Samsung unveiled the T7 Touch SSD and T7 SSD at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in January. Both of these continue the legacy of fast external drives in a sleek build.
We’ve found the T7 Touch SSD to be fast, secure and quite portable. But the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor for security onboard increased the price: $129.99 for 500GBs, $229.99 for 1TB and $399.99 for 2TB.
Samsung has a solution with a lower-priced model.
The T7 SSD features the same zippy speeds — we’re talking read speeds of 1,050Mbps and write speeds of 1,000Mbps — along with the same design with more fun colors and a USB Type-C port.
The T7 SSD is available for $109.99 for 500GB, $199.99 for 1TB and $369.99 for 2TB.
The credit card-sized device comes in Metallic Red, Indigo Blue or Titan Grey finishes on a light titanium outer shell that protects the internal SSD. In fact, there’s a shock-resistant interior bumper that protects it from falls as high as 2 meters.
Its sole USB Type-C slot will enable those 1,000MBps speeds for read and write. That means you’ll be able to edit video off of this drive with ease and transfer large files in just seconds.
Samsung estimates you can transfer a 10GB 4K file in just a hair over 8 seconds, which matches what we experienced with the T7 Touch SSD. We have a feeling the T7 SSD will match those specs. This drive ships with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable and a USB Type-C to USB Type-A.
And while it lacks a fingerprint sensor for unlocking and authentication, the T7 SSD supports AES 256-bit hardware encryption. You can’t use your finger, but you can set a password, which is akin to a pin for unlocking your smartphone or logging into your laptop.
The T7 SSD is backed by a three-year limited warranty and is available directly from Samsung. With a starting price of $109.99 for 500GB, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another SSD that is as portable and fast for the price.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailer’s listed price at the time of publication.