Toshiba Canvio Ready 4 TB 2.5" USB 3.2 Gen 1 Black external hard drive + protective case

The Toshiba Canvio Ready 4 TB kit is the largest 2.5" external hard drive in the series, bundled with a protective case. 4 TB holds a big film collection, a video archive, a photo library and full backups of several computers. Black housing with a two-tone matte and gloss finish.

The drive connects over USB 3.2 Gen 1 with interface speeds up to 5 Gbit/s and is USB 2.0 compatible. It is powered from the USB port, so no separate adapter is needed. Plug and Play: it ships formatted in NTFS and works with Windows straight away; for a Mac it can be reformatted.

Compared with Canvio Basics, this model adds mechanical protection: ramp load technology parks the heads off the platters, and a shock sensor cuts power to the drive on a sudden jolt. The 4 TB version is a little thicker than the smaller ones (19.5 mm instead of 14 mm) because it holds more platters.

Why Windows shows 3.63 TB

Manufacturers count capacity in decimal units (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), while Windows counts in binary (1 GB = 1024 x 1024 x 1024 bytes). That is why 4 TB appears as about 3.63 TB (3725 GB) in Windows. It is not a defect; every drive and flash stick is shown this way.

Specifications

• Series: Canvio Ready
• Drive part number: HDTP340EK3CA
• Capacity: 4 TB (about 3.63 TB in Windows)
• Type: external HDD
• Form factor: 2.5"
• Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 1, up to 5 Gbit/s (USB 2.0 compatible)
• Power: USB bus powered
• Protection: ramp load, shock sensor
• Dimensions: 78 x 109 x 19.5 mm, about 218 g
• File system: NTFS (reformatting required for Mac)
• Colour: black
• Warranty: 6 months

In the box

• Toshiba Canvio Ready 4 TB drive
• USB 3.2 Gen 1 cable (Type-A to Micro-B)
• Protective case

This kit in other capacities: 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB.

How to choose an external drive and format it for a Mac or TV is covered in our guide "External hard drive: what it is and how to choose". Brand new drive, SMART checked before shipping.