Transcend ESD400 Portable USB 3.0 SSD Review
Tyler puts Transcend's ESD400 portable USB 3.0-based SSD device through our tests to find out how it performs. Come and take a look at our review.
The Bottom Line

A little less than a year ago, we had the first portable SSD from Transcend in the lab, the ESD200. The ESD200 offered decent performance for a compact solution, and today Transcend has sent over their latest portable SSD.
The ESD400 is the latest from Transcend featuring capacities from 128GB to 1TB, all utilizing UASP technology to get the most out of USB 3.0. Marketing specifications allow 410 MB/s read and 380 MB/s write for the larger capacities, and the 128GB model we have in house is capable of 360 MB/s read and 160 MB/s write. Compatibility extends to modern Windows operating systems and OS X 10.5+.
MSRP of the Transcend ESD400 in the 128GB capacity is set at $99.99 with a one-year warranty.

Packaging for the ESD400 allows a look at the drive. Marketing information can be found below and to the right.

Scope of delivery includes the USB 3.0 cable, a carrying pouch, and reading materials.

Aesthetically, the ESD400 is nearly identical to the ESD200. The top houses a diamond patterned exterior with the Transcend logo centered.

The edge of the drive houses the USB 3.0 connection, and the one touch backup button to the left.

The Transcend ESD400 is factory formatted with the FAT32 file system. Useable capacity after formatting is 119GB.

Here we have our sequential read chart, and as you can see the ESD400 sits near the bottom at 360 MB/s.

Moving over to sequential write, the ESD400 topped out at 161 MB/s making it the slowest drive in our charts at this point in time.

Our last chart, Price/Performance put the ESD400 right in the middle at 85% due to its great pricing at 78 cents per GB.
The Transcend ESD400 is a great drive for anyone wanting something ultra-portable and lightweight. The footprint of this drive allows for you to throw it in a pocket and take it with you on the go and the materials used in making this solution, while being plastic, feel quite durable.
Performance of the drive wasn't the highest we have seen from a portable solution, then again, 360 MB/s isn't the worst either, it's actually quite good.
While the drive didn't take top honours in our sequential read and write charts, the Price/Performance chart showed the drive to have an excellent mix of performance to go along with Transcends aggressive pricing at 78 cents per GB.
PRICING: You can find the Transcend ESD400 128GB Portable SSD for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.
United States: The Transcend ESD400 128GB Portable SSD retails for $89.99 at Amazon.

Performance | 80% |
Quality including Design and Build | 90% |
General Features | 90% |
Bundle and Packaging | 85% |
Value for Money | 95% |
Overall | 88% |
The Bottom Line: The ESD400 from Transcend in the 128GB capacity tested today is great solution if you want something you can throw in your pocket at a good price. For those that want the best in performance, it may be worth grabbing the higher capacity models, or a different product.
PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.
United States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com
United Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk
Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au
Canada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca
Deutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de
Similar Content
Related Tags
NVIDIA's massive four-slot Titan class RTX 4090 Ti Series GPU pictured
First PCIe Gen5 SSDs with 10 GB/s of read speed are on sale in Japan
GALAX launches its beefy and over-the-top 666W RTX 4090 HOF Edition for $2579
AMD post makes the Radeon RX 6000 RDNA 2 generation look like better value
Sony unveils two new Walkman players, the iconic 1980s device still going strong
Deepcool CH510 Mesh Digital Mid-Tower Chassis Review
TEAM T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-7200 32GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review
Lian Li Lancool 205 Mesh C Chassis Review, a $90 Micro Center exclusive
ASRock B650 Live Mixer AM5 Motherboard Review
Acer Predator GM7 1TB SSD Review - High Speed Flash
Phison E26 B58R 1,600MT 2TB SSD Preview - PCIe Gen5 storage is here
Silicon Motion SM2267XT DRAMless Laptop SSD Preview - Speed and Efficiency
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Unboxed: FE, ASUS, MSI and ZOTAC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 OC Shootout: ASUS, COLORFUL, FE, MSI, GAINWARD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Unboxed: FE, ASUS ROG Strix, MSI SUPRIM LIQUID