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External SSD: Samsung's T5 Review

Samsung has introduced its T5 SSD, the latest model in a series of external high-performance SSDs. Like its predecessors, the T5 offers blazingly fast data transfer rates and in a high-quality premium package but it lacks innovation.
Samsung SSD T5
Samsung SSD T5
Samsung SSD T5
Samsung SSD T5

For the original German review, see here.

Back in April 2017, we reviewed several external USB-C SSDs. Unlike regular hard disk drives, these flash-based external storage devices offer very fast data rates even under the most intense load scenarios, and are much more forgiving than mechanical drives when dropped to the floor.

Now, Samsung has introduced the T5 – the latest incarnation in its series of external high-performance SSDs. Like the T3 the T5’s design is simplistic yet appealing. The metal case weighs in at 51g (~1.8 oz) and while subjectively it seems very robust it is not IP certified. According to Samsung, it should survive drops from up to 2 m (around 6.6 ft) height and like all T-models it offers 256-bit AES encryption, even when used with Android or iOS.

Included in the box are two USB 3.1 Gen. 2 cables for two different host ports (one USB-C and one USB-A), software for Windows and macOS, and a download link for Android software.

Synthetic Benchmarks

We use CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 (64-bit, 1 GB file size) and AS SSD in order to determine the drive’s theoretical performance.

Sequential read and write speeds were at 480 MB/s, which was significantly faster than its own predecessor and, disregarding the external RAID-SSD SanDisk Extreme 900, all other SSDs reviewed by us.

Random access scores painted a similar picture, and once again the Samsung T5 was the fastest external SSD ever reviewed. For reasons unknown to us it practically failed AS SSD’s 4K write test (no queue) on the MacBook Pro but performed as expected and very well on the Asus Zephyrus.

Access times were excellent as well, but that is true for all current SSDs. The minor differences between the respective models are entirely negligible and unnoticeable in real-world usage.

ChrystalDiskMark
ChrystalDiskMark
AS SSD
AS SSD
Performance Rating - Percent
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
83.8 pt
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
52 pt
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
47.8 pt
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
40.1 pt
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
38.7 pt
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
36 pt
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
33.3 pt
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
30.9 pt
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
23.7 pt
ADATA SE720 128G
21.5 pt
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
Write 4k QD32
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
443 MB/s +141%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
184.1 MB/s
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
179 MB/s -3%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
167 MB/s -9%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
139 MB/s -24%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
112.9 MB/s -39%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
30.3 MB/s -84%
ADATA SE720 128G
29.2 MB/s -84%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
27.4 MB/s -85%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
15.4 MB/s -92%
Read 4k QD32
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
630 MB/s +226%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
193.1 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
183 MB/s -5%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
181 MB/s -6%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
171 MB/s -11%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
129 MB/s -33%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
115.2 MB/s -40%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
18.8 MB/s -90%
ADATA SE720 128G
14.2 MB/s -93%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
12.6 MB/s -93%
Write 4k
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
40.75 MB/s +2%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
39.88 MB/s
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
27.2 MB/s -32%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
22.5 MB/s -44%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
17 MB/s -57%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
16.6 MB/s -58%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
15.5 MB/s -61%
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
13 MB/s -67%
ADATA SE720 128G
11.8 MB/s -70%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
7.6 MB/s -81%
Read 4k
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
25.41 MB/s +30%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
21.7 MB/s +11%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
19.57 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
15.1 MB/s -23%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
14.5 MB/s -26%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
14 MB/s -28%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
12.4 MB/s -37%
ADATA SE720 128G
10.5 MB/s -46%
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
9.8 MB/s -50%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
9.2 MB/s -53%
Write 512
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
945 MB/s +113%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
443.5 MB/s
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
397 MB/s -10%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
396 MB/s -11%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
356 MB/s -20%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
348 MB/s -22%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
201 MB/s -55%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
191 MB/s -57%
ADATA SE720 128G
163 MB/s -63%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
154 MB/s -65%
Read 512
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
842 MB/s +103%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
415.5 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
375 MB/s -10%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
368 MB/s -11%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
361 MB/s -13%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
358 MB/s -14%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
341 MB/s -18%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
326.6 MB/s -21%
ADATA SE720 128G
313 MB/s -25%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
277 MB/s -33%
Write Seq
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
1343 MB/s +180%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
478.9 MB/s
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
458 MB/s -4%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
437 MB/s -9%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
416.7 MB/s -13%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
385 MB/s -20%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
238 MB/s -50%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
192 MB/s -60%
ADATA SE720 128G
163 MB/s -66%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
140 MB/s -71%
Read Seq
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
1298 MB/s +172%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
690 MB/s +44%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
477.7 MB/s
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
477 MB/s 0%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
477 MB/s 0%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
422 MB/s -12%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
416.5 MB/s -13%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
410 MB/s -14%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
355 MB/s -26%
ADATA SE720 128G
342 MB/s -28%
Performance Rating - Percent
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
73.2 pt
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
47 pt
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
36.1 pt
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
33.8 pt
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
33 pt
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
26.8 pt
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
24.6 pt
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
23.4 pt
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
22.9 pt
ADATA SE720 128G
22 pt
AS SSD
Seq Read
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
1793 MB/s +253%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
755 MB/s +49%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
523 MB/s +3%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
510 MB/s 0%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
508 MB/s
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
492 MB/s -3%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
439 MB/s -14%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
424 MB/s -17%
ADATA SE720 128G
356 MB/s -30%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
349 MB/s -31%
Seq Write
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
466 MB/s +65%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
283 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
229 MB/s -19%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
215 MB/s -24%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
184 MB/s -35%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
175 MB/s -38%
ADATA SE720 128G
150 MB/s -47%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
137 MB/s -52%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
128 MB/s -55%
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
127 MB/s -55%
4K Read
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
22.99 MB/s +36%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
16.89 MB/s
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
15.5 MB/s -8%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
15.2 MB/s -10%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
14.6 MB/s -14%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
13.6 MB/s -19%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
13.2 MB/s -22%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
10 MB/s -41%
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
9.8 MB/s -42%
ADATA SE720 128G
9.2 MB/s -46%
4K Write
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
38.14 MB/s +2586%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
25.6 MB/s +1703%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
14.2 MB/s +900%
ADATA SE720 128G
11.6 MB/s +717%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
8.6 MB/s +506%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
5 MB/s +252%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
2 MB/s +41%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
1.42 MB/s
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
1 MB/s -30%
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
0.88 MB/s -38%
4K-64 Read
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
897 MB/s +416%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
173.8 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
164 MB/s -6%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
121 MB/s -30%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
121 MB/s -30%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
105 MB/s -40%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
104.9 MB/s -40%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
19.3 MB/s -89%
ADATA SE720 128G
14.5 MB/s -92%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
12.6 MB/s -93%
4K-64 Write
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
368.9 MB/s +711%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
68.1 MB/s +50%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
45.5 MB/s
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
37 MB/s -19%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
30.5 MB/s -33%
ADATA SE720 128G
30.1 MB/s -34%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
26 MB/s -43%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
20.7 MB/s -55%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
9.3 MB/s -80%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
6.7 MB/s -85%

