Samsung T5 Evo released as new portable SSD with compact and robust design

Samsung has now launched the T5 Evo, a portable SSD that serves as a cheaper and more rugged alternative to the likes of the T9. In a press release, the company explains that the T5 Evo measures 95 x 40 x 17 mm and weighs 102 g, mostly thanks to metal housing. According to Samsung, the rubberised housing can protect the V-NAND flash from drops of up to 2 metres, although a built-in handle allows the SSD to be attached to various items like keys or backpacks.

Additionally, Samsung claims that its Dynamic Thermal Guard technology will simultaneously prevent the SSD from overheating and thermal throttling even under continuous load. Samsung has kept the SSD's design fairly simple overall too, with a small LED positioned next to its USB Type-C port and relatively discrete branding printed on both sides.

For reference, the Type-C port is rated to 5 Gbit/s and conforms to the USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard. While the SSD's USB port may be modern, its 460 MB/s read and write speeds are much slower than conventional M.2 PCIe SSDs. As a result, the highest capacity T5 EVO could take roughly five hours to transfer up to 8 TB of data. The T5 EVO is orderable today, starting at US$189.99 for a 2 TB model. Alternatively, Samsung also sells 4 TB and 8 TB models for US$349.99 and US$649.99, respectively. 

Purchase the Samsung T5 EVO Portable SSD (4 TB) on Amazon