anything else, there are some other neat features you can look out for if you’re still unsure which drive to go for.

Some offer Wi-Fi connectivity for easy file access, and some offer better warranties than others, so if you are at all concerned about reliability, picking one with a long warranty is a good idea. You might also consider the cables that the drive ships with — if your laptop or phone has USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 connections and your drive only comes with a USB-A cable, factor in buying another cable or an adaptor.

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Apple Said to Be Removing Headphone Jack From Upcoming 2018 iPad Pro Models

Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro models will feature slightly smaller bodies, a relocated Smart Connector, and no headphone jack, according to information shared by Japanese site Mac Otakara.

Citing supply chain sources, Mac Otakara says the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro will measure in at 247.5mm tall, 178.7mm wide, and 6mm, compared to the current size of 250.6mm x 174.1mm x 6.1mm. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is said to measure 280mm tall, 215mm wide, and 6.4mm thick, compared to the current measurements of 305.7mm x 220.6mm x 6.9mm.

iPad Pro concept image via Álvaro Pabesio
These dimensions line up with rumors suggesting Apple plans to introduce a full redesign with the 2018 iPad Pro models, slimming down the bezels much like it did with the iPhone X. Though smaller in size, the new iPads will feature larger displays thanks to the bezel reduction. The new iPad Pros are not expected to feature a Home button, and according to previous rumors, will include a TrueDepth camera system for Face ID.

Mac Otakara also suggests that the 2018 iPad Pro models will not feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, with Apple opting to eliminate it.

iPhones have not had a headphone jack since it was removed in the iPhone 7, and Apple has instead relied on Bluetooth devices like the AirPods along with Lightning-based headphones. Apple is not expected to ship the new iPad Pro models with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter, which would be in line with analyst predictions suggesting that adapter will not come with the 2018 iPhones either.

In the iPhone lineup, the headphone jack was removed for improved water resistance and to make space for internal components like a bigger battery, the Taptic Engine, and the rear camera system. It is not clear if Apple is facing the same space constraints in the iPad Pro with the introduction of the TrueDepth camera system or if this is a move to align iPad and iPhone features.

A portion of Mac Otakara’s report says that Apple will use a “diamond cut” for both the front and the back of the new iPad Pro models, which seems to mean that the tablets could have a design that’s similar the iPhone SE with beveled edges.

The Smart Connector on the iPads has reportedly been relocated from the side to the bottom near the Lightning port, which may require a new vertically oriented Smart Keyboard. It’s not clear how a vertical Smart Keyboard would work, as it would likely be unstable in that orientation, especially for the larger iPad Pro.

Apple is said to be making this change because Face ID will work only when the iPad Pro is in a vertical orientation, with Mac Otakara saying that it is “impossible to release the lock with the main unit turned sideways.” Previous information from Mac Otakara suggested Apple was working on horizontal Face ID for the iPad Pro, and hints of such a feature were discovered in iOS 12.

In addition to these changes to the iPad Pro, Mac Otakara also shared a bit of information on the rumored 6.1-inch low-cost iPhone. Confirming previous rumors, the site says the device will use a “Full Active” LCD display sourced from Japan Display. Full Active panels allow Apple to slim down the bezels of the LCD iPhone, bringing it in line with the two OLED devices.

Possible front glass panels for the 2018 iPhones, with 6.1-inch model in middle
Mac Otakara’s sources have also echoed previous reports pointing towards production difficulties for the 6.1-inch iPhone. When production on the phone started this month, Apple was reportedly seeing a 1 percent completion rate, suggesting a delayed November launch for the device.

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty made a similar prediction earlier this week, suggesting issues with “LED backlight leakage” could lead to a one month delay in production. Huberty’s information indicated the delay had originally been six weeks, so it’s possible Mac Otakara is working with older data. Other sources, such as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, are not expecting launch delays, so it’s unclear what’s going on with the 6.1-inch iPhone at this time.

