In summary
The small size, light weight and robustness of these devices make them ideal for photographers on the move, whether they be travelling long distances over many days or simply shooting on location one day at a time. They will provide useful back-up storage for anyone travelling with a laptop that supports fast data transfer speeds, because images and movie clips can be backed-up to the T1 more quickly than most competing storage devices.
Offering fast read/write speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second (MB/s), high-resolution images and 4K/UHD video files can be backed-up quickly and efficiently to a device that is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket. Stored data can also be protected by an AES 256 bit encryption algorithm and data access can be password protected.
With no moving parts, the SSD T1 is much more able to withstand impact shock than conventional magnetic hard disk drives, although bending or twisting the case can result in internal damage. It also uses much less power and tolerates a wider range of ambient temperatures. And whereas HDDs emit audible noise, the SSD T1 operates totally silently.
It’s early days for portable SSD storage devices and currently, prices are relatively high; between 4.5 and eight times the price per gigabyte (GB) of portable magnetic HDDs with the same capacity. In addition, the highest capacity for a portable SSD is 1TB, whereas external HDDs are available with up to 4TB capacity.
But, as the technology becomes more widely adopted ““ as logic suggests it must ““ prices are likely to come down and capacities increase.
Full review
The unveiling of Samsung’s SSD T1 portable hard drives at CES in January should have sent shivers through the spines of the major magnetic hard disk drive manufacturers. Samsung’s solid state drives (SSDs) are not only much smaller than the smallest conventional HDD, they’re also much faster, significantly more robust and more secure than previously-available portable storage devices. Offering capacities between 250GB and 1TB, they easily meet the requirements of photographers who capture lots of high-resolution images and video clips.
The Samsung Portable SSD T1 is supplied in a box with a USB cable and user manual. (Source: Samsung.)
The T1 is supplied in a solid little cardboard box that has separate compartments for the drive unit and the rather short USB cable. A printed user manual/warranty statement is also provided in a separate cardboard envelope. It’s multi-lingual with 56 pages ““ 14 of them in English ““ but the font used is so small you need a magnifier to read it.
SSD T1 drives are small enough to slip into a top pocket. (Source: Samsung.)
Who’s it for?
You’ll need an up-to-date computer with USB 3.0 ports to take full advantage of Samsung’s SSD T1 drives because that’s the only way you can take advantage of the fast data transfer speeds and the straightforward set-up process (see below). While T1 drives are backwards-compatible, using them with USB 2.0 connections can be frustrating, particularly if you want to take advantage of their security facilities, although once you’ve sorted out a connection, files can be transferred to and from the drive easily.
The small size, light weight and robustness of these devices make them ideal for photographers on the move, whether they be travelling long distances over many days or simply shooting on location one day at a time. They will provide useful back-up storage for anyone travelling with a laptop that supports fast data transfer speeds, because images and movie clips can be backed-up to the T1 more quickly than most competing storage devices.
Offering fast read/write speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second (MB/s), high-resolution images and 4K/UHD video files can be backed-up quickly and efficiently to a device that is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket. Stored data can also be protected by an AES 256 bit encryption algorithm and data access can be password protected.
With no moving parts, the SSD T1 is much more able to withstand impact shock than conventional magnetic hard disk drives, although bending or twisting the case can result in internal damage. It also uses much less power and tolerates a wider range of ambient temperatures. And whereas HDDs emit audible noise, the SSD T1 operates totally silently.
Build and Ergonomics
We’re not quite sure what materials were used to make the Samsung T1 SSD’s casing because that information isn’t disclosed in either the product’s specifications or the information supplied by the manufacturer. Suffice it to say the case feels reasonably solid and appears to be well sealed.
External view of the SSD T1 showing the outer casing and the USB port. (Source: Samsung.)
The shiny band covering about a quarter of the case at the opposite end to the USB port fells like it’s made from metal, while the fine cross-hatching on the cladding that covers the remainder of the case feels more like a composite fibre or plastic. There’s a small amount of flexion in this area, confirming its potential to deform if under pressure.
On the opposite end to the USB port you’ll find details of the device’s serial number (in alpha-numerics and as a bar code) and capacity, along with the model number and an electrical rating. The lower side of the shiny band carries certification logos and the product name and country of manufacture (Korea).
The USB cable is a little over 12.5 cm in length and solidly constructed. It can be plugged into either USB 2 or USB 3 sockets but works better with the latter.
Setting Up
The drive is formatted in exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table), a Microsoft file system optimised for flash drives and compatible with most operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux). However, the initial connection of the T1 to a computer must be via a USB 3.0 port because it will be recognised automatically.
