Iomega Prestige Mobile review

External hard disks aren’t typically fantastic to look, but if the Iomega Prestige Mobile is any indication, this trend is slowly changing for the better. The plastic edges aren’t as stylish as the main brushed-effect case, but they should at least help prevent scratches and scrapes when you slide this external hard drive into a pocket.

Inside the compact enclosure, a 500GB hard disk spins at 5,400RPM. Thanks to the USB3 interface, the Prestige Mobile turned out to be a great performer. Large files were written at 73.8MB/s and read at 115.3MB/s, which places it among the fastest portable hard disks we’ve seen. Small files were equally impressive, managing 62.1MB/s write and 48.9MB/s read speeds.

As well as stellar performance, there are other reasons to consider the Prestige Mobile if you’re looking for a portable disk. It might not come preloaded on the disk itself, but a link to download a comprehensive protection suite is included in lieu of bundled software. Entering your disk’s serial number on the Iomega website will let you access a free one-year subscription to the excellent Trend Micro Internet Security suite, as well as Iomega QuikProtect backup, V.Clone disk imager and MozyHome online backup.

The combination of performance, styling and excellent software makes the Prestige Mobile a tempting proposition. It’s also fantastic value at less than 10p per gigabyte, making it a superb choice unless you need more storage space.