by 3 reviews.
UnionSine Desktop External Hard Drive 16TB Review: A Storage Beast with a Few Caveats
If you’re in the market for a high-capacity external hard drive that can handle everything from 4K videos to massive game libraries, the UnionSine Desktop External Hard Drive 16TB might be on your radar. With its USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C interface, anti-vibration design, and universal compatibility, this drive promises to be a reliable storage solution for professionals, gamers, and tech enthusiasts alike. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into the details based on real customer experiences.
Pros and Cons: What Customers Are Saying
1. Storage Capacity and Performance
The 16TB capacity is undoubtedly the star of the show. Customers rave about the sheer amount of space this drive offers, making it perfect for backing up large files, 4K videos, and even entire game libraries. One user mentioned, “I ended up backing up photos and videos from all my old cameras, phones, laptops, and desktops too. And there’s still a lot of free space left!”
When it comes to performance, the drive delivers blazing-fast transfer speeds—up to 250 MB/s read and write speeds, as reported by a Mac user who tested it with Black Magic Disk Speed Test. However, speed can vary depending on the USB port. One customer noted, “When I plugged it into a USB 3 port, I got around 30 MB/s, but switching to a USB-C port boosted it to 200 MB/s.”
2. Build Quality and Design
The anti-vibration silicone and thick copper core cable are standout features that contribute to the drive’s durability and stability. Many users appreciate the sleek, compact design that fits seamlessly into their workspace.
However, some customers have raised concerns about the included USB cable. One reviewer described it as “flimsy, especially the Micro B end that plugs into the drive.” While this doesn’t affect performance, it’s something to keep in mind if you’re planning to move the drive frequently.
3. Noise and Vibration
This is where opinions diverge. Some users praise the drive for being quiet and unobtrusive, with one stating, “No write noises, no clicking, clacking, vibrating, or humming—just the whisper of its fan!”
On the flip side, others have reported excessive noise and vibrations. One unhappy customer shared, “The loud noises upon first running the drive were shocking and annoying. It felt like 5 phones were receiving constant text messages on my desk.” In some cases, these issues escalated to complete drive failure within days.
4. Compatibility and Ease of Use
The plug-and-play functionality is a major plus. Customers love how easy it is to set up and use across multiple devices, including PCs, Macs, and 4K TVs. One user said, “Every device I plugged it into recognized it instantly and was good to go.”
However, some Mac users have noted that the drive freezes their computer for a few seconds when waking up, which can be annoying if you’re using it as a backup drive.
5. Reliability and Warranty Concerns
While many users have had positive experiences, there are reports of drive failures and data corruption. One reviewer shared, “The drive completely failed after 3 days, losing my data and becoming undetectable on a PC.”
Another concern is the warranty. The drive reportedly uses a refurbished Toshiba enterprise hard drive, which some customers feel was not adequately disclosed. One user discovered that the Toshiba warranty had already expired, leaving them reliant on UnionSine’s 2-year warranty, which requires contacting the seller directly.
Final Verdict: Is the UnionSine Desktop External Hard Drive 16TB Worth It?
The UnionSine Desktop External Hard Drive 16TB is a mixed bag. On one hand, it offers massive storage capacity, fast transfer speeds, and universal compatibility, making it a great choice for those who need a reliable external drive for backups, media storage, or gaming.
On the other hand, the noise and vibration issues, flimsy USB cable, and reliability concerns are significant drawbacks. The use of a refurbished hard drive without clear disclosure is also a red flag for some buyers.
Who Should Buy It?
- Professionals and Creatives: If you need a high-capacity drive for storing large files like 4K videos and high-resolution images, this drive is a solid option.
- Gamers: While it’s not ideal for running modern games directly, it’s perfect for expanding your game library storage.
- Tech Enthusiasts: If you’re comfortable with the potential risks and want a budget-friendly external drive, this could be worth a try.
Who Should Avoid It?
- Those Seeking Silent Operation: If noise is a dealbreaker, you might want to look elsewhere.
- Users Needing Long-Term Reliability: The reports of drive failures and warranty concerns make this a risky choice for critical data storage.
Conclusion
The UnionSine Desktop External Hard Drive 16TB is a powerful storage solution with impressive capacity and speed, but it’s not without its flaws. While many users have had positive experiences, the noise, vibration, and reliability issues are significant concerns. If you’re willing to take a chance and prioritize storage space over absolute reliability, this drive could be a great fit. However, if you need a more dependable option, you might want to consider established brands like Seagate or Western Digital.
Ultimately, the UnionSine drive is a good value for the price, but it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons before making your decision.
