In the world of portable storage solutions, Samsung’s T7 Portable SSD is often seen as a reliable option for fast, solid-state digital storage. We reviewed the Samsung T7 Touch a couple of years back, and we loved using it. Samsung has now come out with a new variant of the device, called the T7 Shield. Here is our review and experience of using it.
Box Contents
- Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C to A cable
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C to C cable
- Quick Start Guide & Warranty Statement
- Drive management software is embedded in the drive itself
Specifications
- Capacity: 1TB
- Interface: USB 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps)
- Dimension (WxHxD): 59mm x 88mm x 13mm
- Weight: 98g
- Transfer Speed: Sequential Read: Up to 1,050MB/s, Sequential Write: Up to 1,000 MB/s
- Protection: IP65 rated dust and water resistance and up to 3-meter drop resistant
- UASP Mode: Supported
- Encryption: AES 256-bit hardware encryption
- Security: Samsung Portable SSD Software 1.0, Samsung Magician Software (Pre-loaded in the drive)
- Certification: CE, BSMI, KC, VCCI, C-tick, FCC, IC, UL, TUV, CB, EAC, UKCA, BIS
- RoHS Compliance: RoHS2
- Warranty: Limited 3-year warranty
Design
While the regular T7 and T7 Touch share a similar design, the T7 Shield clearly features a more rugged look. On the outside, the drive is essentially covered in a non-removable rubber jacket that protects a metal enclosure on the inside. The jacket offers a good amount of protection, and is one of the primary reasons why the drive rated to survive drops up to 3 meters.
The jacket also provides a good amount of grip, which is very useful in certain scenarios. There is a bit of branding on the jacket, and not much else. The drive comes in 3 colour options – Black, Blue and Beige, and it is essentially the jacket’s colour that changes. Since the jacket is made out of rubber, it does not pick up any nicks or scratches and also rejects fingerprints.
On the inside, one side of the metal enclosure has the USB Type-C port and a Drive status LED. On the other side, there is a lot of regulatory information. You can connect any USB Type-C cable to the drive, although I would recommend using the cables given in the box for the maximum possible speeds.
Along with this, the drive is also IP65 water and dust resistant. It can survive low-pressure jets from any direction, which will definitely protect it from accidental spills and rain.
Samsung Magician Software
Like all Samsung T7 drives, the T7 Shield is compatible with Samsung’s Magician software for drive management. The installer for the app is preloaded in the drive, making it easy to install.
Although the T7 Shield doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor, you can still lock the drive with a password. Setting up a password is easy, and you can also update the firmware, which is convenient. For protection, the drive uses AES 256-bit hardware encryption.
One thing to note is that there are no backup options in case you forget the password. In that scenario, the only option is to format the drive completely, which will mean loss of data. So be careful when using Password protection.
Performance and Transfers Speeds
Similar to the T7 Touch, the T7 Shield supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 which supports a theoretical maximum speed of 10Gbps. According to Samsung’s claims, the T7 Shield can reach up to 1,050MB/s in sequential reads and up to 1,000 MB/s in sequential writes.
We tested the drive both on a Windows PC and a Windows laptop, both at USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. In benchmark applications, we observed speeds anywhere between 940-980 MB/s for read operations and between 950-990 MB/s for write operations. In real world transfers, the speeds can depend on the application, the type of file, and the limits of the port itself.
When transferring a 7GB .mp4 file, I got approximately 700MB/s in read speeds and 570MB/s in write speeds. When transferring smaller files such as images, the read and write speeds can be lower. Although this is not really a limitation of the drive, rather there are other bottlenecks in the system affecting the speed.
Conclusion
Samsung’s T7 was already an easy recommendation for anyone who wanted a high quality, fast and secure solution for portable storage. The T7 Shield simply adds a rugged design and durability to it. For travellers, outdoor researchers, for videographers and photographers who want a durable portable drive, the T7 Shield is a great choice.
For those who still want the T7 drive’s performance, but don’t care about the rugged design, then the regular T7 SSD is still an excellent choice.
Pricing and availability
The Samsung T7 Shield is priced at Rs. 12,999 for the 1TB model and the 2TB model costs Rs. 22,999. It is available at all Samsung retail stores, leading consumer electronics stores, and across online platforms.