Portable SSDs have been an ideal data storage solution for some time and are available not only at different capacity points but also at the speed at which data moves between the drive and the computer to which it is connected. The most common connector for external storage is still USB 3.1 which will transfer data at just over 500 MB / s, but it seems that USB 3.2 Gen 2 is moving to this space at twice the transfer rate faster at 1 GB / s. For those media professionals, we also have the latest USB 3.2 2 × 2, which doubles things up with a 2 GB / s data transfer, and then Thunderbolt 3/4 which makes things a little less of 3 GB / s.
Very important to understand is that the drive only offers the ability to move data at these speeds, the system, of course, must be compatible with the chosen interface to match the speed. A perfect example of this is the Samsung Portable SS7 T7 Shield we are reviewing today, fully capable of moving data up to 1 GB / s to our latest ASRock Z690 12th Gen test bench or any of our many Thunderbolt 3 ultrabooks in the hand. It is important to note, however, that a Tblt 3/4 compatible system or laptop will only move a non-Thunderbolt USB 3.2 portable SSD up to 1 GB / s, not the maximum 2 GB / s describe with USB 3.2 2. × 2 portable SSDs. The USB 3.2 2 × 2 interface must be combined with a system with this USB 3.2 2 × 2 interface to achieve a data transfer rate of more than 1 GB / s.
The Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield is available in one and two terabyte capacities and is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 device capable of moving data at 10 Gbps or 1000 MB / s. It comes in three colors (black, blue and brown) and the contents of the package include the same T7, a USB cable type C to type C (1 GB / s), a USB cable type C to type A (500 MB / s), and a very detailed installation guide.
The T7 shield is constructed of an aluminum housing sealed with a permanently fixed silicone rubber housing that helps with shock and weather resistance. This portable SSD has an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance and is resistant to drops of up to 3 m. The Type C port can be found on one side of the drive with a small LED next to it that illuminates when there is SSD activity.
The performance of the SSD is shown at 1050 MB / s read and 1000 MB / s write with dimensions of 3.5 x 2.3 x 0.05 inches and a weight of 3.47 oz. Considering the software, the SSD itself contains Samsung’s Portable SSD 1.0 security software that works with the 256-bit AES hardware encryption of the SSDs and provides complete data security in just a few steps.
Equally valuable, but not included in the T7 Shield, is the Samsung Magician software that can be downloaded and is used to provide a large number of maintenance and performance features.
The Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield is compatible with Windows, Mac and Android, comes with a 3-year warranty and can be found on Amazon at a reduced price of $ 134 (1 TB) and $ 230 (2 TB).
Let’s turn the page and take a look at the performance …