ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive Review: A Budget Gamble Not Worth Taking?

We’ve all been there. That dreaded “Storage Almost Full” notification flashes across the screen at the worst possible moment. For me, it was halfway through editing a crucial video project. My laptop’s internal drive, once a vast expanse of digital real estate, had become a cluttered attic of project files, photos, and a growing game library. The thought of deleting cherished memories or uninstalling programs just to make space was a compromise I didn’t want to make. This digital squeeze is a universal modern problem, whether you’re a creative professional, a student juggling assignments, a dedicated gamer expanding your collection on a PS4 or PS5, or simply someone trying to back up a lifetime of photos from your phone. The solution seems simple: an external hard drive. But navigating the sea of options can be a challenge, which is what led us to test the very affordable and feature-packed ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive.

What to Consider Before Buying an External Hard Drive

An External Hard Drive is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for digital freedom and data security. It acts as your digital safety deposit box, a portable library for your media, and an essential expansion pack for your computers and gaming consoles. The main benefits are clear: instantly expanding your device’s capacity, creating secure backups of irreplaceable files to protect against device failure or loss, and the ability to physically transport large amounts of data between locations without relying on slow cloud uploads. It’s the difference between being shackled by your device’s limitations and having the flexibility to create, store, and play without compromise.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the storage crunch we described—creatives needing space for large media files, console gamers wanting to keep more games installed, or any user who wisely wants to back up their digital life. It’s for those who value portability and convenience. However, an external mechanical hard disk drive (HDD) like this might not be suitable for those who need lightning-fast transfer speeds for intensive tasks like real-time 4K video editing directly from the drive. In that scenario, a more expensive external Solid State Drive (SSD) would be a better, albeit pricier, alternative. For users needing colossal amounts of archival space (many terabytes), a larger, desktop-powered external drive might be more cost-effective.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Portability is often paramount. Look for a slim, lightweight design, typically a 2.5-inch form factor, that can easily slip into a backpack, laptop bag, or even a pocket. A bus-powered drive (drawing power from the USB port) is far more convenient than one requiring a separate AC adapter, making it truly usable on the go.
• Capacity/Performance: Capacity (e.g., 500GB, 1TB, 5TB) is the headline feature, but performance is just as critical. For an HDD, look at the rotational speed (RPM)—7200 RPM is generally faster than 5400 RPM. Pay close attention to the connection interface; USB 3.0 or higher is essential for decent transfer speeds. Be realistic about advertised speeds, as real-world performance can vary based on file sizes and your computer’s hardware.
• Materials & Durability: The enclosure protects the delicate mechanics inside. While many budget drives use plastic casings to keep costs and weight down, some offer more robust aluminium or shock-resistant rubberised shells. Consider how you’ll be using the drive; if it’s travelling with you daily, a more durable build is a wise investment.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: The best drives are “plug-and-play,” requiring no complex software installation to get started. Compatibility is also key; ensure the drive works with all your devices (PC, Mac, consoles, etc.) out of the box or with a simple reformat. For long-term care, treat it with respect—avoid dropping it, and always “safely eject” the drive before unplugging it to prevent data corruption.

Keeping these factors in mind, the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive stands out in several areas on paper. You can explore its detailed specifications and features here.

While the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive is an interesting choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, especially if you need higher speeds, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing and First Impressions: Sleek, Simple, and Deceptively Promising

The arrival of the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive was an understated affair. The packaging is minimal, containing the drive itself, a USB 3.0 to USB-C cable, and a small USB-C to USB-A adapter. Our first thought upon holding the drive was how incredibly light and slim it is. True to its “Ultra Slim” marketing, the 2.5-inch form factor makes it exceptionally portable. The casing is a matte black plastic that feels decent enough for the price point—it doesn’t scream premium, but as one user noted, it’s “not too plasticy.” It avoids feeling like a cheap toy, presenting a clean, modern aesthetic.

The most impressive part of the unboxing was the included cable. It features a clever integrated design where the USB-C head for your device can be plugged into an attached USB-A adapter, giving you universal connectivity without needing to carry a separate dongle. This is a genuinely thoughtful touch, making it immediately compatible with everything from a new MacBook Pro or iPhone 15 to an older PC or gaming console. Out of the box, the promise is one of ultimate simplicity and convenience, a device that seems ready for any task you throw at it.

