The best SSD External Drive for robustness, reliability and price
Samsung T5 is a compact, affordable, high-speed external SSD drive, which represents a high-end portable storage solution. Utilizing the latest generation of Samsung’s 3D V-NAND technology, it offers up to 2TB of storage in a compact size.
This solid-state drive dominated the competition (and its predecessor T3) in read and write tests, while maintaining the same physical footprint. Thanks to the solid aluminum shell, Samsung claims that this external drive can withstand drops from a height of about 2 meters without any problems. While we’d hardly suggest putting those claims to the test, it’s important that external drives, which aren’t protected by a desktop or laptop case, are rugged enough to withstand occasional trauma.
Thanks to its speed, compact size and additional features such as encryption software, there is no other drive we can recommend as much as the Samsung T5. If you can afford it, this is the best external SSD you can find. In fact, the Samsung T5 SSD offers a unique combination of size and speed.
Design
Samsung T5, wrapped in a matte blue aluminum case, looks like a single solid piece of metal. There is a single USB Type-C port on the front, which gives the unit a certain elegance. Next to the port is a single LED, invisible except when lit: it will flash blue when connected, and red when it is safe to disconnect.
Samsung T5 managed to pack 500GB of storage into a tiny body using proprietary V-NAND technology: more storage in a very small form factor. Samsung T5 is also available in 1TB and 2TB configurations, in exactly the same size.
Samsung T5 only features a single port, but it comes with two cables: a USB Type-C cable and a USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable – this means you can connect the drive to just about any PC.
High speed, small size
Samsung T5 has an impressive 486 MB/s write speed, and an equally impressive 513 MB/s read speed: for an external SSD, Samsung T5 is blazing fast – no problem watching movies or playing games directly from the unit, of course.
The T5 outperformed previous generations – Samsung T3 and Samsung T1 – by a significant margin. Rather than throwing an old unit into the market in a sleeker new case or making it smaller, Samsung has managed to make the T5 as small as its predecessors, but much faster. Quite impressive.
Advanced hardware encryption
Samsung T5 comes with an encryption software suite, which allows you to encrypt your drive with hardware encryption AES 256-bit. There are bank vaults more vulnerable to intrusions than the Samsung T5, when everything is protected by a strong passphrase. The software works with Windows and MacOS, and once the passphrase is set, it locks and unlocks very quickly.
Warranty
Samsung T5 has a three-year limited warranty that protects against manufacturer defects. It might seem like a long time for a small device like this, but that’s what we expect from an SSD – SSDs typically have longer warranties, due to the time it can take for a manufacturer defect to appear.
Conclusion
If you need a reliable external storage device that fits in your pocket, with excellent security and fast transfer speeds, the Samsung T5 is practically unbeatable. It’s not super-cheap, and it’s a bit more expensive than an external hard drive. Still, it’s definitely worth it, if you can afford it. Samsung T5 is smaller, sleeker and more durable than any other external hard drive.
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