1. Editor's picks: Best deals overall
2. Helpful quick links
3. Prime Day portable hard drive deals
4. What to expect
5. FAQs
➡️ The second edition of Amazon Prime Day 2023 has now ended.
➡️ The deals below may or may not be still available - prices have either gone up or stocks have been depleted.
➡️ But do not despair if you missed a deal as we’ll be bringing you all latest Black Friday deals in November 2023.
➡️ The original, unedited text of this hub follows below. This page won't be updated until June 2024.
It's here, the October 2023 edition of Amazon Prime Day has arrived and with it the SSDs may gather more headlines (check our Prime day external SSD deal for more).
There’s still no better option than a portable hard drive if you need loads of storage space on the move without spending huge amounts of cash. And as Amazon Prime Day 2023 (October edition) gathers, there’s no better time to grab a bargain.
Portable hard drives come in all kinds of different designs. You’ll find large desktop drives that offer huge capacities inside relatively bulky and heavy enclosures alongside compact, rugged units ready to be slung into a backpack.
We’ve explained exactly how to find the best portable hard drive for you, and you should check out our guide to the best external hard drives of 2023 if you’d like more in-depth information.
- Out of stock items? Pricing mistake? Incorrect specs? Let me know via email
Editor's Picks: The absolute best deals
US retailer Links
- Amazon: Save up to 69% on portable hard drives
- Best Buy: Save up to 51% on portable hard drives
- Newegg: Ssave a huge 70% off selected portable hard drives
- WD: Get up to 65% off portable hard drives
- Adorama: Get a whopping 60% off portable hard drives
- Micro Center: Get savings of up to 55% on portable hard drives
- Not in the US or UK? Scroll down to see the best external hard disks deals where you live
Amazon Prime Day Portable Hard Drive deals
Amazon Prime Day portable hard drive deals: what to expect
Show more
While we expect hard drive discounts across the board on Prime Day, the market has been a little slow moving so far.
Positively, we’ve already spotted massive discounts on the WD Elements desktop hard drive, and we expect other everyday storage products like this to drop around Prime Day itself.
Right now, though, other mainstream hard drives like the Seagate Portable, the Barracuda internal drive and the Toshiba Canvio Basics haven’t actually been given a discount. Analysis of their historic pricing also finds them sitting at steady, consistent levels over the past few months.
We recommend holding your nerve until Prime Day itself unless you need to buy basic storage right now. Wait a little longer and you’ll likely get a bigger price drop.
If you need to act sooner, we recommend installing a browser extension like Keepa or using a website like CamelCamelCamel to check if prices have dropped recently and to ensure you avoid pre-sale inflation. And because other companies join in the Prime Day fun, check out other retailers if the drive you want isn’t yet discounted on Amazon.
We’ve observed more discounts on specialist products, like the LaCie Rugged Mini outdoorsy drive and the WD Black P10 gaming SSD. The price drops aren’t as drastic as the monster 44% drop on the WD Elements, but we don’t expect those specialist products to see those kinds of reductions, anyway. In short, that’s probably about as good as it’ll get for specialist gaming or ruggedized drives, so you can buy now with confidence now rather than wait until Prime Day.
No matter what kind of hard drive you want to buy, make sure you’re getting the right product. Only shell out for a pricier portable or internal drive with loads of speed if you need the extra pace for high-end creative work tasks or gaming, and don’t bother buying a rugged drive unless you regularly need to use it in tough environments. Buy kit like that without needing the features and you’re simply throwing money away.
Elsewhere, consider paying more for drives that include software packages, encryption and longer warranties if you want peace of mind for your data, and check customer reviews before purchasing to avoid any bugs, common pitfalls or performance issues.
Be aware that Amazon sometimes offers coupons to drop prices further, and create alerts for lightning deals if you want to grab last-minute bargains on Prime Day itself.
Amazon Prime Day Portable Hard Drive deals: FAQs
When does Amazon Prime Day 2023 end?
You only have until midnight, so don't wait too late to take advantage of a number of great deals on external HDDs. Amazon Prime Day 2023 ends at midnight on October 14th, so you only have a few hours left to expand your storage capacity and find that deal you’ve been looking for.
Will I need an Amazon Prime Day subscription to get Prime Day portable hard drive deals?
Always! And it’s never been so easy to get your hands on a subscription, either, because you don’t have to spend money – if you haven’t been a member for a year, just sign up for a free thirty-day trial to take advantage of the price drops. And if you’re already a member, you’re golden.
How do I become an Amazon Prime member?
You need to be an Amazon Prime member in order to get access to Prime Day deals, which costs $14.99 per month or $139 for a year. It used to be $12.99 per month or $119 per year but there was a price hike last year.
However, new subscribers can take advantage of the 30-day Amazon Prime free trial to buy the deals. You can only use this if you've never been a member before, so it won't be available if you've used it already or if you've signed up for Amazon Prime in the past.
While on the free trial, you get all the other membership benefits including free shipping, access to Prime Video and much more. Do read our Amazon Prime review for full coverage of what you get as part of a membership. That can help you decide if you want to cancel Amazon Prime once your free trial has ended to avoid being charged the monthly fee.
Which portable hard drives will be discounted on Prime Day?
Hard drives are commoditized these days thanks to the popularity of SSDs and relatively cheap prices, so companies like WD, LaCie and Seagate are always keen to offer deals to help differentiate their products. That bodes well for customers on Prime Day, where almost everything will be available with a discount.