Mac Otakara has a somewhat mixed track record when it comes to rumors, sometimes sharing information that’s spot on and sometimes missing the mark. For that reason, though this information is quite specific, these new details should be viewed with some skepticism until confirmed by secondary sources.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, 2018 iPhonesBuyer’s Guide: 10.5″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Caution)
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Brain-controlled third arm lets you take your multitasking to the next level

For whatever reason, some seriously smart folks in the tech community seem to be obsessed with adding extra appendages to the human body — and they’re getting more ambitious all the time. First, it was the 3D-printed functioning extra thumb prosthesis, made by a graduate student at London’s Royal College of Art. Then, it was the robotic Double Hand, dreamed up by augmented human startup YouBionic. Now, researchers from the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute in Kyoto, Japan are taking the next logical step by creating a robotic third arm that will allow its wearers to take their multitasking ability to warp speed. Oh, and did we mention that it’s mind-controlled, too?

“Instead of a robot arm system, I would call it, a [brain-machine interface] (BMI) system for multitasking,” Christian Penaloza, a researcher on the project, told Digital Trends. “Traditional BMI systems are used mostly to recover or replace a lost function of a person with a disability, but not to enhance the capabilities of healthy users. Common BMI systems require the user to concentrate on a particular task, such as controlling a robot arm or wheelchair, while the body stays still. That means that the user can only do a single task. Due to the current limitations of BMI systems, it is more convenient for healthy users to use their own bodies instead.”

Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory, ATR

What the researchers at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute have developed is a brain-machine interface with a focus on multitasking. The robotic arm used in their demonstration is controlled via two electrodes which are stuck on the user’s head in order to capture their brain activity. Without requiring a person’s full attention, it’s possible to control the arm to carry out certain feats. That means that users can engage in one task while carrying out a second hands-free task simultaneously.

“In our experiments, we used a human-like robot arm for participants to grasp a bottle, while they did a different task [of] balancing a ball,” Penaloza continued. “[In terms of real-world applications] we could think of future use cases for this particular system, such as future construction or manufacturing workers who can use a third arm to increase their productivity, or even astronauts in space. However, the applications do not have to be limited to a robotic arm. Perhaps in the future, we could use the system to control other devices — household devices, cell phones, or machinery — while we do another task.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Science Robotics.

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Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller – Episode 1: the Hangman review

I don’t know about you, but I have a vice for mystery games. Ever since I played my first Nancy Drew game as a kid, I’ve loved solving virtual crimes and puzzles. So I’m always keen to try out new titles.

In a recent search for a new game to sate my thirst for mystery, I stumbled upon Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, a game which seemed to blend the classic detective game formula with supernatural elements. I quickly became interested and downloaded the first episode, The Hangman on my Android phone. There are four episodes in total and they are all available for download from the Google Play Store.

The game was designed by indie studio Phoenix Online Studios, which was until a few years ago a group of dedicated hobbyists scattered throughout the world, working on their fan tribute to the King’s Quest games. The Silver Lining was developed over many years and faced a lot of turmoil, but eventually it got released in four chapters. Fast forward to the present, and the studio playing a big part in the resurgence of adventure gaming with games like the Erica Reed series.

For this mystery thriller, they brought on board Gabriel Knight-creator Jane Jensen as a story consultant. Not surprisingly, the game packs a dark and intense story-line within an intriguing, albeit at times slow game.

The Erica Reed adventure has been available to play on PC for a few years now, but you can also play it on your Android smartphone or tablet.

Storyline

Cognition is a point-and-click adventure, which follows Boston FBI detective Erica Reed as she searches for clues and solves puzzles in order to solve gruesome murders.

The game approaches very unsettling subjects, so it’s definitely not for the most sensitive players out there. Some cut-scenes are also pretty violent and disturbing, so if you’re not the type to stomach that, I recommend you stay away from this one.

Anyway, Erica Reed is not your average detective. Sure, she’s intuitive and clever, but on top of that, she possesses a special gift. She can see the past through a series of flashbacks.

The game starts with Erica and her FBI partner John McCoy attempting to enter a cemetery where they believe the Cain Killer is holding Erica’s twin brother, Scott, hostage. So your first task is to go rescue Scott.