If you connect it via USB 2, you’ll get a message stating the drive needs to be formatted. Doing this will delete ALL data on the drive immediately ““ and irrecoverably. Whatever device you connect the T1 to, its functionality will depend on the device’s operating system and the file system it uses. Both should be checked beforehand.
When the T1 is plugged into the USB 3 port, it should be recognised and the computer will display the security partition (128MB on the Windows 7 PC we used). The drive is activated by selecting the T1_Setup drive launch icon in Windows Explorer or Mac Finder and double-clicking on it.
This opens a welcome screen that steps you through a routine in which you can rename the drive, enable data security and set a password. The final screen provides a summary of the name and security status.
The Home screen.
You can re-set the device name, password and security status at any time by double-clicking on the T1_setup drive icon. This can be handy if you plan to use the T1 with devices other than PCs, due to system differences. Password protection should be disabled before connecting the T1.
The Password setting screen.
If you’ve opted for password protection, you must enter your password whenever you want to change the name of the drive, re-set the password or alter the security status.
The status screen.
The status icons and descriptions.
When you select the product name on the Home screen, the Profile screen with four icons (shown above) will be displayed, enabling you to review and change the settings for that product. You will need to enter your password to effect each change.
Changing the name of the SSD T1.
Disabling security protection.
If you need to disconnect the T1 from your computer, you should use the Safely Remove Hardware function to protect your data and prevent possible damage to the drive. Don’t un-plug the cable until the activity indicator LED on the product has turned red and then switched off.
Once the connection had been established, we found the T1 could work effectively with USB 2 connections, although data transfer speeds were noticeably slower than via the USB 3 interface. No connection problems were encountered and it was as easy to store and access data on the drive through either interface.
Performance
Samsung provided us with a 500GB SSD T1 drive for this review and our tests have been based upon this unit, which we used on a recent trip to Tasmania to take photographs. It was used with a Toshiba laptop with an AMD Quad-Core A8-6410 processor, 4GB of DDR3L 1600MHz RAM, 750GB of internal memory and one USB 3 plus two USB 2 ports.
It took just over 26 seconds, averaged over three memory cards, to copy the contents of an 8GB memory card (between 166 and 168 RAW+JPEG image pairs) to the SSD T1 drive via a USB 3.0 card reader using the laptop’s USB 3 port. Using the same card reader but one of the laptop’s USB 2 ports, the average file transfer time for two memory cards was 88 seconds.
In comparison, when the files from an 8GB memory card were copied to a WD My Passport Slim hard disk drive via the USB 3.0 card reader and the laptop’s USB 3 port, the transfer times averaged 38.4 seconds over three cards. Consequently, the T1 is significantly faster than conventional portable storage devices.
Conclusion
It’s early days for portable SSD storage devices and currently, prices are relatively high; between 4.5 and eight times the price per gigabyte (GB) of portable magnetic HDDs with the same capacity. In addition, the highest capacity for a portable SSD is 1TB, whereas external HDDs are available with up to 4TB capacity.
But, as the technology becomes more widely adopted ““ as logic suggests it must ““ prices are likely to come down and capacities increase. For portability, USB thumb drives are the main rival to Samsung’s T1 SSDs. The maximum capacity available is 256GB but with read speeds limited to 120MB/second and write speeds at 25MB/second, they fall short in the speed race.
At present, Samsung’s SSD T1 drives will be best suited to professional users who need fast data handling speeds for backing-up large image and video files, the latter in particular. Serious photo enthusiasts, particularly those who travel and/or shoot a lot of video, should be watching these products for future developments.
Samsung backs its SSD T1 drives with a three-year warranty which, interestingly, is two years less than the warranty provided with its SSD 850 EVO computer hard drive that uses the same technology. Equally interestingly, these drives are also between AU$50 and $100 cheaper.
SPECS
Available capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB
System requirements: Windows 7 / Mac OS 10.7 (or higher) computer with USB 3.0 support
Interface: USB 3.0 (5Gbps), backward compatible
Data transfer speed: Up to 450MB/sec.
Encryption: AES 256-bit
Security: Password setting (Optional)
Certification: CE, BSMI, KC, VCCI, C-tick, FCC, IC, UL, TUV, CB
RoHS compliance: RoHS2
Warranty: 3 years (limited)
Dimensions (WxHxD): 71.0 x 9.2 x 53.2 mm
Weight: Max. 30 grams
Rating
RRP: AU$269 (250GB), AU$429 (500GB), AU$799 (1TB)
- Build: 8.8
- Ease of use: 8.8
- Features: 8.5
- Data transfer speed: 9.0