Review: Samsung T9 Portable SSD USB 3.2 Gen 2×2

Samsung’s flagship T9 SSD with USB-C (3.2 Gen 2×2) promises high transfer speeds of up to 2000MB/s not that far off from TB3/4 SSDs, Kevin Carter takes a look.

What is it?

Housed in a wonderfully tactile and equally practical black silicone rubber housing, the Samsung T9 is aimed at all types of content makers. Particularly though, with its high transfer speeds from a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gb/s) connector, this bus-powered NVMe SSD looks highly attractive for photographers and occasional videographers.

The Samsung T9 is a small, highly portable and robust drive that’s ideal for sharing across several devices, such as typical laptop-to-desktop (short to long-term storage) scenario. A fast SSD like this also appeals to users of the new generation of cameras such as the Blackmagic 4K, Panasonic Lumix S5IIX and Fujifilm GFX 100 II that can record straight to SSD. The implications for video capture are immense; you can say goodbye to expensive CFexpress cards.

You can also directly attach the latest iPhone 15 – super useful for large Apple Pro Res files. However, if you have an older iPhone with a Lightning port you’ll need a decent data adapter (in theory this one but I’ve not tested it) with two USB-C or Type-A ports, one to connect the SSD and the second for a power bank.

Regrettably, I don’t have any of these to test the T9 with. Maybe in the future.

Starting at £122 for 1TB, rising to £196 for 2TB and a hefty but not unreasonable £367 for 4TB (all prices inclusive of VAT) the Samsung T9 is priced well below the blazingly fast Thunderbolt (TB) 3 SanDisk PRO-G40 SSD (reviewed).

That eminently likeable dual TB3/USB-C model is theoretically capable of speeds up to 3000 MB/s read and 2500 MB/s write on TB3, yet the USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s) option means a theoretical maximum 1050 MB/s read or 1000 MB/s write. And that’s well down on the Samsung T9’s 2×2 quoted (2000 MB/s) read and write speed, yet not that far off the TB3 transfer rates.

How durable is it?

SSDs like this have no moving parts, so they’re pretty resilient to accidental knocks and even the occasional drop – the Samsung T9 is said to be able to take a 3m plunge (onto a steel floor). In addition, the T9 is covered in a fairly thick silicone rubber casing, however, Samsung hasn’t blessed it with the revered ‘Shield’ moniker as it’s not IP-rated. Still, build quality is great plus there’s a 5-year warranty, up from T7 Shield’s more typical 3 years.

Why do you need it?

Drives like this are ideal for photographers on the move – or at least away from the confines of a studio where the elements can play havoc and travelling imposes great burdens on gear. Weighing just 122g and measuring 88x60x14 mm the T9 is a little larger than the SanDisk PRO-G40 but still pretty compact, easily fitting into a jeans pocket. Two or three would easily fit.

Out of the box it’s configured as ExFAT so you can use it with a mix of Windows and Mac machines but most Mac users will want to reconfigure it. As this was a review sample I left it how it was.

The USB 3.2 2×2 connection should let you transfer stills and video clips pretty sharply and be fast enough to run a Capture One Session or Lightroom Catalog with ease. As such it’s ideal for short-term storage or a temporary backup drive on location as it is when directly connected to compatible cameras such as the Fuji GFX 100 II for additional storage. However, I don’t have a camera that allows direct saving to external drives so I couldn’t test it.

However, for more general use, I tested the Samsung T9 on a now somewhat past it 2.9 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i9 15-inch MBP with 32GB (actually maxed out for the time) and moved a 64GB Capture One Pro Session folder (consisting of 1756 items; a mix of RAW files and few JPEGs) to a 4GB Samsung T9 in just less than 2mins 18 seconds (138 seconds).

It was then that I realised my MBP doesn’t support USB 3.2 2×2!

I had completely overlooked that not many (indeed if any*) Macs, even high-end ones, fully support it. There’s no doubt USB 3.2 standards are messy but it goes to show that you should always double-check. The current MBPs support USB 4 (up to 40 Gb/s) which theoretically supports USB 3.2 2×2 but there’s no guarantee or requirement to support it at up to 2000 MB/s.

I also ran a few tests in the super-useful Blackmagic Disk Test app which confirmed my experience. Read and write speeds are still good for a lot of video work but that vaunted 2000 MB/s transfer rate wasn’t available to me. The results focus on video use but it’s good to know that it would be fine for a lot of hybrid stills and video footage.  Considering the faster Gen 2×2 option wasn’t supported on my Mac the read/write speeds are pretty high for USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s).

What’s it like to use?

Samsung ships the T9 with two decent USB cables (C to C and C to A) and both are around 40cm in length. Samsung also bundles decent software. The Samsung Magician software (v8.0) provides several worthwhile features such as performance benchmarking complete with maintaining a history for each SSD used (useful if you’ve more than one, obvs), plus security functions, data migration (OS and data), access to firmware updates and real-time temperature and health monitoring. 

In use, the Samsung T9 is naturally completely silent and the temp never exceeded 31 Celsius with stills use. However, as I didn’t use it for video it’s likely to get a good deal hotter with prolonged use.

Still, it’s equipped with Samsung’s Dynamic Thermal Guard, which is said to mitigate performance drops that can be caused by overheating, thus ensuring consistent and fast transfer speeds. It also complies with IEC safety standards. If I get a chance to push it with some video I’ll update the review.

Overall

If you’re a Windows user with a modern high-end machine that fully supports it there’s no doubt the Samsung T9 is impressive and has a lot to offer. Build quality is superb and transfer rates are excellent for USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 but the lack of Mac support for Gen 2×2 – the main if not the whole reason for buying it for that group – is a bit disappointing (though it’s not exactly Samsung’s fault). With around a 20% premium over the USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) Samsung T7 Shield, it could be an expensive option for Mac users who can’t access those higher speeds. If however, there’s any likelihood you’ll use it with a machine that supports Gen 2×2 up to the full speed then it looks as if it would be a pretty solid option.

Pros

Potentially high transfer speeds but only if USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 is fully supported
Tiny – shirt pocket size
5-year warranty instead of more usual 3-year
Useful support software (free to download)
Bundled with 2x USB C cables (Type C to C, and C to A)
Tough – can withstand a 3m drop

Cons

Mac users are unlikely to benefit* from the full 2000 MB/s transfer speeds as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 may not be fully supported.
Pricey for Mac users not able to access full speed who could opt for the Samsung T7 Shield instead  

 

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*I’m reliably informed that 2021 and later 14″ and 16″ MacBookPros fully support the T9 up to 2000 mb/s.