Snappy New Samsung T9 SSD Drive Offers Blazing New Performance

I’ve used a lot of small outboard SSD drives over the years, but nothing has operated with the speed and efficiency of the new Samsung T9 on my five-year old Mac.

What’s interesting is I notice this speed bump immediately even though my Mac — or any Mac model — won’t support this drives’ USB 3.2 Gen. 2×2 standard read/write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s.

Others reported similar high-speeds on Windows, which supports the speedy USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 standard, and on another Apple MacBook Pro over a Thunderbolt 3 port. Reviewers with greater testing capability than mine found it among the best among comparison drives in the narrow range of Gen 2×2 drives.

This rugged drive measures 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.6-inches and weighs only 4.3 ounces. A good thing is it comes with a five-year limited edition warranty, so its performance will no doubt improve as computers grow in speed over the years. This is the ideal future-proof drive for heavy-duty application usage or file-saving.

While the T9 is small and light, it is a bit larger and heavier than some competing drives such as the Crucial X10 Pro. The T9 looks a bit like the Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield, an earlier model. Competitors to the T9 4K model are the Crucial /X9 Pro and X10 Pro and the Kingston XS2000. 

To reach maximum sequential read/write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s, respectively, the host device and connection cables must support USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 and the UASP mode must be enabled.

The T9 is compatible with PCs, Macs, Android, iOS, iPhones, game consoles, smart TVs and cameras. It comes with cords for USB-A and USB-C devices. It’s performance varies with the type of device it’s being used with.

Few current portable computers of any type have native support for the T9’s interface, but some high-end desktop motherboards do. Also desktop PCI Express expansion cards can bring the interface to an older system.

The drive supports 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption, which is considered the best among consumer encryption standards. Bundled software includes the Samsung Magician utility suite, which can monitor health of the drive, optimize performance, control power usage and protect data.

With a new version of the software release with the T9, all Samsung software features (such as data migration, portable SSD software and a card authentication tool) are part of the Magician software suite. Magician supports Windows, Mac and Android.

For video editing in the field, the T9 is the ideal SSD drive. It performs at high speeds even during longer processes. The drive comes pre-formatted in the exFAT file format, but can be reformatted to the standard the user desires..

Covered with a grippy rubberized surface, the drive has Dynamic Thermal Guard. This means the T9 stays cool in heavy use. The drive’s advanced thermal protection keeps it at an ideal SSD temperature even with heavy use. The drive can endure a drop up to 9.8 foot drop. However, there is no ingress protection (IP) rating.

The drive maintains skin temperatures below 140ºF at all times in controlled conditions in compliance with IEC 62368-1 standard. Operating temperature is 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C).

Performance and reliability come with using top brand SSD memory. Cheaper memory will not last as long or perform as well. The Samsung Portable SSD T9 (starts at $139.99 for 1TB and ranges up to $439.99 for 4TB). This an ideal SSD drive for creators of all kinds and among the best you can buy.

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