It’s here that you’re first introduced to Erica’s strange powers. Tap on the Cognition sphere at the bottom left and it will reveal certain glowing areas in your environment. These can be a statue or a table and as Erica examines them, she’ll catch a glimpse of the object’s past. Which in turn helps her get closer to solving the puzzles in the level.

Unfortunately, Erica is unable to save Scott. Or so it becomes apparent after we move on to the next part of the story. Three years have passed and we find that Erica is now living in Boston and is working downtown at the FBI headquarters. She’s determined to track down the person who murdered her brother three years ago. But wait! Didn’t she set him on fire at the end of chapter one? This part got me a little confused, but I have to admit, I was intrigued and very curious to find out what actually happened to Scott.

Erica’s flashbacks continue…

Anyway, Erica is called to investigate a new homicide case involving a man who was hung to death. Her boss wants her to take it slow, but Erica is having none of that.

As you play, Erica’s cognition ability develops into something more complex. For example, Erica can now select three related hotspots in order to unlock evidence that previously existed in the location. Like the ancient artifact that she finds at the hangman crime scene.

The game opens up quite a little bit in the second part. You’re given multiple locations across Boston to visit including the Cemetery where Scott’s buried or the Antique shop, where John’s voodoo queen friend helps Erica understand her abilities.

Even if the game is pretty simple in concept: visit the locations, search for clues, solve the puzzles, it quite challenging at times. I’ve often got stuck and had to revisit each location a couple more times in order to finally figure out a solution. In one particular instance, failing to correctly complete a problem, gets you killed. And you’ll have to start all over again.

The implausible puzzles were another reason why I was slow to make progress. For example, in one scene you need to use your partner’s lighter, but for some obscure reason, John won’t give it to you. You’ll have to distract him with snacks, but not just any snacks. It has to be doughnuts. And oh, they are pretty hard to find around Boston.

But at least the game benefits from a pretty effective hint system. So you can turn to that if you feel your frustration level rising.

Impressions

If you love comics, you’ll adore Cognition’s artwork. The striking 2D backgrounds and character designs are very impressive and detailed, but I can’t say the same for the animations which are quite awkwardly-made, most of the time. Flashback to Scott looking like a freaking zombie in the scene where he was chained up to that table in the underground tomb.

Creepy Scott

On the brighter side of things, the soundtrack, created by Austin Haynes (who also made the music for the Silver Lining) is truly excellent and unsettling. The music does a great job of exacerbating the uncanny feeling that seems to be hanging in the air at all times

The voice acting is pretty good too, albeit a bit melodramatic at times. Although I couldn’t help but get bored with some of the lengthier, superfluous dialogues. Speaking of which, I found the subtitle font way too small.

But this is just one of the limitations of playing this sort of game on a phone. It’s also not that easy to tap on smaller or far-away objects and you can’t zoom either. So yeah you might want to try this game on a tablet, instead of a smartphone like I did. The bigger screen will most likely make a huge difference.

When it comes to performance, the game usually runs pretty smooth, but I’ve noticed the occasional graphics glitches. Loading times are pretty long too, at times.

But if you can see past these (minor) inconveniences, Cognition will provide an overall enjoyable experience. I really loved the story, it’s bizarre, gruesome at times and keeps you guessing until the very end. It’s not at all predictable, which is a very big plus in my book.

Save $50 on the Apple Watch Series 3 with Best Buy’s Black Friday in July sale

In a world full of smartphones, the smartwatch was an inevitability. It’s smaller, it’s more convenient, and most of all, it’s attached to your body. Though there are many different smartwatches to choose from at many different price points, there is one company that has a firm grip on the industry — Apple. In fact, the Apple Watch isn’t just the best-selling smartwatch in the world, it’s the best-selling watch in the world. Even with competitive companies like Rolex, Casio, Fossil, and Samsung being thrown into the mix, the Apple Watch still reigns supreme.

