WD My Passport Ultra 6TB review: A dependable storage option for everyday use

WD My Passport Ultra 6TB

Digital data – a term that explains everything, and in 2025, almost everything is digital. Your photos, videos, documents and even basic everything are stored in digital format and to store all of them, you need tons of storage. Our smartphone backups have started getting bigger and bigger – leave data from your camera and other stuff aside for a while. And, this is where the cloud storage solution comes into the picture. But, there are two things – cloud storage is a subscription-based model, and you have to keep paying to keep your files and data, and 6TB of cloud storage is something that will put a big dent in your pocket on a monthly basis.

And, this is where the offline storage solutions come into the picture, and the 6TB My Passport Ultra comes into the picture. Priced at Rs 15,699, the hard drive offers massive storage and a USB-C interface that makes it compatible with a wide range of devices, including laptops, smartphones, tablets and more.

I have been using the WD My Passport Ultra 6TB for weeks now, and here’s what I think about it.

Design and build
If you’ve seen a WD My Passport drive before, then you are familiar with the design already. If you haven’t, then it has got the same two-tone design language, where the bottom half is ribbed and the top half is plain, not fresh, but gives a distinct look and feel to it.

Build quality is one of the subtle things that you don’t think about until you’ve used less capable drives. This one’s metal chassis gives it some heft, not heavy, but weighty enough to feel premium. It doesn’t slide easily off tables, and it doesn’t scratch just by sitting in a laptop sleeve with cables. Overall, the build quality is solid and feels like it will go a long way.

Performance and transfer speeds
I first used it to offload a 450GB backup from a video project that my laptop was choking on. The My Passport Ultra didn’t even flinch — transfer speeds hovered around the 100MB/s mark, thanks to the USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface, which is theoretically capable of up to 5Gbps, but in real-world terms, it feels snappy, not lightning. And, this is a pretty good speed for a hard drive interface.

There’s a single USB-C port, and WD includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box, which I’ve found surprisingly useful on machines that haven’t transitioned to Type-C fully.

WD My Passport Ultra 6TB

The 256-bit AES hardware encryption and password protection feel reassuring, especially when the drive is used for sensitive work files. You enable this through the included WD Discovery software, which also handles backups using Acronis True Image. I’ve used the backup feature once — a set-it-and-forget-it job — and while it’s not as intuitive as Time Machine on Mac, it gets the job done. The only minor gripe is that the software UI still feels a bit dated. While it should matter much for most people, considering it gets the job done without any issues.

What’s been genuinely useful is its power efficiency and near-silent operation. During long transfers, the drive doesn’t heat up noticeably. And it draws so little power that I’ve comfortably used it with a USB-C iPad and even a phone (with a proper OTG cable). For mobile creators, journalists, or even students who juggle large files, this opens up a lot of possibilities.

Over time, the peace of mind grows. Knowing that your work, footage, archives, or in my case, years of photos and writing, are backed up — and portable — is worth more than the specs printed on the box. The three-year limited warranty is there for assurance, but in two months of consistent usage, I haven’t needed to think about it.

Another good thing that I noticed is that I plugged it into my router to use it as a network drive. While it is not as intuitive as a NAS system, if your router is capable enough, you can use it as a native cloud storage solution as well. I tried it and it worked without any issues.

Compatibility 
Of course, if you’re using the drive with a Mac, you’ll need to install WD’s NTFS driver for read/write access. It’s a small extra step, but still more convenient than reformatting the drive outright. Or you can choose to format it to the exFAT format and use it without any issues.

Verdict
At Rs 15,699, the 6TB My Passport Ultra is for users who need more than cloud storage and want speed, portability, and privacy without relying on network access. For those handling large files, working in remote locations, or just paranoid about losing their digital life, this is the kind of drive that earns its place in your kit.