A Closer Look

Interestingly enough, ADATA only covers the top with a protective plastic sheet, while the underside is left without such dust guard. That means that the front will be cleaner than the underside when taken out of the package as you will see in the next two images below.


Taking a first look at the device, which is supposed to be shock proof and water resistant, I would say that the shape and cover of the drive should be able to deliver on both promises. In the rear a few stubs of the plastic frame help to hold the rubber cover in place. Dust tends to build up quite quickly and is easily visible on the black version of the SH14. This should not be as apparent on the red variant.


The side with the connector is left bare, but a little flap of the rubber cover lies on the USB 3.0 plug. This has to be lifted before connecting a cable to it. Overall such a setup cannot be considered water resistant, as even the slightest bit of moisture within the connector could short things inside the enclosure.


You may remove the entire rubber shielding with a firm tug on the plastic body. ADATA has taken steps to seal the bulk of the inner casing by installing a rubber ring in between the top and bottom parts of of this shell. This should actually help against water splashes for example. As you can see in the image to the left, the area of the USB 3.0 plug is just a simple square hole. This is the weak spot of the entire device against water and other liquids.


A small blue LED lights up when connecting the drive to a host system. This LED is actually quite hard to see, but should do the job if you want to check if there is data being transferred to or from it at the moment.