While you can buy specific external SSDs, I find it better and more convenient to use internal SSDs. They’re cheap, lightweight, and durable. And all you need is an SSD (my current favorite is the 1TB Samsung 870 EVO SSD) and a SATA to USB-C adapter. I’ve been testing a number of SATA to USB-C adapters, and I’ve settled on the UGREEN SATA to USB-C adapter cable for 2.5-inch SSD and HDD drives. I like this adapter for a number of reasons. It’s small and lightweight, fast, comes with a cable attached, and it’s very reasonably priced at $12.99. In terms of speed, the UGREEN adapter features USB C 3.1 Gen 1 data transfer speed of 5Gbps, so it’s a no-compromise way of attaching external storage. Also: The best Macs: Is the Mac Studio or MacBook Pro right for you?

SmallLightweightCheapBuilt-in cable

Cons:

If the built-in cable gets damaged, the whole adapter is junk

For a professional photographer or videographer, being able to use cheap internal SSDs is a great way to have an abundance of storage on the cheap.