A Deep Dive into the ezekers Drive’s Troubled Performance

On paper, the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive seems like a perfect budget solution. A 7200 RPM mechanical drive with modern USB-C connectivity at this price point is an attractive proposition. However, our extensive testing, corroborated by a significant volume of user feedback, revealed a product with a deeply fractured identity. It’s a device that, when it works, is perfectly adequate. But the frequency with which it fails, and the alarming reasons behind those failures, paints a cautionary tale that any potential buyer must hear.

Plug-and-Play Simplicity: A Double-Edged Sword

The core promise of this drive is simplicity. No drivers, no software, just plug it in and start transferring files. In our initial test with a Windows 11 laptop, this promise held true. The drive was immediately recognized, and we began copying a 10GB folder of documents and photos. Speeds were acceptable for a portable HDD, hovering around the 100-120 MB/s mark, which is far from the advertised “140 Megabits Per Second” (which translates to a mere 17.5 MB/s and seems to be a typo in the specs) but aligns with typical USB 3.0 HDD performance. We then connected it to a MacBook Air, and again, it worked flawlessly after a quick reformat for macOS, mirroring the positive experience of a user who found it “brilliant and works really well and fast” for storing music samples on their Mac.

However, this idyllic plug-and-play experience appears to be a coin toss. We quickly ran into the issues that plague this device’s reputation. On a second Windows 10 desktop, the drive refused to be recognized, cycling through connection sounds without ever appearing in File Explorer. We tried different ports and different computers, echoing the exact frustration of one user who stated, “I tried 3 different computers but any of them can get connected to this device.” This inconsistency is the drive’s first major red flag. For a product whose primary function is to reliably store and access data, being undetectable by multiple machines is a catastrophic failure. It transforms the promise of simplicity into a frustrating gamble, where you don’t know if the drive you receive will be a functional tool or a plastic paperweight.

Gaming on a Budget? A High-Stakes Gamble for PS4 & PS5 Users

One of the key marketing points for the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive is its compatibility with gaming consoles like the PS4 and PS5. For many gamers, an external HDD is an essential accessory, allowing them to store their library of PS4 games to free up the console’s precious internal high-speed storage. We hooked the drive up to our PS4, and initially, it seemed to follow the path of a successful user who found it “Amazing… Easy to set up! Functions amazingly.” The console detected the drive and prompted us to format it as extended storage.

This is where the second, and more common, outcome emerged. The formatting process failed repeatedly. We were met with the dreaded error message, “Cannot format this USB,” a sentiment shared by numerous frustrated console owners. On our PS5, the result was the same; the console would detect the drive but fail to format it for use, rendering it completely useless for its intended gaming purpose. Another user described a heartbreaking loop where their PS5 would attempt to repair the drive, fail at 25%, and force a complete restart of the process. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a fundamental failure to deliver on a core advertised feature. For any gamer looking at this drive as a cheap way to expand their library, the evidence strongly suggests it’s a bad bet. The internal components seem ill-equipped to handle the specific formatting and performance requirements of modern consoles, leading to widespread incompatibility and frustration.

Under the Hood: The Alarming Truth About What’s Inside

During our troubleshooting, the inconsistent performance and high failure rate led us to a deeply concerning hypothesis, one that was distressingly confirmed by other users’ findings. The quality control for the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive appears to be non-existent, and there is compelling evidence to suggest that the company may be using old, refurbished, or second-hand hard drives inside new enclosures.

One tech-savvy user reported opening their unit to find a 2017 Toshiba drive that had already logged nearly 19,000 hours of use. To put that in perspective, that’s over two full years of non-stop operation. A mechanical hard drive’s lifespan is finite, and selling a drive with that much wear-and-tear as “new” is unacceptable and explains the high rate of Dead-on-Arrival (DOA) units and early failures. Another user noted their “new” drive still contained hidden files from a previous Mac user. This isn’t a simple manufacturing defect; it’s a systematic issue that points to a questionable supply chain. It explains everything: the formatting failures on consoles, the inability to be recognized by computers, and the sudden data corruption that caused one poor user to lose a month’s worth of work. You aren’t just buying a budget hard drive; you’re buying a lottery ticket where the prize is a functional product, and the losing ticket is a used, end-of-life drive that could fail at any moment, taking your valuable data with it. This is, without a doubt, the most damning indictment of this product and makes it impossible for us to recommend. If you value your data, the potential cost of failure far outweighs the low initial price. You can see the product for yourself, but we strongly advise caution.

