It's an exciting time for storage technology. Not only are portable SSDs getting smaller, but they're also getting slightly cheaper as well. There will come a time where having an SSD for storage is the norm, but a full transition to SSDs is, of course, a difficult feat. Thankfully, products such as Samsung's new Portable SSD T5 make the shift easier.
Samsung Portable SSD T5
The new Portable SSD T5 has speeds of up to 540 MBps and includes a USB-C to USB-C cable. Samsung also threw in a USB-C to USB-A cable for those who want backward compatibility. That's the kind of speed paralleling Samsung's SATA SSDs, so expect snappy performance when reading or writing files. Samsung says its Portable SSD T5 writes and reads up to 4.9 faster than typical HDDs, so transferring 4K videos, will be much quicker.
It's also nice that the enclosure looks premium, with a "metal minimalism" design approach, as Samsung puts it. The rounded unibody form factor, which the company says fits in the palm of your hand perfectly, comes in two colors: "alluring blue" and "deep black." The blue one offers either 250 or 500 GB of storage, while the black one offers 1 or 2 TB.
It's The Size Of A Business Card
Oh, and have we mentioned it's the size of a business card? Since SSDs don't require physical disks for storing data, companies have leeway to make them smaller and more compact. That seems to have been Samsung's decision, and the result is stunning. Look at this photo to get an idea of how small the Portable SSD T5 is:
It's also pretty sturdy. Samsung says it can handle accidental drops of up to 2 meters. Software-wise, the SSD offers optional password protection with AES 256-bit hardware encryption. It comes with three years of warranty service too.
The Portable SSD T5 is compatible with numerous devices, including smartphones and tablets. It will work with some Galaxy-branded phones and tablets and also across several devices from ZTE, Sony, Vivo, LG, Lenovo, Huawei, and more. As for PCs, the SSD works on devices running Windows 7 or higher and macOS 10.9 or higher.
Samsung Portable SSD T5 Pricing
The 250 GB model starts at $129.99, and as with any SSDs, the price climbs higher as the storage capacity goes up. Expect to pay $799.99 if you're getting the 2 TB variant.
Expect SSD prices, in general, to come down as more people transition to it, the same thing that's happening to 4K TVs — they used to cost a fortune, but now you can probably get one within your budget.
Thoughts on the Portable SSD T5? Sound off in the comments section below!
