A new version for the My Passport Ultra is now out in the market, will this be a big improvement from its previous version?

The My Passport Ultra has been around for almost two years and an updated version has appeared this year. We test out the updated model of the My Passport Ultra and see what makes this an improvement.

Here are the specs for the My Passport Ultra

Specification

• 1TB Capacity
• USB 3.0

Compatibility

• Formatted NTFS for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems
• Requires reformatting for Mac OS X
• Note: Compatibility may vary depending on user’s hardware configuration and operating system

Package Includes

• Portable hard drive
• USB cable
• WD SmartWare Pro software
• Quick Install Guide

Dimension

• 21 x 4.34i x 0.50

The My Passport Ultra has a slimmer body compared to the other models of the My Passport line, where you can actually fit it inside your pocket. It also comes in four different colors (black, white, red and blue) where you can match it to your personality or with your other gadgets and four different capacities (500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 3TB) depending on the demand for your file storage. Unlike some of the models like the My Passport Slim where it has a metal body, the My Passport Ultra only has a plastic body yet it still feels sturdy and more practical to bring compared with My Passport Slim’s heavier metal build. It still has the standard USB 3.0 cable that is still compatible with the older USB 2.0 ports, the USB cable is also compatible with other latest My Passport models.

After taking it out from the package, the My Passport Ultra is already for plug and play, it is even formatted to a NTFS file system, but you can reformat it to make it readable to Mac computers and laptops.

As for performance, we used the Crystal Disk Mark to benchmark the external drive’s performance. My Passport Ultra has great reading and writing speeds for both USB 2.0 and 3.0 connections, Compared with the other models, Ultra has an improvement in terms of speed performance at almost 30%. You can check the charts below for the USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 for speed comparisons.

USB 2.0 Test

USB 3.0 Test

What’s also great with Ultra is the included software bundle inside the external drive. It includes the WD Backup, WD Security and other WD Utility applications to optimize your storage use, the WD Backup is a straightforward backup software that lets you drag and drop files to your WD external drive that you want to backup. WD Security provides a strong hardware encryption to your drive, making it more secure when using it from other computers. The Drive Utilities allows to check the status of your WD drives, from its temperature to capacity and functionality, keeping you informed if there is something wrong with your drive. All of the included software are all optional applications yet they are very useful for your WD external drive usage and protection.

The My Passport Ultra may not be the biggest leap from its predecessors, but it still managed to provide a very straightforward and fast external storage for your daily needs. Its plastic build makes it lighter and easier to bringing where it even fits inside your pockets. So if you are looking for a good external storage that is fast and really portable, get the My Passport Ultra.