Accessories: 5 out of 5
LaCie has always been known for going the extra mile and the LaCie Mobile SSD series is no exception. Free data recovery for the full warranty period. A free month to Adobe Creative Cloud. Even two USB cables included in the box. There is simply nothing to complain about on this front.
Read performance: 20 out of 25
While no one will confuse the Mobile Drive 5TB’s performance with that of even the smallest of the Mobile SSD series… it is above average for its class. Yes, a 7200rpm would have been optimal, but finding one that can be powered by older USB buses… is difficult to say the least. It is a balancing act between compatibility and performance… and this Seagate ‘Cuda drive is a good choice.
Write performance: 37 out of 40
Thanks to a good ‘Cuda hard drive and good bridge controller the write performance is not outstanding… but it’s not too bad either. In fact, it is slightly above average for the 5TB 2.5-inch corner of the market.
Warranty: 7 out of 10
On the one hand, a two-year warranty is pretty much the definition of mediocre. We understand the reasoning behind this decision, as Hard Disk Drive external storage is notorious for dying an early death, but it still less than impressive. On the other… you do get free Data Recovery for the full two years. That does boost things out of the realm of mediocrity… and we have scored accordingly.
Value: 19 out of 20
While it may lack IP certifications, this is a robust design that just so happens to be drop-dead gorgeous. More importantly, it offers a cavernous amount of capacity for better than average prices. The fact it is actually cheaper than the non-Apple exclusive version is just icing on the cake.
Final Score: 88 / 100
The LaCie Mobile Drive 5TB has changed our opinion of Apple-exclusive products. Usually, this means more costly than their counterparts… and yet the Mobile Drive 5TB is actually cheaper and a better value. Mix in great looks, good performance, and robust design and there is little to dislike and a lot to like about this big boy.
