The brand new Samsung T5 EVO Portable SSD has arrived. After the launch of its first USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 T9 model in October, this time it is all about capacity over speed. Offering up a far more tame solution in terms of transfer rates, the T5 EVO Portable SSD has the “largest storage capacity of any Samsung portable SSD” and is being positioned as a replacement upgrade for folks still using more economic external HDDs, but the prices are going to have to come down before that becomes a reality for most users. We received an advance unit of the new Samsung T5 EVO Portable SSD ahead of today’s unveil to give it a run for its money – our hands-on impressions and all of the details are waiting down below.
Hands-on with Samsung’s brand new T5 EVO portable SSD
The new Samsung T5 EVO portable SSD is a different direction for the brand – it has, for the most part, focused on card-shaped T-series portable SSDs with at least 1,050MB/s speeds that top out at 4TB capacities. The T5 EVO however, is what you might call a more modest (or slower) option with capacities as high as 8TB. It’s not for everyone, but there is definitely some value to consider here for all but the most professional of users.
The T5 EVO joins the award-winning Samsung portable SSD portfolio, providing another great option for high- capacity storage alongside the T7 Shield, for adventurers seeking extreme durability, and the T9, for professional use. The T5 EVO has the largest storage capacity of any Samsung portable SSD and improves the external HDD experience by offering improved speed and reliability. Based on USB 3.2 Gen 1, the T5 EVO can transfer data up to 3.8 times faster than external HDDs, making it even easier for you to transfer large files.
- Up to 460 MB/s
- USB 3.2 Gen 1
- Up to 2m drop resistance
- 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB capacities
- Dimensions 40 x 95 x 17mm
- Dynamic Thermal Guard technology
- AES 256-bit hardware encryption
- 3-year Limited Warranty
Build
In terms of build, it deviates from the card-like shape of previous releases in the T-Series lineup with an even more compact and slightly more elongated rectangular form-factor. I like it.
It is made with a metal exterior and a black rubberized surface for protection against drops as high as 2 meters with a titan gray metal loop on top for optional connection to your other gear – I don’t recommend dangling your storage device from luggage or a backpack the way Samsung might, but the option is there and you can connect it to the internal carabiner-like clips we see housed inside of a lot of tech-forward carriers these days. This loop design also looks pretty sweet too.
Rubberized surface dust magnet alert – many folks seem to be super concerned with the rubberized sheaths found on all of the latest Samsung portable SSD releases, and this is a legit consideration, but it’s really not that bad. It certainly is a dust magnet to some degree, but it looks much worse in pictures than in real life. Sure if you leave the drive on a dusty shelf and never touch it for months it’s going to get dusty just like anything else, and might be a bit annoying to clean, but you can get rid of it (for the most part).
Samsung T5 EVO speed
Moving a 15.84GB folder of files, Logic Pro assets and sessions, photos, and more from my Mac mini over a Thunderbolt cable took just over 1 minute to complete (1:07 to be exact). And here’s the Black Magic speed test results if they matters to you:
Okay, there’s no denying the speed situation here – the new Samsung T5 EVO is never going to be able to keep up with the popular T7, T7 Shield, or the new T9 pro-grade model, that’s for sure. But that’s sort of the point here if you ask me. The USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface is arguably more suitable than the 2×2 setup on the T9 for the gear most folks have, but it’s also about the capacity too. This appears to be a way for Samsung to offer its customers a portable SSD solution and all of the reliability advantages the lack of moving parts brings with it, but the prices are going to have to come down before folks consider this over the T7 lineup.
The T5 EVO has the largest storage capacity of any Samsung portable SSD and is perfect for users looking to shift from HDDs to SSDs. The T5 EVO adds another option to the Samsung portable SSD portfolio alongside the T7 Shield for adventurers seeking durability and the T9 for professionals who require uncompromising speed.
The Samsung T5 EVO delivers the largest capacity options of any Samsung portable SSD yet. Yes, there are 2TB and 4TB configurations available here, but you won’t find an 8TB version on any of the aforementioned and faster models in the lineup. In fact, not only is it rare to find a 8TB portable SSD from any brand, it is also “the largest capacity currently available on the USB portable SSD market.”
This is all to say, the T5 EVO can hold the largest amount of data in the Samsung portable SSD portfolio – it “can store more than 2 million 3.5-megabyte (MB) photos, 1.8 million 4MB music files, or 3,500 2-gigabyte (GB) videos,” according to the brand.
Pricing
Well you would think with these sort of specs – mainly the speeds that clock in at half that of the T7 lineup’s – prices would be lower too. They’re not. At least not right now.
***Note: The new Samsung T5 EVO will officially begin shipping on November 21, 2023.
You can land the rubberized 1,050MB/s T7 Shield for $80 right now – the 4TB has dropped to $200 a few times this year. That means you can get a pair of much faster modern USB-C 4TB Samsung portable SSDs for $150 less than the new T5 EVO that’s much slower.
Having said that, if the new release from Samsung is anything like its other portable SSDs, sales will be ample, easy to come by, and won’t take very long to get here. We saw prices drop on the brand new pro-grade 2,000MB/s T9 within a couple weeks of release and a couple of them are still live right now.
It’s starting to feel like the same story over and over again – storage brands launch the latest new models at exorbitant prices only to have them fall almost immediately. Whether that’s to make the “sale” prices seem more enticing or just the way of the world at this point, I’m not sure. But it’s good news for our bank accounts regardless. If I was a betting man, I’d say we will see prices drop on the new T5 EVO within a month, if not sooner, and the whole release will make a whole lot more sense when they do.
While it certainly isn’t the fastest and most high-end option out there, it’s also not dead on delivery or an obsolete cash grab preying on folks looking to bring home a high-capacity portable SSD. The value proposition is clear here, but only if prices drop. The launch MSRP leaves a lot to be desired and is going to have to come down before it really has a chance to fly. Providing you go into it with this in mind (and wait for the sale prices), the T5 EVO makes sense and deserves a place in the Samsung portable SSD lineup in my opinion.
Buy the Samsung T5 EVO Portable SSD
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