Samsung Portable SSD T1

Storage comes in all shapes and sizes. But even knowing this, the Samsung Portable SSD T1 impresses. We have USB key-sized flash drives, and we have flash cards. But often these devices lack the complex algorithms for optimal flash management; for that matter, often these drives use lesser grade flash. 

The Samsung Portable SSD T1 fixes all of that. Samsung has built an external drive designed for use on-the-go, and it uses its state-of-the-art V-NAND technology. V-NAND flash refers to 3D Vertical NAND memory cells that are stacked vertically, instead of the traditional horizontal approach, to provide 100 times the capacity of standard flash media. Samsung crams unheard-of amounts of flash memory into a tight space. Available in capacities up to 1TB, the T1 measures 2.8 inches (71mm) long by 2.1 inches (53mm) wide. That means its footprint is about the same as a credit card. It has a maximum weight of 30 grams.

The drive's sequential read/write speeds go up to 450 megabytes per second (MB/s) via a USB 3.0 connection. Samsung's specs quote random read/write speeds are up to 8,000 inputs/outputs per second (IOPS) and 21,000 IOPS.  The write speed is responsive and fast like an internal SSD and up to 100 times faster than an external hard disk drive (HDD). Depending on the file size, the Portable SSD T1 has a data transfer speed four

times faster than an external HDD. A 3GB movie file should take just eight seconds to transfer, and a 10GB movie file 27 seconds, about one-third the time for the same transfer on an external hard disk drive.

For those concerned with security, the drive has AES 256-bit encryption. It's also shock resistant up to 1500G/0.5ms. And a feature dubbed Dynamic Thermal Guard will protect the drive in extreme temperatures. The Portable SSD will be available in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacities, and is due out later this month. Samsung says the 250GB drive will sell for $179.99, and the 1TB around $599.99. The cost is a bit of an issue but to amaze you more it comes with a 3 year warranty from Samsung.