Adata Urban Tapsafe review: clever NFC access, but not encryption

The Adata Urban Tapsafe review comes down to one important distinction: NFC unlocking is access control, not encryption. The drive can be fast and unusually convenient for sharing files with other people, but Tom's Hardware found that it does not encrypt stored files with hardware encryption. Its advertised speed is also a short-burst story, not a promise of sustained 1,900 MB/s writing. That makes the Urban Tapsafe a specialized buy rather than an obvious upgrade for everyone.

ADATA rates the portable SSD for sequential read and write speeds of up to 1,900 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen2x2, a 20 Gbps USB-C interface. Tom's Hardware's independent testing showed that the peak figure is credible in short sequential workloads, while the drive's longer writing performance drops dramatically after its cache fills.

The security feature is not encryption

No: NFC unlocking is not the same as encrypting the files on the SSD. The Urban Tapsafe app authenticates the user and controls whether the drive becomes visible to the operating system over USB. When the drive is locked, the computer does not recognize it until the app unlocks it.

That is useful against casual access. It is not the same protection as AES-based hardware encryption, where the data itself is cryptographically protected. Tom's Hardware reports that the Urban Tapsafe does not encrypt or decrypt stored files during the unlock process and does not provide hardware encryption. Its security conclusion therefore applies to the reviewed configuration and available documentation: convenient access control, but not high-assurance file protection.

“Its tap-to-unlock, NFC-based access might not be technically as secure as more traditional AES-based encryption, but it worked well during our testing.” — Matt Safford, Managing Editor, Tom's Hardware

There is another practical boundary. Tom's Hardware's security discussion notes that someone able to disassemble the drive might potentially bypass the app and password. The supplied evidence does not include an independent teardown showing how practical that would be, so this should be treated as a limitation to consider, not as a demonstrated attack.

The useful mental model is simple: the Urban Tapsafe hides the drive until you authenticate. It does not turn the contents into unreadable ciphertext. If you need hardware encryption or strong protection for sensitive files, this is the wrong product category for that requirement.

Design and daily handling

The Urban Tapsafe is compact, but it is chunkier than the thinnest portable SSDs. Tom's Hardware lists dimensions of 68.68 × 36.18 × 19.18 mm and a weight of 72.61 g. The reviewed unit has a silver metal chassis, while ADATA also describes 50% post-consumer recycled plastic in the chassis cover.

The integrated clip is the design's most practical flourish. It can attach to a pocket, bag, camera rig, or smartphone cage, which gives creators a neat way to keep a drive close to the device they are using. The catch is physical: the clip opens only about half an inch. That is fine for a thin strap or fabric edge, but less useful on bulky mounting surfaces.

Magnetic faceplates add a little customization. Review sources describe black and color-shifting or gradient covers, and the package includes an additional magnetic decorative cover alongside the USB-C cable and clip attachment. The result is more distinctive than a featureless slab, though the extra hardware does not improve storage performance.

Urban Tapsafe specifications

Peak performance also depends on the host. To approach the advertised rate, you need a compatible 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port. A USB-C connector by itself does not guarantee that bandwidth; the port, cable, and host system all matter.

NFC setup and multi-user sharing

The Urban Tapsafe app turns the phone into the drive's key. The basic setup described by Tom's Hardware is:

1. Install the Urban Tapsafe app and configure the drive.
2. Create the drive name and password in the app.
3. Open the app and choose Unlock.
4. Tap the phone against the NFC-marked area on the SSD.
5. After authentication, connect or use the drive so the operating system can see it.

Sharing is the feature that makes this more than a novelty. The owner can invite up to nine additional users using a QR code generated by the app. Each person can receive read-only or read/write permission. Invitees need the app, the QR code, and physical access to the drive.

That setup could make sense for a small production team, a photographer handing off files, or a household sharing one portable drive without giving everyone identical permissions. But “safe” needs an asterisk: the permissions manage access to the drive, while the files remain unencrypted according to Tom's Hardware. The app is not a substitute for cryptographic protection.

