Samsung Portable SSD T1 250GB Review

By Nathan Kirsch

Final Thoughts & Conclusions

Samsung Portable SSD T1

The Samsung Portable SSD T1 takes mobile digital storage to the next level. There is nothing on the market today that can match this drives speed, tiny size and killer looks. By pushing the limits of existing portable USB 3.0 storage options all these amazing features do come at a healthy premium. The one downside to the Samsung Portable SSD T1 is without a doubt the cost of the unit, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Samsung Portable SSD T1 CDM

Overall performance of the Samsung Portable SSD T1 was impressive as we hit speeds of up to 439MB/s Read and 417MB/s Write in popular benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark. When we tried it out using real world applications we were equally impressed. Using the built-in Windows 8.1 Explorer file moving utility we were able to transfer a 3GB movile file from our PC to the T1 in just 9 seconds and the write speeds topped out at 340MB/s during the move. When moving the data back to the PC we saw speeds top out at 413MB/s and the task took just over 7 seconds to compete. Moving a 3GB file to the T1 and back took under 20 seconds and that is impressive. Anyone that moves large files around will appreciate the performance aspect of the T1.

If the performance doesn’t sell you the premium finishes and small form factor will most likely seal the deal. Our dial calipers showed the T1 wasn’t even 9.5mm thick and it weighs under an ounce, so you can slip it into your pocket and forget that it is even there. This is something you can’t do with enclosures with hard drives, so the portability of the T1 is next to none.

When it comes to pricing the Samsung Portable SSD T1 250GB drive that we looked at today runs $179.99 shipped. This puts the T1 at the high-end of the price spectrum when it comes to portable USB 3.0 storage drives, but keep in mind you are basically buying a Samsung 850 EVO SSD here. You can pre-order the Samsung Portable SSD T1 today, but they won’t begin shipping until January 25th, 2015.

Samsung Portable SSD T1 Lineup:

What would be the biggest competition to the Samsung Portable SSD T1? To be honest there isn’t much out there that can compete with this drive when you are talking under 9.5mm thick, less than one once and have data transfer speeds of up to 450MB/s. Samsung has pretty much locked this category up and this will likely be one of the best USB 3.0 drives that we will ever see. USB 3.1 will start to take off later this year and into 2016, so expect this drive to be viable for some time. So, if we had to pick a competitor to compare this drive to we’d pick the Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD ($134.00 shipped) along with the Inateck FE2006 ($16.99 shipped) 2.5-inch USB 3.0 enclosure. You’ll end up with basically the same hardware and performance without the tiny foot print and overall cuteness for $150.99. At the end of the day on the 250GB model you’re paying about a $29 premium to go sexy and sleek and that is more than acceptable. The Samsung Portable SSD T1 easily gets our Editor’s Choice award as it blows everything out of the water and is aimed at a customer that isn’t finicky about prices when the equation is perfect.

LR Editors' Choice

Legit Bottom Line: The Samsung Portable SSD T1 USB 3.0 drive will get lost in your jean pocket and when you find it you’ll be transferring files at up to 450MB/s read and write!