Apacer AC730 Shock-Proof USB3.1 Portable HDD Review

We’ve oftentimes mentioned in our reviews of ruggedized hard-drives how they can withstand shocks, bumps and drops but last year at COMPUTEX we saw what I jokingly called the first anti-tank portable hard drive. Today we have exactly that product with its latest spec revision, specifically the Apacer AC730 portable USB3.1 HDD capable of withstanding up 1500kg. Yup, over 1.6 tons of pressure resistance. Add to that a level dust and splash resistance and you got one of the physically strongest hard drives on the planet. Read on to find out more about the Apacer AC730!

Features

• Mil-Spec for Superb Data Protection
• All-Purpose, IP68 rated
• Large Memory Capacity with SuperSpeed Processing Available in 1TB and 2TB
• Pressure Resistance up to 1500KG
• Core -to-Case Suspension Structure for Better Protection
• MIL-STD-810G 516.6 Drop Test Compliance
• IP68 Rated Waterproof & Dustproof
• Transmission at SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1

Closer Look

For something so tough and rugged, the Apacer AC730 is curiously packaged in a brightly-colored packaged similar to the mainstream packaging of Apacer’s products. We have no problem with such a design choice but if you’re aiming for people that might need this, this doesn’t really scream endurance and any of those things.

Inside the package we have a simple bundle of the AC730 HDD itself, the USB cable and a guide.

The main bulk (and I put emphasis on bulk) of the bundle is the hard drive itself. Weighing in at 420g, the Apacer AC730 has significant weight for a portable HDD. In a market where compact is preferred, the Apacer AC730 tries to go in-between durability and portability with its design.

The body is predominantly sealed to meet IP68 standard and access to the USB port is via a flip-out rubber cover. The flap is connected via a rubber stub and while it gives off a delicate feeling compared to the rest of the build, its quite firm and keeps the tab in place.

Torture Test Video

No words, just pain. A simple drop test from our desk just isn’t enough so we dropped it continuously. After that we tried connecting it to our system and it still works so to put it to the ultimate test, we literally hammered the Apacer AC730 while it was connected to our system.

User Experience & Conclusion

For daily use, there’s not a lot of people that would really need the Apacer AC730 portable HDD. Its armored body is simply too much for daily use and its hard case is more danger when dropped to the surface its landing on than the drive itself given its extremely hard nature. Unless that surface is molten lava. Kidding aside, this is one of the strongest and most resilient drives physically that we’ve seen in years. 

We’ll talk more about its merits after we discuss the performance of the drive itself first after all, what’s the point of being a state-of-the-art drive if you can’t do the most basic purpose of its existence and that’s to transfer data. We test the AC730’s potential transfer speeds with both ATTO and Crystal DiskMark. ATTO’s shows us a good picture of the maximum potential performance of this drive, showcasing a peak 121MB/s on both read and write performance. Crystal DiskMark reinforces this and also shows us the small file performance of this drive which is as expected from a mechanical drive. The big letdown here is the drive isn’t that powerful to really saturate the USB3.1 bandwidth. The upside, it’s still as fast as most desktop drives on average. This puts the Apacer AC730 portable HDD on par with most top-tier portable hard drives in terms of overall transfer speed performance.

While it may not be clear in the packaging of the Apacer AC730, anyone who is exactly the target of this drive will know  the exact function of this drive and that is to survive extremes: whether it is extreme environments, terrains and/or weather, the Apacer AC730 is built to survive. A perfect companion for researchers, scientists, field operators and professionals who have to work at the harshest possible environments in the globe and need to store sizable amounts of data and need that data protected as much as possible. There is simply nothing like the Apacer AC730 in the consumer space out right now. 

Apacer backs the AC730 with a 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Silver Award!