AS SSD Copy Tests

AS SSD’s Copy Tests are semi-synthetic benchmarks that are fairly close to real-world usage. The three modes differ in their respective file size: the ISO Benchmark copies two large files, which makes this a quasi-sequential transfer; the Application Benchmark copies lots of small files, which makes this a quasi-random transfer; and the Game Benchmarks contains both, large and small files. According to the application’s technical documentation, it uses the no longer recommended command “copy” to initiate the transfers, and reads and writes are performed simultaneously.

In these tests, the T5 surprised us, to say the least. Given the excellent synthetic benchmark scores, we would have expected the T5 to wipe the floor with its competitors, but it only managed to outperform the entire competition in the Game and ISO test. In the Application test with lots of small files, the T5 fell behind its own predecessor and the WD G|DRIVE by up to 26 percent.

That said, we have to add that the ISO and Game test in particular produced very similar results throughout our entire test group. The midfield SSDs are barely more than 10% slower than the T5. Consequently, performance is a negligible factor here and users who do not absolutely need the fastest SSD on the market can make their decision based on quality and additional features.

Performance Rating - Percent
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L -2!
100 pt
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
73.5 pt
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
50 pt
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
46.9 pt
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
46.6 pt
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
45.7 pt
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
43.6 pt
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
36.1 pt
ADATA SE720 128G
30.8 pt
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
27.9 pt
AS SSD
Copy Game MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
257 MB/s +52%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
169 MB/s
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
167 MB/s -1%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
155 MB/s -8%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
151 MB/s -11%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
150 MB/s -11%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
107.4 MB/s -36%
ADATA SE720 128G
97 MB/s -43%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
86 MB/s -49%
Copy Program MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
166 MB/s +71%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
131 MB/s +35%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
112 MB/s +15%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
97 MB/s
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
96.6 MB/s 0%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
96 MB/s -1%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
94 MB/s -3%
ADATA SE720 128G
78 MB/s -20%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
72 MB/s -26%
Copy ISO MB/s
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
1335 MB/s +536%
SanDisk Extreme 900 480GB
273 MB/s +30%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
210 MB/s
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
205 MB/s -2%
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
188 MB/s -10%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
172 MB/s -18%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
169 MB/s -20%
ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720
111.7 MB/s -47%
ADATA SE720 128G
101 MB/s -52%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
92 MB/s -56%

Compression, ATTO Benchmark, and macOS X

data rate in relation to compressibility
data rate in relation to compressibility

Some SSDs use special compression algorithms to boost transfer speeds. Quite obviously, this only works with uncompressed data, and not for compressed files such as RAR archives or video files. Like all other reviewed external SSDs, the T5 does not compress data on-the-fly – Samsung has stated in 2014 that they will refrain from doing so.