If you’ve been looking to pick up one of these great smartwatches for yourself, the Best Buy Black Friday in July sale has an excellent offer for you — $50 off the Apple Watch Series 3. The series 3 is the newest model in Apple’s line of smartwatches and it comes with a ton of great features. A brilliant OLED touchscreen, GPS, fitness tracking, and decent battery life make up the bulk of the features, but where the Apple watch really takes the cake is in it’s design. It usually goes without saying that if Apple is making something, it’s going to look good, and the Apple Watch Series 3 is no different. With a sleek, well-thought-out design, a wide variety of watch straps, and many different watch faces to choose from, you can customize it to fit your wrist or your style. The sale runs through Saturday, July 28.

The Apple Watch Series 3 normally retails for $329, but with the Best Buy Black Friday in July price cut, you can get it for just $279. That’s a $50 discount that you very rarely see on any of the newer Apple products, so if you’ve been contemplating picking up one of these bad boys, there’s really no better time than right now. However, if that $279 price tag is still out of your price range, there are plenty of other Apple Watch deals to choose from. Perhaps the most notable deal we’ve seen so far is on the Apple Watch Series 1, which has been discounted to just $149 from Walmart.

$279 | Apple Watch 3 $149 | Apple Watch 1

Looking for more great deals on tech and electronics? Find Apple Watch deals and more from our curated deals page, or follow us on Twitter for the latest savings.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

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TESS, NASA’s planet-hunting space satellite, begins science operations

Illustration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in front of a lava planet orbiting its host star. TESS will identify thousands of potential new planets for further study and observation. NASA/GSFC

NASA’s exoplanet-hunting satellite TESS is fully operational and has begun scanning the skies for distant planets, NASA reported on Friday. And maybe, just maybe, it will spy signs of life outside of our galaxy.

“I’m thrilled that our new planet hunter mission is ready to start scouring our solar system’s neighborhood for new worlds,” said Paul Hertz, NASA astrophysics division director based in Washington. “Now that we know there are more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we’re bound to discover.”

The space agency launched its TESS satellite on April 16, with an aim of replacing the aging Kepler space telescope. It will spend the next two years rocketing through the cold reaches of space, training an array of cameras and monitors on the darkness — and looking for the periodic dips in light that suggest the presence of planets against the fiery brightness of the stars they orbit. The mission is led and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The mission should come relatively cheaply, according to Space.com –the TESS satellite’s cost is capped at $200 million, while the Kepler telescope it replaced cost about $600 million.

NASA began the process of waking up TESS in May, and found the satellite was in good health and all systems reporting that they were healthy. For a satellite, that means more than a shower and a cup of coffee: It entails a commissioning period of testing and adjustments before scientists can truly rely upon the data being beamed back to Earth. According to NASA, “every new mission goes through a commissioning period of testing and adjustments before beginning science operations. This serves to test how the spacecraft and its instruments are performing and determines whether any changes need to be made before the mission starts observations.”

NASA's newest planet hunter, @NASA_TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is currently undergoing a series of commissioning tests before it begins searching for planets. https://t.co/kYnDwjhpKS pic.twitter.com/rodPbAknUQ

— NASA_TESS (@NASA_TESS) July 11, 2018

In May, as the craft prepared for that final orbit, NASA’s latest satellite danced a funky little jig. “In one of the last passes, TESS performed a ‘break dance,’ rotating around to evaluate any stray light sources to characterize camera performance for the duration of the mission,” the space agency wrote on Twitter in June.

“We learned from Kepler that there are more planets than stars in our sky, and now TESS will open our eyes to the variety of planets around some of the closest stars,” said Hertz prior to the satellite’s launch. “TESS will cast a wider net than ever before for enigmatic worlds whose properties can be probed by NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and other missions.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• NASA’s planet-hunting TESS satellite: What you need to know
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• Take a VR journey to an exoplanet with NASA’s new ‘Travel Bureau’
• Astronomers make huge exoplanet discovery haul in record time
• NASA (again) delays launch of the world’s most powerful telescope

Intel’s 10nm ‘Cannon Lake’ processors won’t arrive until the 2019 holiday season

Intel chief engineering officer Venkata Renduchintala said the company’s 10mn processors won’t appear in products until the 2019 holiday season. He revealed the new launch window during Intel’s second quarter 2018 financial results conference call, reporting that the yields are improving to the point that products based on the 10nm chip will arrive in that time frame.