Tom's Hardware generally found the app and NFC unlocking worked as expected, although first-attempt failures occurred. The review also recorded an initial power-related failure when configuring the drive with a Samsung S25 Ultra before setup succeeded through a PC. ADATA lists Android and iOS compatibility, but a phone still needs to support external SSDs and supply enough power.

Benchmark performance: fast bursts, steep sustained-write drop

ADATA's maximum sequential rating is up to 1,900 MB/s for both reading and writing. In Tom's Hardware's CrystalDiskMark results for the 2 TB unit, the drive reached 1,985.39 MB/s sequential read and 1,904.2 MB/s sequential write. Those are short sequential results, not a guarantee for every workload.

The broader picture is less flattering. Tom's Hardware measured 897 MB/s read performance in DiskBench and recorded a PCMark 10 data-drive score of 936 points for the Urban Tapsafe 2 TB. In that supplied PCMark chart, the drive sits at the bottom of the compared results.

The decisive limitation appeared in the 15-minute sustained sequential-write test. Tom's Hardware found that performance stayed around 1,800–1,900 MB/s for roughly five minutes, then dropped to about 250 MB/s after the cache filled, and later fell below 70 MB/s near the end.

That behavior is common in the broad sense of flash storage using a faster write cache, but the size of the drop matters. Short file copies, game transfers, and ordinary media work should benefit from the fast initial phase. A workload that continuously writes very large amounts of data—such as a long capture session or repeated full-drive ingest—will eventually encounter the much slower post-cache behavior.

Tom's Hardware also initially saw inconsistent read results, often below 1,000 MB/s, on the review unit. A secure erase through DiskPart followed by reformatting made the results consistent and brought sequential performance in line with ADATA's rating. The review did not establish a firmware cause, so this remains a reported observation from one unit rather than a confirmed product-wide fault.

The Urban Tapsafe's speed drops after the cache fills

Takeaway: the peak speed is real for short bursts, not a sustained-write guarantee.

Price versus alternatives

The feature premium is significant in the cited US comparison. Tom's Hardware listed a reference price of $391 for the 2 TB Urban Tapsafe and reported $411 at Amazon at the time of its review. Those are time-sensitive US figures, not permanent MSRP values. Separately, the supplied ADATA US store evidence dated September 3, 2026 listed the 1 TB model at $219.99.

The comparison is not simply “which SSD is fastest?” The Crucial X10 and Team Group PD20 do not provide the Urban Tapsafe's NFC access system and integrated clip, based on the cited review comparison. If those features solve a real workflow problem, the premium has a reason. If you only want the most storage or the best value per dollar, the figures point elsewhere.

Who should buy the Urban Tapsafe?

Buy it if you need:

• A portable SSD that can be hidden from the operating system until you unlock it with a phone.
• A simple way to share one drive with several people using read-only or read/write permissions.
• A clip for a pocket, bag, camera rig, or smartphone cage.
• Fast short-burst transfers and you understand the difference between peak and sustained performance.

Look elsewhere if you need:

• Hardware encryption or strong cryptographic protection for stored files.
• Consistently high write speeds across very large, continuous transfers.
• The lowest-cost 2 TB portable SSD.
• A very thin drive or a clip that can open around thick mounting surfaces.

Verdict

The Adata Urban Tapsafe is clever because it solves a specific problem elegantly: controlling who can access a portable SSD without opening a laptop and typing a password every time. NFC tapping, QR-based invitations, permission levels, the clip, and magnetic covers give it a distinctive personality—and a genuine use case for collaborative mobile storage.

But its security ceiling is clear. The drive controls visibility; it does not encrypt the files. Its performance is also front-loaded: excellent in short sequential bursts, then sharply slower once the cache is exhausted. Add the cited premium over the Crucial X10 and Team Group PD20, and the buying decision becomes straightforward.

Choose the Urban Tapsafe if NFC sharing and physical mounting are worth paying for. Choose another external SSD if encryption, long sustained writes, or value matter more. That is the whole story—convenient, distinctive, and useful, but not a security drive in the cryptographic sense.

Sources

• ADATA Urban Tapsafe official product page
• Tom's Hardware: Adata Urban Tapsafe 2TB review
• ADATA US store listing
• TechPowerUp: ADATA launches Urban Tapsafe