In ATTO, the SSD performed as expected: starting with 32 and particularly 64 KB large file sizes, the T5 was capable of performing at peak level.

Samsung SSD T5 in OSX (MBP15 2016)
Samsung SSD T5 in OSX (MBP15 2016)
Samsung SSD T3 in OSX (MBP15 2016)
Samsung SSD T3 in OSX (MBP15 2016)
SanDisk Extreme 900 in OSX (MBP15 2016)
SanDisk Extreme 900 in OSX (MBP15 2016)
Samsung SSD T5
Samsung SSD T5
Samsung SSD T3
Samsung SSD T3
SanDisk Extreme 900 (different scaling!)
SanDisk Extreme 900 (different scaling!)

USB 3.0 Performance

As expected, performance suffers across the board when connected to a USB 3.0 port. Particularly dramatic are the drops in 4K write performance and sequential transfer speeds.

USB 3.0 performance (Acer Aspire E15 USB-C)
USB 3.0 performance (Acer Aspire E15 USB-C)
USB 3.1 Gen 2 performance (Asus Crosshair VI Hero mit Ryzen 1800X)
USB 3.1 Gen 2 performance (Asus Crosshair VI Hero mit Ryzen 1800X)

PCMark 8 Storage Benchmark

PCMark 8’s storage benchmarks attempts to subsume a storage device’s performance in a single number. Without doubt, this can only be an approximation, but in our experience, the respective operations comprised in this single value are somewhat reasonable. More specifically, it runs typical operations within various Adobe applications, the “World of Warcraft” and “Battlefield 3” games, and the Office suite and measures the time it takes to complete them.

And while the T5’s performance was top notch and among the best of the best, we should note that the benchmark has apparently peaked out. According to the developers, the benchmark’s accuracy is +/- 3%, which means that the actual results have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

PCMark 8 - Storage Score v2
MacBook Pro 15 - Apple SSD SM0256L
5052 Points +2%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on MacBook Pro 15 2016
4965 Points
Angelbird SSD2go 512GB
4942 Points 0%
Samsung Portable SSD T3 1TB MU-PT1T0B
4934 Points -1%
Samsung SSD T5 1TB on Asus Zephyrus
4922 Points -1%
DeLock Enclosure M.2 USB 3.1 Gen.2 Toshiba THNSNJ128G8NU
4694 Points -5%
WD G|DRIVE slim SSD USB-C 500GB
4638 Points -7%

Power Consumption and Temperature

With 0.26 W in Windows and 0.4 W in macOS, the T5’s power consumption was comparatively low, albeit higher than its own predecessor’s in Windows. Other external SSDs draw at least 1 W when idle. Under load, the T5’s power consumption peaked at 2.8 W, and was practically identical to its predecessor. All things considered, the T5 is one of the most energy efficient external SSDs available. Oddly enough, it continued to draw 0.4 W in macOS when ejected, and did not power off completely.

Thanks to its metal case, the T5 remained quite cool even under load. During the last third of PCMark 8’s storage benchmark the T5’s case temperature was at 29.2 °C (~85 °F; measured with a temperature sensor). Minor hot spots could be detected around the connector and the controller on the infrared image, but the difference between the hot spots and the rest of the case was less than one Kelvin.

Sp1: 29.0°C, Sp2: 28.6°C, Sp3: 28.9°C, Sp4: 28.5°C - temperature relative
Sp1: 29.0°C, Sp2: 28.6°C, Sp3: 28.9°C, Sp4: 28.5°C - temperature relative

Verdict

The T5 is a new and slightly faster (particularly in macOS) model in Samsung’s range of external SSDs. However, in real world usage the performance gains are negligible.

Much more relevant are the well-made case and premium overall quality, the iOS/Android support, and the hardware encryption. Given that unlike the T1 the T3 already had a metal case, we would have wished for an IP certification. For example, SSDs like the ADATA SE730 can be submerged in water.

All things considered we can recommend the T5, but the step up from the T3 is comparatively small. Accordingly, the decision between these two will most probably be made based on the T5’s hitherto unknown price.

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Silvio Werner, Klaus Hinum, 2017-08-15 (Update: 2020-05-19)