“The systems on shelves that we expect in holiday 2019 will be client systems, with data center products to follow shortly after,” he later explained during the Q&A session. Robert Swan added that Intel had a “very good lineup” of 14nm products in the mainstream and server markets as the company continues to ramp the 10nm process technology.

We first experienced Intel’s 10nm “Cannon Lake” chip in action within a 2-in-1 PC in January 2017. Products based on the chip were slated to arrive by the end of 2017, but that never happened. Intel instead pushed back its Cannon Lake rollout until 2018 due to manufacturing difficulties stemming from the 10nm process. The smaller the processor components, the more problematic the manufacturing process becomes, producing a higher number of defective chips.

But Intel warned in its first quarter 2018 results that its 10nm chips wouldn’t arrive until 2019 due to the problems related to 10nm process technology. The company is still pushing 10nm chips in extremely low volumes, as we saw in a recent laptop listing, but mass production won’t happen until late 2019.

“Recall that 10nm strives for a very aggressive density improvement target beyond 14nm, almost 2.7x scaling,” Renduchintala said during the call. “And really, the challenges that we’re facing on 10nm is delivering on all the revolutionary modules that ultimately deliver on that program.”

Although he acknowledged that pushing back 10nm presents a “risk and a degree of delay” in the company’s road map, Intel is quite pleased with the “resiliency” of its 14nm roadmap. He said the company delivered an excess of 70 percent performance improvement over the last few years. Meanwhile, Intel’s 10nm process should be in an ideal state to mass produce chips towards the end of 2019.

Intel’s Cannon Lake chip is essentially a shrink of its seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” processor design. Given the previous launch window, the resulting chips presumably fell under the company’s eighth-generation banner despite the older design. But with mass production pushed back to late 2019, the 10nm chips will fall under Intel’s ninth-generation umbrella along with CPUs based on its upcoming “Ice Lake” design.

Intel claims that its 10nm chips will provide 25 percent increased performance over their 14nm counterparts. Even more, they will supposedly consume 50 percent less power than their 14nm counterparts.

A roadmap leaked in 2017 revealed “H” and “U” processors, with the H models drawing between 35 and 45 watts of power and the U models drawing between 15 and 28 watts of power. The H chips will supposedly sport two, four, and six cores while the U chips will only have two cores. Intel typically reserves the U suffix for ultra-low power chips while saving the H suffix for processors with high-performance graphics.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel’s 10nm CPU finally makes it to retail in a refreshed Lenovo IdeaPad laptop
• Intel’s powerful new 8-core processor could land in desktops this September
• AMD preps 7nm chips in wake of Intel Cannon Lake delays
• Leak shows Intel’s 9th-gen Core i7 desktop CPU won’t have hyper-threading
• Intel’s 9th-generation processor could launch next month with 8 cores

Best microSD Cards for Samsung Galaxy S9

64GB is a lot of onboard storage, but sometimes you need a little more!

I know, I know. Onboard phone storage has grown a ton in the last few years, but I still prefer to have all my contacts, physical music, and app files on a microSD card. That way when I inevitably upgrade phones, I can have everything come along for the ride. If you’re upgrading to the Galaxy S9, then pick up one of these SD cards and broaden your storage horizons.

Let’s take a look at things in terms of performance and value.

• Performance options
• Value options

Performance options

These selections all have a U3 rating, which offers a minimum sequential write speed of 30MB/s. This way your Galaxy S9 can record 4K video to an external card.

Side note: Even if your S9 technically allows the new 960FPS slow-mo footage to be recorded to a card, I wouldn’t trust that much data throughput to the SD card. It just can’t handle it, captain!

SanDisk Extreme 64GB

Best Performing

SanDisk’s microSD cards are just great. I’ve been using them for years and they’ve never failed me. The Extreme line boasts read speeds of up to 90MB/s and write speeds of up to 60MB/s, which is exactly what you want if you’re recording video directly to the card. As mentioned above, this one has the UHS-3 speed class rating and even comes with a lifetime warranty from SanDisk.

