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Transcend

Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB 1TB Portable SSD

Model: TS1TESD310C

7.6/10
Capacity 1TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2
Form Factor External
Read Speed 1,050 MB/s
Write Speed 950 MB/s
Endurance (TBW) 600 TB
Warranty 3 Years

Overview

A tiny 1050-class Gen 2 portable from a long-established memory brand. The ESD310C is among the smallest 1TB Gen 2 SSDs in retail -- small enough to be lost in a bag. Buy it for the form factor over sustained performance.

See how it stacks up against competitors in our Ultra-Portable SSDs SSD comparison, or browse related SSD buying guides.

Where to Buy

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Pros

  • 1050/950 MB/s
  • Tiny credit-card footprint
  • 3-year warranty
  • Rotating cap protects USB-C port

Cons

  • Plastic body
  • No IP rating
  • 3-year warranty
  • Sustained writes dip after cache

Everyday Storage Analysis

The Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB: 1TB, 1.1 GB/s reads, 950 MB/s writes, and a price that makes it an easy choice for daily backups and file transport.

Practical Performance

With 1.1 GB/s reads and 950 MB/s writes over a USB-C connection, the Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB delivers reliable performance for daily computing needs. Backing up documents, transferring photos from a laptop to a desktop, or storing a media library — it handles routine tasks with consistent speed.

Practical, No-Compromise Design

1TB of storage provides generous headroom for everyday files. The compact, lightweight design slips into any bag pocket. 600 TBW endurance balances durability with affordability — suitable for regular use with room to spare. Backed by a 3-year warranty, this drive offers typical protection for its class.

Great for

  • A shared family drive for documents, photos, and homework files
  • A secondary game library for older or indie titles
  • Bootable recovery or OS installation media
  • Daily system backups (Time Machine, File History, or rsync)

1.1 GB/s reads are typical of a SATA SSD in an external enclosure — noticeably faster than any external HDD, yet well below the speed of Gen 2×2 or Thunderbolt drives. For most daily tasks, this is more than enough.

Who Should Buy the Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB

The Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB targets users who need maximum throughput from an external drive. If you edit 4K or 6K video, move large project files between workstations, or work directly from external storage, the 1,050 MB/s read speed puts this drive in elite territory for a 1TB portable SSD.

The 1TB capacity covers most daily workflows comfortably: system backups, a working photo library, a dozen game installs, or a collection of documents and media. If you need more space, higher-capacity variants of the same product line are worth considering.

The USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface means the Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB hits full speed on virtually any modern USB-C or USB-A port — no special hardware required. Plug it into a laptop, desktop, game console, or tablet and you get the same 1,050 MB/s performance without compatibility concerns.

Real-World Performance

File Transfer Speeds

On paper, the Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB delivers 1,050 MB/s reads and 950 MB/s writes. In practice, a 50GB file — a typical 4K video project, a large game install, or a full photo shoot — transfers in ~53 seconds. A 100GB batch of raw files moves in ~2 minutes. For users who regularly shuttle large files, these transfer times are a meaningful productivity improvement over slower SATA-based externals that take 3-5x longer for the same tasks. Note: those numbers describe large sequential transfers — everyday tasks (opening documents, app launches, game loads) feel equally fast across all NVMe portables because random 4K performance is similar drive-to-drive.

Sustained Write Performance

At 1,050 MB/s, thermal throttling is minimal during typical use. Only sustained sequential writes exceeding 100GB — such as backing up an entire media library in one pass — may cause the controller to reduce speeds temporarily. For everyday transfers and backups, you will consistently see performance near the rated specifications.

Endurance and Longevity

The Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB is rated for 600 TBW (terabytes written) endurance. To put that in perspective: if you write 50GB per day — an aggressive daily workload for most users — the drive would take approximately 33 years to reach its endurance limit. For typical use patterns involving backups, file transfers, and game storage, the 600 TBW rating provides comfortable headroom well beyond the 3-year warranty period.

Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB vs Samsung T7 Portable 2TB

Spec Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB Samsung T7 Portable 2TB
Read Speed 1,050 MB/s 1,050 MB/s
Write Speed 950 MB/s 1,000 MB/s
Capacity 1TB 2TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2
Endurance 600 TBW 1,200 TBW
Score 7.6/10 9.4/10

The Samsung T7 Portable 2TB scores higher in our evaluation (9.4 vs 7.6/10). While the Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB has lower scoring, it may offer advantages in other areas like value. Review the full specifications above before deciding.

For a detailed head-to-head comparison, see our full Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB vs Samsung T7 Portable 2TB comparison.

How Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB 1TB Compares

Model Capacity Interface Read Write TBW
Transcend ESD310C Portable 1TB 1TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 1,050 950 600
Samsung T7 Portable 2TB 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 1,050 1,000 1,200
Samsung T7 Portable 4TB 4TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 1,050 1,000 2,400
Samsung T7 Portable SSD 1TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 1,050 1,000 580

Specs shown for the closest Ultra-Portable SSDs alternatives. Full comparison table available on the compare page.

Also available in Transcend ESD310C

The Transcend ESD310C comes in multiple capacities. Smaller sizes save money if you do not need the headroom; larger sizes drop the cost-per-TB for media libraries and Time Machine backups.

More Transcend SSDs

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Transcend

Transcend ESD310C Portable 2TB

7.7/10
Capacity 2TB
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2
Read Speed 1050 MB/s
See Price on Amazon →

Price as of Aug 3, 2026, 6:33 PM. Prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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Quick Specs

Read Speed 1050 MB/s
Write Speed 950 MB/s

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