GEAR
MINI TESTS
SPECIFICATIONS Type: SSD Capacity: 4TB
SAMSUNG PORTABLE SSD T9 £363/$400 samsung.com
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Included leads: USB Type C, Type C to A Speed: 2000MB/s read, 2000MB/s write Memory type: 3D NAND Encryption: 256-bit AES Systems supported: Mac OSX 10.10 and higher, Windows 10 and higher, Android Drop resistance: Up to 3m/9.8ft Dimensions (wxhxd): 88x60x14mm/3.5x2.4x0.6in Weight: 122g/0.27lb without cable
It was around 18 months ago that we hailed the Samsung T7 Shield as the fastest SSD we had ever tested. Well, there is a new speed king, and once again it’s made by Samsung. That king is the new T9, which is not only a tad faster, but Samsung claims it’s twice as quick thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface and Turbowrite buffer size up to 180GB. That promises read and write speeds of 2000MB/s, double that of the T7 range. We have no way of scientifically testing the manufacturer’s claimed speeds, so always conduct our own real-world benchmark tests which involve moving a 50GB folder of video files onto the drive to see how long it takes to copy them. Then we time how long it takes to transfer the 50GB from the drive back to the computer. This is always limited by the connection used by the drive and computer, so your results will vary. We tested both on a 2017-spec Macbook Pro, which has a Thunderbolt 3 socket, and also a current Apple Mac Studio with an M1 Ultra chip, 64GB of memory and Thunderbolt 4 inputs. When we tested the 2TB Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield – which uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface – it set a new record of under a minute for transfers to the Macbook Pro, and from the Mac to the drive. The T9 SSD was quicker, but this was due to the limitations of the old-spec connections.
“The T9 is a rugged drive with a fully aluminium body that offers excellent heat dissipation” eight minutes. That shows just how fast this new Samsung really is, and how much time it can save. You can shoot 8K or even 12K video, and it’s compatible with Blackmagic’s 12K Ursa cinema cameras as well as Panasonic’s latest Lumix range that can record direct to SSD. The T9 is a rugged drive with a fully aluminium body that offers excellent heat dissipation. There is a rubber cover on top to fend off knocks and provide a more luxury feel. It is tested to withstand a 3m/9.8ft drop onto concrete and Samsung also does a ‘tumbler test’ to simulate sudden shocks and scratches. Using the drive is simple: just plug it in. Both our Macs recognised it as an external drive so we used it like that. The T9 SSD comes with drivers for Mac and Windows and software to let you set a device name and password. As the drive fits USB-C, it can also be used with phones, tablets and games consoles, but you have to download each individual driver. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 10/10 The new king of speed, as it’s the fastest drive we’ve ever tested Pros: Speedy, compact and durable Cons: Not the cheapest 4TB SSD
But on the Mac Studio, we re-tested a T7 Shield and it took just 11.1 seconds and 9.8 seconds respectively to write to and from the computer. The T9 aced it, with times of seven seconds both ways – so not double the speed, but it was definitely faster. Bear in mind that we have tested SSDs which take over two minutes for the transfer, and HDDs can take up to
QUICK MOVER The
rapid Samsung SSD T9 comes with two USB leads and has a sleek rubber cover design
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