Inside the XD2 sits a 2.5in, 5400rpm drive from Hitachi. As you can see from the results of our tests - copying across both a 2GB file and a folder containing 100 10MB files from a MacBook Air - the drive produced speeds well above similar portable, bus-powered drives like Iomega's eGo and Samsung's 1.8in HDD-based S1 Mini.

File Transfer Results - Copy to External Drive

Data Transfer Rate in Megabytes per Second (MB/s)
Longer bars are better

In fact, it proved not so very much slower than some external drives that use mains-powered 3.5in HDDs, such as LG's own XD4 and Samsung's Story Station.

File Transfer Results - Duplicate on External Drive

Data Transfer Rate in Megabytes per Second (MB/s)
Longer bars are better

LG won't say how much it expects punters to pay for the 500GB XD2, but it's available online for between £75 and £95, with the RRP typically listed at £100. That's what you'd expect to pay for a drive of its kind, so the LG unit, which comes with a two-year warranty, is certainly a good deal, especially if you get it at the lower end of the price range.

Verdict

Byte-for-byte, 3.5in desktop drives are cheaper than the XD2 and others like it, but if you don't mind paying for portability and the convenience of bus power, the LG drive represents great value. It doesn't have the looks of a WD MyPassport or a Samsung S2, but it's no less a good portable external hard drive for that. ®

More External HDD Reviews...

Samsung Story Station

Freecom ToughDrive Sport

Iomega Home Media Network

Samsung S1 Mini