The Adata Urban Tapsafe is a compact external SSD that you unlock by tapping your phone, joining a wave of portable drives that emphasize unique features over raw speed. As AI hyperscaler demand absorbs much of the cutting-edge flash, storage makers have leaned into extras, and Adata’s latest drive fits that trend with a built-in clip, swappable magnetic front plates, and NFC-based security.
Compact design with a clip and swappable plates
Measuring roughly 2.70 x 1.42 x 0.76 inches, the Urban Tapsafe is about the size of a lighter. Its silver metal chassis feels solid and includes a clip with a strong grip, reinforced by ridged silicone pads on both sides of the opening. That makes it easy to attach to a pocket, a bag, or video rigs. The clip opens about half an inch, so it won’t fasten onto bulky items.
Design is a clear selling point. The drive ships with two magnetic face plates that snap onto the frame: a black plate and a color-shifting option that appears silver, gray, or light metallic purple depending on lighting and viewing angle. Despite the extra features, the drive stays small at about 2.3 inches long and 0.72 inches thick, weighing 2.56 ounces (72.61 grams).
NFC unlocking through the Urban Tapsafe app
The headline feature is NFC unlocking, handled through the Urban Tapsafe app, which Adata offers for both Android and iOS. Beyond simple unlock capability, the app lets you grant access to multiple users and set each to read-only or read-and-write access. After installing and launching the app, you authenticate with your phone’s fingerprint or preferred method, then tap Add Drive to name the drive and complete setup. In testing, the app performed largely as expected.
Performance, pricing, and warranty
Under the hood, the Urban Tapsafe is a fairly standard 20 Gbps drive using the USB 3.2 Gen2 2×2 interface, with sequential read and write speeds rated up to 1,900 MB/s. Performance is generally fine rather than class-leading, so the appeal centers on size and the clip-based mounting for users who prefer a clip to a magnet.
The drive comes in two capacities. The 1TB model is priced at EUR 188, while the 2TB model is priced at EUR 336. Both share identical dimensions, weight, and speed ratings. Adata backs the Urban Tapsafe with a five-year warranty, longer than the two to three years many competing drives in this class offer.
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Image: tomshardware.com
