Samsung has taken a distinctive market leadership role with SSD storage solutions, including both internal and external options. They recently debuted a new external SSD solution, the T5 that employs the new USB-C connection for maximum throughput. The Samsung T5 comes in four storage options, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. The Korean concern tasked us with performing a long-term test of this exciting new option for composers, live musicians and DJs and we embarked on five month odyssey to see how it would perform under real-world duress. We used five different reviewers for this workout, their own observations in quotes below.
“What you should immediately understand about the Samsung T5 is that it is fast. Very. Fast.”
None. And we mean none of the reviewers ever cited an issue with latency or lag while using the 2TB Samsung T5 provided to us. Transferring large files, from recorded DJ sets to long-form music videos at 1080p resolution, evoked outward bursts of “Wow!” to “…the fastest external drive transfer rates I’ve every experienced.” Now having a the new USB Type-C to USB Type-C connection certainly gives Samsung an edge in the claimed transfer speeds of up to 540MB per second, the company’s V-NAND SSD tech also provides an additional edge. Samsung V-NAND technology overcomes the capacity limitations of traditional NAND technology with its unique vertical design, as well as Charge Trap Flash (CTF) technology, which prevents data corruption caused by cell-to-cell interference. The combination of both structural and material innovations leads to improved speed, power efficiency, and endurance…and one of the reasons Samsung is the largest SSD producer on the planet. While our testers best specs topped out at about 425MB read and 400MB write, this was far speedier than other external SSD drives from SanDisk and other competitors in the marketplace.
The Samsung T5 is about 100MB faster than the previous model, the T3, but the two share the same aluminum enclosure. It’s quite small and light, but three of our evaluators found it to be “too slippery” and “Samsung should have given the metal chassis some texture to avoid dropping the unit.” Considering the wear and tear the chassis endured during the long term test, it’s a wonder the T5 kept up it’s end of the performance bargain. Samsung understands the importance of an external hard drive’s ability to survive in the wild and incorporates an internal shock-resistant frame, as well as the aforementioned robust aluminum enclosure, which we can assure you works, and works well. Several reviewers mentioned the T5 to “escape from [their] clutches” and “landing flat on the floor: and other “unintended fumbles.” None of our unintended beatdowns were able to disrupt the performance of the unit and Samsung’s claims that the T5 can withstand falls of up to two meters were affirmed.
Features:
» Compact and lightweight design
» Shockproof aluminum exterior
» Shock-resistant internal frame can withstand accidental drops of up to two meters (Tested and Affirmed!)
» Password protection based on AES 256-bit hardware encryption.
» USB Type-C port
» Includes two types of connection cables included (USB Type-C to C cable and USB Type-C to A)
» Color options: blue for the 250GB and 500GB models, and black for the 1TB and 2TB options
capacities
Other added bonuses from Samsung include, AES 256-bit software-based encryption, an option which none of our users tested, and password protection.
The “Samsung T5 is the real deal” for multimedia production. Whether your using it for full-on music production or video editing, to store your tracks for digital DJing, or simply as a portable backup solution, you won’t find a better external drive than the Samsung T5. Highly Recommended.
Rating: 100%
Cheers:
+ Build Quality
+ Lightweight & Compact
+ Best Transfer Speeds We’ve Tested To Date
+ Robust & Sleek Enclosure
+ USB Type-C
+ Password Protection
+ AES 256-bit Encryption
Jeers:
– Expensive
Samsung’s T4 External Hard Drive comes in four flavors: 2TB $699.99 – 1TB 349.99 – 500GB $169.99 – 250GB $119.99. All four are available now from authorized dealers.
The Future:
We would recommend Samsung include a padded, textured sleeve for the next version of the T5 to eliminate unannounced dismounts. Even a couple of fancy, branded rubber bands to go around the unit would suffice to reduce slippage.
