PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive

Stuart Forster reviews a 500GB PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive, a lightweight storage device suited to downloading and backing up data while travelling.

The PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive is a neatly designed external storage device. This compact piece of technology is designed for rapidly backing up and reading data while travelling.

Disclosure: I was sent a 500-gigabyte hard drive to facilitate this review. PNY did not review or approve this post. Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Over the past few days, I’ve carried the storage device in a pocket on my daily walk. I’ve also read and written data multiple times.

PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive with a cable and pound coins for scale
The hard drive seen next to a cable and pound coins for scale.

A Solid State Drive (SSD)

In case you’re wondering, the acronym SSD stands for Solid State Drive. That means this external drive does not feature the moving parts that are built into hard disk drives.

For travellers that represents a blessing. SSDs are less susceptible to malfunction due to the impact of knocks while being transported. This type of storage device is also quieter and quicker than a hard disk drive.

PNY states that the 500GB Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive has a read speed of up to 865 megabits per second (Mbps) and a maximum write speed of 875 Mbps while using a USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface:

Dimensions ideal for travel

The Pro Elite hard drive has dimensions of 64 millimetres (2½ inch) by 57 millimetres (2¼ inch) by 11 millimetres (7/16 inch). That fits easily into several of the pockets in my camera bag. It also fits into the palm of my hand, as the photo below illustrates.

500GB PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive in the palm of a man's hand
The hard drive really does fit in the palm of my hand.

The storage device itself weighs 43 grams. Including the USB Type-C to C and Type-C to A cables with which it’s shipped, the hard drive weighs 71 grams.

For me, that represents a net saving in the weight I carry on trips. Why? The Pro Elite hard drive is significantly lighter than the external disk and protective case that it replaces.

SSD hard drive shipped with two cables plus a serial number to download Acronis True Image data protection software
The SSD hard drive is shipped with two cables plus a serial number to download Acronis True Image data protection software.

Backing up data while travelling

Many travel photographers backup their images on an external storage device every day while on assignment.

For extra security, it’s good practice to back data up to an additional device (stored separately from the other device) and to the cloud.

The device is shipped with a serial number to download Acronis True Image data protection software from the PNY website.

PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive with a cable next to five pound coins for scale
The hard drive placed next to five pound coins to provide an idea of its scale.

PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive

Read more about the PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive and other forms of storage devices on the PNY website:


The PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive is available in 250GB, 500GB (RRP £109.90) and one-terabyte models:


The devices come with a choice of silver-coloured brushed aluminium or black surfaces.

Further information

Thanks for visiting Go Eat Do and reading this review of the PNY Portable SSD Pro Elite hard drive. If you found this review informative and enjoy photography, check out this review of the Manfrotto Element MII tripod.

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This review was originally published on Go Eat Do on 11 April 2020.

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2 Comments

  • Kacie Morgan

    April 16, 2020 at 14:37 Reply

    My hard drive broke last year so I know only too well how important it is to have a decent one! I have got an alternative model now which I’m pleased with but I often think about buying a second hard drive for additional storage (as well as using cloud storage – you can never be too safe when it comes to your data!)

    • Stuart Forster

      April 20, 2020 at 16:40 Reply

      Backing up data, both at home and while travelling, is important.

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