Samsung T9 4 TB external SSD review

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 external SSDs like the Samsung T9 have their peak performances capped by the inherent limitations of the USB protocol they're transferring over. This can make it hard to stand out against the crowd, but Samsung doesn't seem to struggle. It didn't struggle with the awesomely rugged T7 Shield, and it doesn't struggle with its latest addition, the T9.

The reason? It's packed to the brim with quality components. We don't have to go poking around inside to know this, either; the quality shines through in performance. This might seem strange given I just said performance is capped by the USB connection, but there's more to performance than tall peaks: there's also consistency. The T9 delivers on that front.

It reeks of quality just in terms of how it looks and feels, too. Unpackaging and holding it, I immediately noticed just how pleasantly—but not overbearingly—weighty it feels, sitting at 122 g. Sturdy, too, thanks to its rubberised and textured shell. All this gives it resistance against up to 3-metre (9.8 ft) drops.

There's none of that annoying in-your-face military-rugged aesthetic that one might expect from such a solid-feeling drive, either. No ribbon-crossed border frames or garish colours. Just a nice, respectable, pocketable drive that shouldn't shatter if you drop it while out and about.

Capacity: 1 TB / 2 TB / 4 TB (tested)
USB Gen: 3.2 Gen 2x2
Rated performance: 2,000 MB/s
Flash memory: In-house (Samsung) 3D NAND
Controller: In-house (Samsung)
MSRP: $550 | £475
Price: $300 | £368 (at the time of writing) 

Unfortunately, it doesn't have an official Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which is disappointing considering it's meant to be a drive that allows you to, as Samsung puts it, «protect your data with confidence». Still, provided you keep it out of the rain and don't drop it on the beach, it should be fine.

Now we come to the meat and potatoes: performance. And boy, does this thing perform. Which is a good job, really, considering it's not a cheap