Samsung unveiled the T7 Touch SSD at CES, the follow-up to its wildly popular T5 SSD. The T7 Touch is available for purchase now, and Samsung sent us a 500GB model for review purposes.
Design-wise, the T7 Touch SSD is about 3.35 inches tall, 2.24 inches wide, and 0.31 inches thick. It weighs just two ounces, so it’s small enough to slip into a bag or even a pocket. Compared to an object, it is about the size of a credit card, albeit thicker.
Available in silver or black aluminum, the T7 looks similar to the T5 with flat sides, a USB-C port and Samsung branding, but also has a square-shaped fingerprint sensor on top that can be used to prevent other people from accessing it. SSD
According to Samsung, the SSD can withstand drops of up to two meters, so it should be safe in the event of an accidental drop. I didn’t drop test the SSD, but I put it in a backpack and carried it for a week with no problems.
Samsung says it includes Dynamic Thermal Guard technology to reduce heat, and the SSD didn’t overheat while I was using it.
The T7 Touch features USB 3.2 Gen 2 and PCIe NVMe support for read/write transfer speeds of up to 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s, respectively, making it twice as fast as the T5 SSD. With the 500GB model I have, I haven’t had much of a hit on maximum transfer speeds, probably because I’m using an older 2016 MacBook Pro.
I saw read speeds of around 900MB/s and write speeds of 800MB/s, which is still very fast. Transferring a 50GB folder with thousands of photos took about four minutes, which is quite a bit faster than other SSDs I own. Getting the most speed requires an NVMe SSD and a USB port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 – expect slower transfer speeds on older machines without these features.
When transferring files of various sizes, I noticed that with extended file transfers, there is some throttling of speed, possibly due to thermal concerns. Small files in the 5 or 10GB range transfer pretty quickly, but speeds slow down a bit with larger file sizes. I didn’t find this to be a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of if you’re constantly working with very large file sizes.
Samsung provides a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable with the T7 Touch, making it compatible with any computer, whether it uses USB-C or USB-A.
The unique feature of the T7 Touch is the included fingerprint sensor, which locks it. The fingerprint sensor works like any fingerprint sensor, reading a fingerprint to identify ownership. Like other fingerprint sensors, the T7 Touch can have trouble recognizing fingerprints when a finger is damp or cold, but for the most part, it worked well in my tests.
Instead of a fingerprint sensor, the T7 Touch can be unlocked with a password, and setting up the fingerprint sensor and password requires Samsung’s Portable SSD software, which can be downloaded for free from Samsung’s website.
After the software is up and running, there are options to turn off protection mode, add protection with password, or add protection with password and fingerprint. Setting up the fingerprint sensor requires creating a password and then following a prompt to place a finger on the SSD multiple times, much like how the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone works. Multiple fingerprints are supported so multiple people can access a drive, but I just used one finger.
Once the fingerprint sensor is set up, plugging the SSD into the computer will require a fingerprint or password to unlock it, files will not be visible until the SSD is unlocked. On Samsung software-enabled computers, plugging in the SSD automatically opens the software and opens the fingerprint reader interface. On a computer without software, the SSD’s encrypted content is invisible until you use a finger to unlock it
During my testing, the SSD worked flawlessly on all the computers I plugged it into, reading my fingerprint and unlocking in just a second or two so I could use it wherever I was. Ejecting the SSD locked it back up, ensuring it was only accessible when I wanted it to be.
Other than the fingerprint, the T7 Touch has no files to open without Samsung’s software, which is a bit of a negative. If it’s lost, there’s no way to leave a message for someone with a name and an email address Make sure not to forget the drive password – there’s no way to reset it that I’ve found.
An LED built into the fingerprint sensor lets you see if it’s locked or unlocked, if the SSD is connected to power, and if files are being transferred. When plugged in and locked, for example, the blue LED flashes as an indication to place a finger on it, and it’s also useful to see when a file transfer is happening.
bottom line
I’m not sure if the fingerprint sensor adds a ton of value to the Portable SSD T7 Touch from Samsung, but its compact size, brand reliability, and ultra-fast transfer speeds make it a decent choice for those external SSDs.
I like the idea of locking and encrypting the SSD, making my files accessible to others if I lose the T7 Touch or someone else tries to access it without permission. The Samsung T7 Touch is a solid option for those looking for a portable SSD, especially those concerned with privacy.
For those who would prefer a similar drive without the fingerprint sensor, Samsung has a standard T7 SSD coming in the future, which should be a little more affordable at launch.
How to buy
Samsung’s portable SSD T7 Touch can be purchased from Samsung’s website or Amazon, with prices starting at $130 for the 500GB model. A 1TB model is available for $230, and a 2TB model is available for $400
Note: Samsung provided MacRumors with a 500GB portable SSD T7 Touch for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
