Seagate has released another update to their Backup Plus Slim portable hard drives. We first reviewed the Slim way back in 2014 and found it to be an excellent portable solution with great management software and a very affordable price. Seagate unfortunately did not include any new capacity models this time around, which is a bit disappointing, as we haven't seen an increase since it was first released. Nonetheless, the new Backup Plus Slim is built with a new modern design, supports the both USB 3.0/2.0 connections and works right out of the box with Windows and Mac systems.
Seagate has released another update to their Backup Plus Slim portable hard drives with new 1TB and 2TB versions. We first reviewed the Slim way back in 2014 and found it to be an excellent portable solution with great management software and a very affordable price. Seagate unfortunately did not include any new capacity models this time around, which is a bit disappointing, as we haven't seen an increase since it was first released. Nonetheless, the new Backup Plus Slim is built with a new modern design, supports the both USB 3.0/2.0 connections and works right out of the box with Windows and Mac systems.
As far as performance goes, Seagate does not mention any expected transfer rates, which seems to be the norm now with any non-SSD storage solution.
One of the new additions to the Backup Plus Slim is a bundled 1-year Mylio Create and 2-month Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plans. The former is a centralized app for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android that manages your files (including photos) from all your devices and online services (e.g., Facebook and Instagram). You can use this app at no cost, however, the premium version (which is included with the Slim) increases the amount of managed devices you can have and supported images, and allows for RAW image editing. So if this is something you’ve been looking for in an external drive, this is a huge plus.
The Seagate Backup Plus Slim comes with an 2-year warranty and goes for roughly 55 and $70 for the 1TB and 2TB models, respectively.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim Specifications
| Interface | USB 3.0/2.0 |
| Capacities | 1TB, 2TB |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Light blue |
| Dimensions |
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| System Requirements: | Windows 7 or higher, or Mac OS X 10.11 or higher operating system |
| Warranty | 2-years |
Design and build
At just 4.5 inches long, just over 3 inches wide and half an inch thick, the Slim is a very portable device. And though these numbers indicate that it’s slightly bigger than the 2014 model (we’re talking no more than 1 or 2 millimeters for each dimension) it is a tad bit lighter.
That said, it comes in three slick-looking colors (black, silver and light blue) and features a textured metal finish that has a nice, solid feel when you carry it around in the palm of your hand. It also fits nicely in a normal sized pocket.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim Speed
To test the speed of the Seagate Backup Plus Slim, we used the BlackMagic disk speed test on a current generation MacBook Air as well as a Lenovo ThinkStation 920 for Windows testing. We will be comparing the recently reviewed LaCie Mobile Drive 2TB and the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch.
In BlackMagic, the Slim showed almost identical read and write performance with 119.5MB/s read and 119.5MB/s. For the comparables, the Ultra Touch drive gave us 123.3MB/s read and 122MB/s write compared to the LaCie’s 135.7MB/s read and 118.5MB/s write.
In our 2MB sequential test in Windows, we again saw virtually identical read and write speeds with 125.09MB/s read and 125.34MB/s write. The Ultra Touch had sequential reads of 41.9MB/s and write of 28.1MB/s compared to the LaCie’s 134MB/s read and 41.9MB/s write.
With 2MB random transfers speeds, the Slim recorded 40.12 IOPS read and 50.047638 IOPS write. In comparison, the Ultra Touch recorded 41.6 IOPS read and 17.7 IOPS write for the LaCie and the Seagate had 17.4 IOPS read and 14 IOPS write.
For our 4K test, the Slim measured 308.99 IOPS write and 115.46 IOPS read. The Ultra Touch gave us 114 IOPS read and 47.4 IOPS write, and the LaCie had 117.6 IOPS read and 49.1 IOPS write.
Conclusion
The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the latest model in the company's portable drive line. Though we would have liked to see them double the maximum capacity to a 4TB model, the new Slim still has a lot to offer. It features a new woven fabric pattern design (making it one of the more slick-looking drives on the market), comes in three different colors in capacities of 1TB or 2TB and boasts better performance compared to previous generations. The drive leverages USB 3.0 and is bundled with Mylio Create and Adobe Creative Cloud Photography premium memberships.
Looking at its performance, In BlackMagic, the Slim showed almost identical read and write performance with 119.5MB/s read and 119.5MB/s, while the 2MB sequential test saw virtually identical read and write speeds again with 125.09MB/s read and 125.34MB/s write, respectively. When looking at 2MB random transfers speeds, the Slim recorded 40.12 IOPS read and 50.047638 IOPS write, while 4K results measured 308.99 IOPS write and 115.46 IOPS read.
Overall, the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim is another solid addition to Seagate mobile storage portfolio. It offers good transfer speeds for its class, which will satisfy general use cases for the average consumer or worker on the go, and sports a cool design that sets itself from the vast pool of other portable storage products on the market.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim on Amazon
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