The drive is slightly smaller than previous versions of the WD Passport. The My Passport Essential variant is about the same width but slightly shorter than a Passport I previously owned. The slight reduction actually makes is a bit easier to throw in a jacket or pants pocket.

Unpacking the drive the first impression is it feels nice. The next thing you notice if you are familiar with previous versions is the lack of a rubber flap over the MicroUSB port. It looks like they did away with it when converting from USB to MicroUSB. The MicroUSB port is smaller and recessed and there is a small pinhole LED light on the front to show activity on the drive.


Inside the retail package is a cable, the drive and a quick guide. The quick install guide is pretty simple – plug in the USB cable. The drive was auto-recognized and also mounted the WB SmartWare software as an additional drive. This is the included backup and drive management software that I will discuss in just a bit.