[section_title title=”Closer Look”]Closer Look
Starting off with the packaging, Western Digital have gone with a very nice cardboard box with a clear plastic insert holding the drive itself in place. With a viewing window on the front, it’s easy to see what you are getting and with a moniker at the bottom saying “premium storage”, if the packaging is anything to go by, this drive will do well.
There is also information pertaining to the size of the drive, the model, the warranty (3 years) and of course the Western Digital WD logo in the top right corner.
On the rear the packaging relates to the different features of the drive; this includes the Dropbox Cloud feature which again, requires your own Dropbox account to use. The drive also features 256-bit encryption which offers an additional layer of security for your files; WD also has software for this, something a lot of other brands don’t even consider.
Upon opening the box and removing the actual WD My Passport Ultra Metal Edition external from the box, it comes encased in a plastic insert which just slides right out the box. This offers an additional layer of protection to the drive during transit etc. and obviously offers more support than just a cardboard box. This type of packaging is also made for retail environments such as shops due to the lack of internal packaging such as a bubble bag etc.
Included with the drive itself are an instruction manual and a USB 3.0 cable which is required to provide power and of course allow transfer of data between your devices; not a lot but that is to be expected on an item such as an external hard drive.
Now it’s time to take a look at the premier of the review, the WD My Passport Ultra 2TB USB 3.0 external HDD itself. With this being the metal edition, the outside casing of this drive has a very nice smooth blue metallic finish which does of course have a little texture to it; contradicting the smooth part slightly but it does make a nice whizzing noise when you run your finger over it! Aside from the colour and finish which reflects light giving off a very gorgeous shine, the WD logo and of course the My Passport branding back be found on the left hand side; non protruding and allows the drive to remain stylish.
The Western Digital My Passport Ultra metal edition external hard drive features a USB 3.0 interface which allows speeds of up to 5GB/s to be transferred; not going to happen with a mechanical hard drive but it is a needed improvement over USB 2.0. That being said, the drive does feature a 2.5” 5400RPM mechanical hard drive inside and you will of course void your warranty if you try to open it.
In terms of size, it’s 110x85x20mm (LxWxD) which means this hard drive particularly pocket size but when you factor in the cable required to use it, transporting it in a bag, handbag, briefcase or backpack would be more suitable. There is also a little bit of weight to it; it is to be expected with a mechanical hard drive inside and also being encased in metal; the finish is worth the weight! The drive itself weighs around 0.24KG which is around a quarter of a regular bag of sugar; hardly light but I’m sure there are heavier things in your bag.
On the back panel, we have information about the model, brand and origin of manufacturer; in this case Thailand. The panel features a black plastic design and although isn’t metal like the rest of the casing; it still feels very robust indeed. Also on the rear is the products serial number which is useful should you need to obtain an RMA via Western Digital; the warranty period is 3 years on this particular model.
So now we have had a look, let’s see how this Ultra external HDD performs…
