The IP68 HDD That Protects From Both Drops and Drips

Review by Rounak Roy



INTRODUCTION

In this world of fast storage there are very few manufacturers who focus on both speed, reliability and durability.
One might wonder why we would want a rugged HDD especially when slimmer HDD's are available, for Film sets, Construction sites, photographers their data is very important so a rugged HDD will help a lot if they accidentally douse their HDD in water or drop it from a height.
The HD710 sent over by Adata has a hard plastic interior with silicone rubber shock absorbers on the exterior which is the perfect addition that will make the drive withstand rough usage. The HD710 Pro is available in several different versions & colours; Yellow, Blue, Red and Black, and with capacities ranging from 1, 2, 4 and 5TB. The 5TB is only available in black colour.

SPECIFICATIONS

Looking through the features, it’s obvious that ADATA has put a huge effort into ensuring that this drive is durable with IP68, IEC IPX8, US Army MIL-STD-810G. The design element of the drive is not so typical of a portable HDD, its bulky and has rubber outer casing, that's given for a good drop protection.

The internal drive is a Toshiba 1000GB Mobile HDD that spins at 5400 rpm. This is a rugged drive and so we shouldn't expect top of the line performance, the area where the HDD shines is drop and water resistance. The HD710 Pro comes with the Drive and a USB 3.0 A to USB 3.0 Micro B cable in the box. The drive is formatted in NTFS and is plug and play for Windows, MacOS (reformat to exFat required and linux). The drive is also compatible with Xbox and Android Phones and TV's although compatibility depends on the respective device manufacturer. 

On the inside its same as a WD or Toshiba but the main plus point is the availability of a G-Shock (Not to be confused with Casio G-Shock) sensor which immediately stops all drive operation if it detects even a sudden drop or movement is detected and will only resume after all movements have stopped.

 
Specs:

PERFORMANCE

As always I have used the CrystalDiskMark 6 to test the HDD speed and it was decently good. Since this is a rugged HDD the emphasis has been given on compatibility and ruggedness rather than fast speeds. Below are some test results where I have copied some ISO files and 130 Applications, all the tasks completed with respectful speed and time.

I conducted drop tests from waist height and the HDD was working well even after the drop. While connected to PC I vigorously shaked the SSD which triggered the G-Shock sensor which deactivated the HDD power and a red led was blinking. After a few seconds it started to work again.

I also conducted water permeability tests in a bowl of water for 20 Minutes. There wasn't a single drop of water near the USB ports and even if submerged the hdd eventually floated to the surface with USB port facing up meaning it is quite buoyant and won't easily sink. If you accidentally drop water on it be rest assured that none will permeate the silicon and plastic layer to inside the HDD as its sealed shut.  Images of the tests are attached below in a carousel.

Speed Tests and File Transfer Time Tests

Underwater Tests Conducted for 20 Minutes

CONCLUSION

If your primary use case scenario is protecting your data against cases of drops and drips then this is the perfect drive for you. After using this drive in my backpack for a week and travelling to and from it still works fine. I even purposefully dropped the drive from waist level height and it survived albeit got a bit dinged (Hope Adata doesn't mind that as this was a review unit). This is a true IP68 water resistant HDD like I tested and rest assured it will survive the occasional spills of liquids.
 The durability and performance is also top notch and the G-Shock sensor is the icing on the cake. Keeping in mind all these points I will rate the drive a solid 9/10 which makes it eligible for our TechReprise Gold badge.

ABOUT ADATA

Founded in May 2001, ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. is committed to providing top-notch memory solutions that enrich the customer’s digital life. The company’s dedication to integrity and professionalism has made ADATA the leading memory brand with the most award-winning product designs.

Backed by technical expertise, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, and premium customer service, ADATA offers complete memory solutions including DRAM modules, USB flash drives, memory cards, solid state drives and portable hard drives.