The best part is the price. A 64GB card starts around just $33. You could go down to 32GB for about $20, but why not double your storage? This card also happens to be the Wirecutter’s top pick for the best microSD card.

See at Amazon

Samsung EVO Select 64GB

Budget Pick

This is another card that’ll obviously double your Galaxy S9’s storage, and it features transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s. I’ve been using one of these in my phones since my Galaxy S5 and love it. This particular card even comes with a full-size adapter so you can easily transfer data between your phone and computer.

Pricing here is excellent, with the 64GB option at under $20 (and you can drop to 32GB for only $13).

See at Amazon

Samsung EVO Plus 256GB

Most Storage

If you need a ton of space and performance, then Samsung’s EVO Plus line is one of the best around. You get read speeds of up to 100MB/s and write speeds of up to 90MB/s, and at roughly $85 for 256GB, it’s not a bad deal. These cards are water-resistant, heat- and cold-resistant, and awesome if you’re looking to record all the 4K video. You’ll also get the full-size adapter in this pack — perfect for offloading video and photos on the go.

See at Amazon

Value options

If you simply want more bang for your buck and aren’t terribly concerned with recording 4K video directly to an external card, then consider these options and just try to fill up both your phone and the card. I dare you.

SanDisk Ultra 200GB

Best Value

Boom, out of the gate, this 200GB microSD card is only about $60 on Amazon. That works out to only 35 cents per GB. You’ll still get read speeds of up to 100MB/s, but being a U1 rating, you won’t get write speeds that fast. This is still, however, a class 10, so full HD video shouldn’t be much of a problem.

See at Amazon

Samsung EVO Select 128GB

Most Featured

I mean, what can I say, prices are awesome at the time of this writing. The 128GB EVO Select from Samsung is only $35 right now on Amazon. That’s roughly 31 cents per GB. And with that, you get a UHS 3 speed class rating, transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s and a whole whack of space that you’ll likely never use up. You get the full-size adapter and a 10-year limited warranty. As frugal as I am, I’d probably grab a couple of these just because SO MUCH SPACE. In terms of bang for your buck, a high performance, large storage card like this doesn’t get much better.

See at Amazon

SanDisk Ultra 256GB

Best Speed

SanDisk’s 256GB Ultra card is about the same price as Samsung’s EVO Plus at about $90 (though the EVO Plus regularly retails for more), but that does come with some compromise in speed. You’ll get read speeds of up to 100MB/s, but write speeds will be slower, and you’re only getting a UHS 1 speed class rating here, so full HD video should be fine, but forget about writing 4K video directly to the card. That being said, you’ll have all the space you’ll probably need forever.

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What’s your go-to?

Do you have a favorite microSD card that you use with every phone you buy? Sound off in the comments below!

Update July 2018: Updated pricing for each card. These are still the best microSD cards you can buy to expand your Galaxy S9’s storage.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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The PlayStation VR Doom Bundle is $75 off right now

Shoot some demons in virtual reality.

The PlayStation VR Doom Bundle has dropped to $224.99 on Amazon. That’s $75 off its regular price and the lowest direct price drop we’ve seen on Amazon. We did share a previous deal that featured this same bundle as low as $200, but that was several months ago and we haven’t seen it drop anywhere close since.

This bundle includes the PlayStation VR headset, PlayStation camera and Doom VFR game – just what you’ll need to start playing in virtual reality as long as you have a PlayStation 4 console on hand too.

Bethesda announced a sequel to this game, called Doom Eternal, at E3 this year. You can bet that will make its way into VR eventually, too, so get your practice in.

By the way, the F in Doom VFR is the same F in BFG. In case you were wondering.

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Dyson air purifiers, PlayStation VR, Fallout cookbooks, and more are all discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on the PlayStation VR Doom bundle, Dyson’s air purifier, the official Fallout cookbook, and more! Most of these prices will be gone when the day ends, so don’t miss your chance to save big!

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If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!