I am very impressed by the Samsung T9 Solid State Drive and have enjoyed using it for review. It wasn’t overly long ago when the idea of carrying a storage device over a few hundred GB seemed crazy, and not to mention extremely expensive to do. External hard drives were similar sizes to some books; they were heavy and really weren’t that portable, plus they were fragile due to the spinning hard drives inside them.
A few years ago, companies like Samsung and SanDisk started making portable solid-state drives that were more durable and could hold much more data, all in a form factor about the size of a credit card, though about as thick as an average smartphone. Fast forward to 2023, and carrying an external SSD is now commonplace for many people as a reliable way to carry or transfer loads of data from a variety of sources, including phones, computers, cameras and more.
Samsung has recently released their new revision of their T Series external SSDs, this year the T9. With prices starting at $139.99 for 1TB and going up to $439.99 for an impressive 4TB, all in a rugged design, it has never been easier to take your data with you wherever you go. As someone who regularly used an older Samsung T5 SSD, I was excited to see what new innovations Samsung had packed into their latest model.
“Samsung’s T9 SSD not only raises the bar for external storage, but its rugged design and impressive warranty provide peace of mind for the long haul.”
Straight out of the box, the new Samsung T9 was noticeably larger in all dimensions, but this year’s model has a full rubberized coating around the drive, making it much more durable than my old T5 drive. Samsung claims that the new T9 can withstand drops of up to 3 metres. As a result, it is much easier to take the drive into more industrial environments, such as construction sites, without fear of anything happening to it while on the job.
As with most external storage devices, using the Samsung T9 is a simple plug-and-play operation. Samsung makes it even easier by including not only a USB A to USB C cable, but also a USB C to USB C cable. In an age where more and more devices only use USB C to connect various peripherals, or use mobile phones that no longer have Micro SD card slots, I found this particularly useful. While my laptop can use either cable, having the flexibility to carry a minimum of cables is always a nice feeling and makes packing devices for the road a lot easier.
“Samsung’s T9 SSD is a game-changer in the world of portable storage, delivering blazing-fast speeds and a 5-year warranty that guarantees lasting value.”
Data transfer speeds were one aspect of the Samsung T9 that really blew me away. On compatible hardware, I was able to transfer very large amounts of data onto the drive in a matter of minutes. In various benchmarks, on devices with USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports, I was able to achieve speeds of 2000MB/s read and write, which is four times faster than my old Samsung T5 drive, which usually only managed speeds of around 550MB/s. Given that I was already impressed with my T5, to see speeds so much faster was genuinely astonishing. On older systems, data transfer speeds will vary depending on what your USB ports are capable of.
While this is not something I was willing to test for obvious reasons, Samsung claims that the T9 can withstand drops of up to 3 metres with the new rubberized coating. Far further than most people would probably ever drop the drive from, but for drops from a desk or a bag, it’s safe to assume that the Samsung T9 will be perfectly fine.
This is also reassuring for those who regularly travel with their external drives, as its likely that their drives will shift and bump into things during their travels. Samsung also backs the T9 with an impressive 5-year warranty. By the time this warranty expires, the technology will have moved on, and the drive will probably be obsolete.
So, in my opinion, the Samsung T9 is a no-brainer for anyone who needs to move large amounts of data on a regular basis and wants to do it quickly. The added robustness gives extra reassurance that the drive will stand up to everyday use and even the occasional minor accident. With a warranty that should last a reasonable amount of the T9’s life, I have absolutely no problem or concern in recommending this drive.