What Other Users Are Saying

The user feedback for the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive is starkly polarized, painting a clear picture of the product’s inconsistent nature. On one side, there’s a small but vocal group for whom the drive worked perfectly. One happy customer noted, “It really is very easy to use, it really is plug and play… quality seems ok,” highlighting the ideal, hassle-free experience. Another user successfully using it for PS4 games called it an “Amazing product.”

However, the negative feedback is overwhelming and points to the severe quality control issues we uncovered. The most alarming reviews are from users who received used hardware. One stated bluntly, “Cheap disk enclosure with used spinning disk inside. Ordered a new one, a reconditioned one arrived.” Another provided damning forensic detail: “1 of the 2 units we got contained a 2017 Toshiba drive in it that had done nearly 19000 hours of duty.” This is compounded by the sheer number of people for whom the drive simply didn’t work at all, with reports like “This product does not work… Just lots of errors,” and specific console issues like, “Bought this product to boost my ps5 storage… was unable to format successfully.” This feedback confirms our findings: purchasing this drive is a significant risk.

Competitors and Alternatives to the ezekers 500GB Drive

Given the significant risks associated with the ezekers drive, it’s crucial to consider more reliable alternatives, even if they come with slightly different price points or feature sets.

1. Maxone 320GB Portable External Hard Drive

The Maxone drive is a direct competitor in the ultra-budget space. With a slightly smaller capacity of 320GB, it targets users with more modest storage needs. It features a standard USB 3.0 interface, lacking the native USB-C port of the ezekers, but remains widely compatible. For users who simply need a cheap, portable drive for basic file backups or transfers and don’t need cutting-edge connectivity, the Maxone presents a similar value proposition. However, buyers should still be cautious in this price bracket and look at user reviews to gauge long-term reliability compared to the known issues of the ezekers model.

2. WD 5TB Elements AE Portable External Hard Drive

For users who are serious about storage, the WD 5TB Elements drive is a massive step up in both capacity and reliability. Coming from Western Digital, a highly reputable brand in the storage industry, you are paying for peace of mind. While it costs more, it offers ten times the storage capacity, making it a far better value per gigabyte. This drive is the ideal choice for someone looking to back up their entire computer, store a vast media library, or house a massive collection of games. If your data is important and your storage needs are large, skipping the budget gamble and investing in a trusted brand like WD is the wisest decision.

3. UnionSine HD2510 500GB Portable External Hard Drive

The UnionSine HD2510 is perhaps the most direct alternative to the ezekers drive. It offers the same 500GB capacity, a similar ultra-slim 2.5-inch design, and USB 3.0 connectivity, all within a comparable budget-friendly price range. It positions itself as a straightforward, no-frills storage solution. For a buyer who was initially attracted to the ezekers drive’s price and capacity but was scared off by the reliability concerns, the UnionSine model is worth investigating. It serves the same purpose and, assuming it doesn’t suffer from the same critical quality control flaws, could be the simple, effective budget drive the ezekers fails to be.

Final Verdict: An Unacceptable Risk for Your Data

While the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive presents an attractive package on the surface—a slim, portable design with modern USB-C connectivity at a rock-bottom price—we cannot recommend it under any circumstances. Our testing and the overwhelming weight of user experience reveal a product plagued by catastrophic quality control failures. The high probability of receiving a non-functional unit, or worse, a used and worn-out drive passed off as new, makes this a dangerous gamble for anyone’s data.

The promise of plug-and-play simplicity dissolves into a frustrating reality of connection errors and formatting failures, particularly for console gamers. The core function of a hard drive is to be a reliable vessel for your important files, and the ezekers drive fails this fundamental test. The small initial savings are not worth the immense risk of data loss or the headache of dealing with a defective product. We strongly advise investing a little more in a drive from a reputable manufacturer like Western Digital or Seagate, or considering a direct competitor like the UnionSine if your budget is strictly limited. Your digital life is too valuable to entrust to a product this unreliable.

If, after considering all the risks, you’ve decided the ezekers 500GB USB C Portable External Hard Drive is a gamble you’re willing to take, you can check its current price and purchase it here.