Samsung T5 Portable SSD
Samsung feels the need for speed... again.
Samsung’s back with another super-fast portable storage solution, returning to the well that it first dug in 2015 with the T1 drive — and this USB external drive promises even quicker transfers speeds.
With a similar brushed aluminium unibody design as last time (sans the twotone styling), the T5 is almost exactly the same size as its previous-gen incarnation, shaving off just under a millimetre from the T3’s width. A USB Type-C port lets you switch between the included Type-C to Type-A and Type-C to Type-C cables, the latter being especially convenient for use with newer MacBooks and other ultraportable laptops, or even Android phones. For those who want to keep their files secure and away from prying eyes, AES 256-bit hardware encryption is available, which creates a secure partition on the device that you need to unlock via a preloaded encryption app. Once installed, the SSD requires the user to enter a password before they can view the contents within.
But the real selling point is the transfer speeds, and we’re pleased to say that the T5 is no slouch in that regard. Our CrystalDisk Mark tests revealed sequential multi-thread read and write speeds of 437MB/s and 444.3MB/s, putting it in first place amongst rival portable SSDs (Samsung’s T3 was the previous leader). In terms of large single-threaded transfers, the T5 fell short of the WD My Passport SSD’s 431.1MB/s and 420.3MB/s record. But we preferred the T5’s thinner profile and rounded edges, so we know which way we’d flop.
Verdict
An elegant design backed by strong encryption, with incredibly fast transfer speeds.