Although online video and streaming are more and more popular, some people still choose a USB external CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive for their laptops because of certain needs, such as watching movies, installing systems/ software/ games, burning, or ripping discs. If you need to play Blu-ray discs in the future, it is best to choose an external Blu-ray drive for your Windows 10 or Mac laptop, which can be backward compatible with CDs and DVDs.
We spent about 2 weeks comprehensively analyzing all external Blu-ray drives on sale in the market from product features, customer rating, prices, after-sales services, etc., and listed some external optical drives for your laptop with the best overall performance below.
Read More: Maybe you prefer to install an internal Blu-ray drive for your desktop computer
If the product we recommend does not meet your requirements, you can also consider the following points to find one.
- Read and write function – You may only want to buy an external Blu-ray drive to watch Blu-ray movies, so a read-only device can save some money, but currently, most people will choose an external optical drive that can read and write Blu-ray discs, because they may need burning and ripping functions.
- Read and write speed – Drives with a read speed of less than 4x have to spin the disc, which will cause a lot of noise and vibration. Fortunately, most Blu-ray drives on the market have a read speed of at least 6x, so you don’t have to worry about this. But we shouldn’t blindly believe in the fastest speed of manufacturing labels, because those may only be the maximum read and write speeds of single-layer discs, with the increase in layers and capacity, the read and write speeds become lower, so it’s better to check the speed achieved on high-capacity optical discs.
- M -Disc – M-Disc is a kind of disc that can store data for a longer time with a thick protective layer on the disc, which is more durable than ordinary Blu-ray discs. If you plan to back up some data for a long time, an optical drive that supports M-Disc is necessary.
- Prepare a program in advance – Getting a high-quality Blu-ray drive does not mean that you can play Blu-ray movies right away. You also need a program that can play Blu-ray movies.
- Try to choose a reliable brand if you buy online – I once bought an external Blu-ray drive from a new Chinese seller at a lower price, but unfortunately, it went on strike after only 2 months. I took apart the drive and found that they actually used a second-hand optical drive in 2010. I tried to contact the seller but found that the seller has disappeared.
- Compatible computer systems – Although most external optical drives are compatible with Windows and Mac, we’d better pay attention to the system versions they are compatible with
1. ASUS Powerful External Blu-ray DVD Drive – BW-16D1X-U
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac os x 10. 6 or higher
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- 16X Blu-ray fast writing speed
- Cyber Link Power2Go 8 disc-burning process with optional encryption functionality for extra private files protection
- Comes with an online backup solution for Android smartphones and tablets
- Come with a power adapter and power cord
Compare with other external Blu-ray drives, this BW-16D1X-U dimension is a bit larger, but it is the most powerful device to read or write your Blu-ray/DVD/CD discs. If you don’t need to consider its portability, you can consider this product.
2. Pioneer BDR-XD07B Portable Burner & DVD Player w/Carry Case (Black)
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.11, macOS Sierra 10.12, macOS High Sierra 10.13, macOS Mojave 10.14
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- Up to 16 writing on BD-R single-layer discs, 14x on BD-R DL discs, and 8x writing on BD-R triple-layer discs.
- PowerRead can provide smoother movie playback when a disc has fingerprints or minor surface scratches.
- Auto Quiet mode intelligently adjusts the disc rotation speed to reduce noise.
- PureRead3+ automatically adjusts the drive parameters to minimize speakers’ sound glitches during music playback.
- Cyberlink Software Included for Windows
- Super Lightweight (230g) and Portable
If you think ASUS (BW-16D1X-U) is too big, you can consider this compact & lightweight but equally powerful external Blu-ray drive. With it, you can read and write to all BDXL discs (including BD-R triple-layer 100GB media, BD-R quad-layer 128GB media, and BD-RE triple-layer 100GB media) as well as M-disc, CD/DVD/Blu-ray discs. Come with a key for CyberLink Media Suite 10, which allows you to read and write your media more conveniently. Unfortunately, this software is only for Windows users, and Mac computers need to purchase it separately. This device also comes with a premium protective carry case to ensure that your new external drive stays in great condition and portable.
3. Pioneer BDR-XD07UHD Portable 6X Ultra HD External 4K Blu-ray Drive Burner
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0 + USB-A to USB-C cable
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.11, macOS Sierra 10.12, macOS High Sierra 10.13, macOS Mojave 10.14
- 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- Up to 16 writing on BD-R single-layer discs, 14x on BD-R DL discs, and 8x writing on BD-R triple-layer discs.
- PowerRead can provide smoother movie playback when a disc has fingerprints or minor surface scratches.
- Auto Quiet mode intelligently adjusts the disc rotation speed to reduce noise.
- PureRead3+ automatically adjusts the drive parameters to minimize speakers’ sound glitches during music playback.
- Cyberlink Software Included for Windows
- Super Lightweight (230g) and Portable
The main difference between this product and (Pioneer BDR-XD07B) is the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback. If you need to play 4K Blu-ray discs and require portable and lightweight, this is the best choice at present. In addition, this device comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable for computers with USB-C ports.
4. Verbatim External Slimline Blu-Ray DVD CD Writer
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0 + USB-A to USB-C cable
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
- 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- 6X Blu-ray Write Speed, 8X DVD Write Speed, 24X CD Write Speed
- Comes with Nero Burn and Archive software (For Windows Only)
- An AC adapter is included in case your laptop can’t deliver the necessary power
- Slim design based on aluminum enclosure
This is an ultra-thin optical drive with a metal shell, also supports M-Disc, BDXL, DVD, and CD media, you can use it to finish common movie playback, burning, ripping, and backup tasks. This optical drive is also equipped with additional power to prevent some USB ports from not being able to provide enough power to the device. This device also comes with Nero Burn and Archive software, but it’s also for Windows only.
Conclusion
These 4 devices are currently the best portable Blu-ray drives on the market with the capacity of M-Disc, BDXL, reading, burning, ripping, backup features. Unless you need to play 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback (You need Pioneer BDR-XD07UHD), any one of these portable blu ray players can help you achieve all the functions of the Blu-ray drive. We will regularly pay attention to new products, recommend better options, and update them here.
