Final Score: 84% / 84 out of 100
At this point in time external USB based storage devices are pretty much a mature technology. Like any mature technology, advancements are few and far between. What this means is that in this market it is not flashy / splashy features that make one standout from the crowd. Instead, it is the sum of a few key areas that let certain models shine brighter than all the rest. These areas are price vs. performance, price vs. reliability, price vs. durability, and price vs. practicality. Yes, that is a lot of ‘price versus’ areas. That however is what mature technology is all about. Offering the best bang for your buck with maybe one above average feature thrown into the mix. Otherwise, why bother with HDD at all when SATA and even NVMe based Solid State storage devices are readily available? Readily available and more portable, typically more durable… and hella fast in comparison to their older HDD siblings.
Thanks to a timely upgrade in the 2.5-inch hard drive Silicon Power has opted for the Armor A65B is faster than its predecessors. It is actually one of the fastest 2.5-inch based models we have tested in recent memory. No. That does not mean it is a speed demon that can compete with 3.5-inch models… as it still is a 5400RPM SMR HDD based device. Instead, opting for WD Blue allows it to be (slightly) faster than the average 2.5inch model.
In the durability department Silicon Power have outdone themselves. Three. Count them three layers of protection means that this device is a veritable steal of a deal compared to similar robust models. So, with water, dust, blunt force trauma, good sharp ‘stabby’ protection, and a ton of anti-vibration protection the Armor A65B is easily one of the most protective, most durable 2.5inch models on the market today. As such, when you combine a known good hard drive with extreme levels of protection, the same is true of any (reasonable) reliability comparisons one can make. So yes. The Armor A65B not only easily justifies its asking price but is arguably one of the best values available in this corner of the marketplace today.
With all that said the Armor A65B is not perfect. There is one area where the Silicon Power Armor A65B falls down on it is in the Practicality department. Yes, it is dust and water “proof”. Yes, it can be dropped from a rather high height. Yes, it even integrates a cable carrier. Counteracting these now common Quality of Life features is the fact that Silicon Power still are using a Type-A to Type-A configuration for the USB cable. Bluntly stated, finding a replacement for said cable is nowhere near as easy as a standard Type-A to Type-C or Type -A to micro-USB 3 cable. That makes the A65B a smidgen suboptimal in the practicality department… as all USB cables eventually fail.
As such the Armor A65B is not a revolutionary device. It is an evolutionary one. That is perfectly fine, and while there is a lot of room for improvement, the Armor A65B not only lives up to its predecessors it raises the bar slightly higher than where it found it. So if you are looking for a reasonably sized, reasonably fast, reasonably priced external storage solution that can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’ the A65B demands you pay attention to it. Now if only Silicon Power would offer it in 5TB capacity options we would truly be happy.
The Review
Silicon Power Armor A65B
The Armor A65B is not a revolutionary device. It is an evolutionary one. That is perfectly fine, and while there is a lot of room for improvement, the Armor A65B not only lives up to its predecessors it raises the bar slightly higher than where it found it. So if you are looking for a reasonably sized, reasonably fast, reasonably priced external storage solution that can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’ the A65B demands you pay attention to it. Now if only Silicon Power would offer it in 5TB capacity options we would truly be happy.