Specification UnionSine Desktop External Hard Drive 16TB USB3.2Gen2 Type-C 3.5" HDD Storage Compatible for PC, Mac, TV, Desktop, Laptop(Black) HD3510:
Comments from Amazon:
It's important to note that this is not a solid state drive, but instead a SATA hard drive inside an enclosure. It will still give great speeds for data transfer and storage, but probably not for playing a modern game off of. I bought this with the intention of using it for files in my home workshop with my 3D printer. When I first plugged it into a mini PC's USB 3 port, I tested the hard drive's speed by copying over a big folder with some game files. It ran consistently around 30 MB/s, so decent, but not as fast as I expected. However, when I plugged the hard drive into a different computer's USB C port, I got a much better result. It was consistently around 200 MB/s, while slowing down when moving a bunch of smaller files. I think this hard drive's speed is really dependent on a fast USB port, but otherwise, the hard drive has been stable and worked well.
This hard drive has many issues, but to get right to it: the drive completely failed after 3 days, losing my data and is no longer detectable on a PC or able to be formatted. The loud noises upon first running the drive was also very shocking and annoying, along with the drive sending out vibrations as if 5 phones were receiving constant text messages on my desk. It kept up the noise and vibrations until it died, and the sudden silence was the first sign I had that something was wrong. After seeing other reviews explaining the difficulty of dealing with their customer service, and finding a reddit article explaining some of the problems of the UnionSine and how it is very susceptible to corrupting data based on how it saves data, I decided to go for a refund instead of trying to recover the data or fix the drive. I would stay well away from this product and stick with something more reliable like a Seagate or Western Digital brand device.
Great storage and it does the Job well. The one thing that annoys me and one of the reasons I stopped using it as computer backup drive (This is better for PS5) is because when the drive wakes up, it freezes the computer for a few seconds. It became very annoying. So I got an ssd drive instead.
As a brand I am completely unfamiliar with UnionSine or their products. I had no prior bias or research to lead me to them, only a need for reliable external storage at whatever passes for a "reasonable" price currently. I purchased their 12 TB external hard drive after only ever using Seagate hard drives. I was bothered by how loud some of those Seagate drives have been, especially while writing data. I have never had a Seagate fail me but they are noisy. I was interested in something with larger storage capacity, a smaller physical profile and something more unobtrusive in general while running. I ordered the UnionSine and received the drive in 2 days. Simple, standard USB-C plug and play and an AC brick configured to fit easily on your power strip. The drive was ready to go out of the box with no additional configuration and averaged consistent transfer speeds of 4 minutes for 35 GB silently as could be; no write noises, no clicking, clacking, vibrating or humming just the whisper of its fan! The casing isn't as large as some Seagate drives, but not as slim as others. Vertical orientation makes for easy desktop/ tabletop/ shelf placement. This is a new purchase and I had no problems whatsoever so no opportunity to evaluate their tech support. Time will tell on the storage reliability but up front out of the box this drive met all my requirements, has performed as desired thus far at 5 TB used and seems like a great external storage solution. I am using it with a Microsoft Surface Pro.
Works well awesome to set up
Purchased the 16TB version of this drive unit which I received the next day. The drive was connected to one of the USB-3 ports ,(10/Gb/s) on the front of a M4 Mac mini. As it is going to be used on a Mac it was reformatted to APFS from the exFAT as shipped. Ran the Black Magic Disk Speed Test on it resulting in a read speed of 250 MB/s, and a write speed of 250 MB/s which is not bad for an external mechanical hard drive on a USB connection. I then ran DriveDX to looks at the specifications on the drive in the unit. The App reports the drive to have no issues and is reported as a Toshiba Model #: MD08ACA16TR (Firmware version:0602) 16.0 TB SATA 3.3 6.0 GB/s 7.2K RPM The issue I Have is after looking up the Toshiba drive Model #: MD08ACA16TR it appears to be a Toshiba MD08 MD08ACA16TR 16TB enterprise 7.2K RPM SATA 6Gb/s 512e Desktop 3.5in manufacture Recertified Hard Drive Inputing the drive serial number @ the Toshiba web page reports that their warranty expired on 12/9/2024. Other drives listed indicated that they have been refurbished in the listing description. Not the case with this UnionSine drive I purchased, Not advertising that it is a Refurbished hard drive The warranty card in the box states that there is a 2 year warranty and to contact thru Store customer service ( Could not find a customer service link on the Amazon UnionSine Store ) or contact customer service from where you purchased it (Amazon will accept a return for 30 days on this product not a year later if it dies) So I have 30 days to decide if its going back
Definitely worth the buy. It’s a great product for a good price. It’s small, compact, and super easy to use with plenty of space for all your PC stuff. The delivery was faster than I thought, and it works perfectly for what I need. I’d definitely recommend it. It worked so well, I ended up backing up photos and videos from all my old cameras, phones, laptops, and desktops too. And there’s still a lot of free space on the Seagate. Every device I plugged it into recognized it instantly and was good to go. The transfer speed is awesome. I’m really impressed. The only downside is the included USB cable feels a bit flimsy, especially the Micro B end that plugs into the drive. But overall, the speed is great, it wasn’t too expensive, and it’s good quality with a nice compact design. I’d recommend it if you need a portable drive with a lot of storage.