It’s time to take a hands-on look at Samsung’s brand new portable SSD. Unveiled to the world for the first time today, Samsung is refreshing its T7 portable solid-state drive lineup with the new Shield model. Wrapped in a ridged rubberized exterior for protection from the elements as well as accidental bumps and drops, Samsung is looking to take on the likes of SanDisk and others in the portable SSD space with its latest offering. The new USB-C drive rivals most already-available consumer-grade solutions in terms of transfer speeds and connectivity with a unique look and colorway options you don’t typically see from the competition. We have had a chance to go hands-on with the Samsung T7 Shield for a few weeks ahead of its official unveil today, and we are ready to dish out details on the user experience in the latest Tested with 9to5Toys.
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T7 Shield review – Samsung’s new portable SSD
Samsung’s new portable SSD delivers a unique wavy form-factor with a sort of ridged housing covered in a “low heat conductive” rubber material. The IP65-rated portable storage solution is resistant to water and dust with crush and drop protection up to 9.8 feet. According to Samsung, it can handle extreme temperature scenarios from “-40°C to 85°C.”
The T7 Shield is Samsung’s most durable PSSD to date and comes with enhanced durability for outdoor and indoor use compared to previous Samsung PSSDs, making it ideal for outdoor content creators or travelers who demand a data-rich experience on-the-go without worrying about data loss from exposure to the elements or life’s mishaps.
Compatible with Mac and Windows out of the box (this Mac-only user has not tested it specifically with a Windows machine), it is also compatible with Android devices, gaming console setups, and broadcast camera rigs, much like other USB-C portable SSDs. It also sports a compact overall size, measuring 88.15mm long by 59mm wide and about 13mm high.
The new portable SSD clocks in at up to 1,050MB/s with support for USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10GB/s) alongside its PCIe NVMe interface in 1TB and 2TB capacities for each of the three colorways. Alongside the optional password protection it also ships with the same AES 256-bit hardware encryption we have become familiar with when it comes to these portable solid-state drives.
Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:
- Aluminum body with rubberized exterior for maximum protection
- Up to 1,050MB/s performance
- USB 3.2 Gen2 (10GB/s) – backwards compatible
- IP65-graded water resistance to rain and dust
- Crush and drop protection up to 9.8 feet
- Extreme temperature protection from -40°C to 85°C
- 3.5-ounce weight
9to5Toys’ Take
The Black Magic speed test averages out at around 750MB/s, but in my “real world” tests, the Samsung T7 Shield is easily on par with just about every other portable SSD citing a 1,050MB/s rating on the official spec sheet.
Transferring a nearly 26GB folder worth of Logic sessions, audio files and recordings, Final Cut assets, photos, documents, and more from my Mac Mini over USB-C on both ends of the job took just under a minute.
Samsung’s new portable SSD enters the T7 family of storage products with a unique form-factor alongside a more robust drop and element protection than its predecessors. It might not include the novel fingerprint-based security of the T7 Touch, but it also ups the ante with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support alongside the peace of mind-inducing rubberized sheath it resides in. Add in the black, white, and blue color options, and you’re looking at a compelling option by comparison to the competition – the comparable SanDisk Extreme variant is only available in the gray/blue and orange treatment with an on-paper drop protection rating that isn’t quite as impressive.
In the end, the new portable SSD from Samsung is certainly pulling its weight among the previous-generation T7 gear and should certainly be a consideration for anyone looking to add some rugged storage to their EDC or content creation setup
Buy the Samsung T7 Shield portable SSD
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