All devices in the T7 Series offer a read speed of 1,050 megabytes per second (MB/s) and a write speed of 1,000 MB/s, delivering reliable high speeds up to 9.5 times faster than external hard disk drives (HDD) without degradation in performance.

Whether you’re storing critical business documents, games, or movies, the T7, T7 Touch and T7 Shield do it all in a palm-sized package. The 85-by-57-millimeter T7 and T7 Touch and 88-by-59-millimeter T7 Shield offer the user credit card-sized portability.

Optimized to be compatible across a variety of devices, including PC, Mac, Android devices and gaming consoles, the T7, T7 Touch and T7 Shield come with increased security to ensure data is protected even if the device gets lost. The T7 Touch even offers the option of unlocking with a touch of your finger or with a password, so you can keep your private files secure without sacrificing convenience.

What’s more, Samsung’s T7 Shield is its most durable PSSD yet — built to withstand falls of up to 3 meters. The T7 Shield is IP65-certified as both water and dust-resistant yet weighs a mere 98 grams, making it the perfect compact storage device for those who work on the go.

Designed to store everything from large work files to photos and videos of memorable moments, the T7 Series provides users with the ease of mind that their data is secure in devices that are built to last. Take a look at the infographic below to learn more about the groundbreaking features of the T7, T7 Touch and T7 Shield.

▲ The four men behind the development of Samsung Electronics’ T7 Shield Portable SSD: Minseok Kim, the circuit designer, Hanhong Lee, the mechanical designer, Sangjin Jung, the product planner, and Gyejin Jun, the product designer.

As video creation has become a sought-after profession, and high-resolution cameras and high-definition video have become the norm, storing data safely, easily and conveniently has become more important than ever.

In the past, external hard disk drives (HDDs), also known as hard drives, were the main type of storage device used for saving data. Nowadays, solid-state drives (SSDs) have become the preferred device for external storage due to their fast speeds, increased security, as well as their small size and light weight compared to HDDs.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s No.1 NAND flash manufacturer, has set a new standard for portable SSDs with the launch of the T7 Shield: the company’s newest portable SSD with exceptional performance, reliability and security.

To get the inside story on the development of the product, Samsung Newsroom met with the four developers of the T7 Shield: Minseok Kim, the circuit designer, Hanhong Lee, the mechanical designer, Sangjin Jung, the product planner, and Gyejin Jun, the product designer.

An SSD Above All: A Device Boasting the Industry’s Highest Level of Performance

The T7 Shield Portable SSD is equipped with the latest V-NAND technology and ultra-fast interface Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) controller. The main part of SSDs is the memory semiconductor, and more specifically, NAND flash memory. NAND flash is a type of non-volatile memory in which saved data is not lost even if the electricity is cut off. Since the T7 Shield is an SSD product made by Samsung, the top NAND flash manufacturer in the world, consumers can be confident in the product.

The T7 Shield is a follow-up to the T7 Touch, which was an honoree at the 2020 CES Innovation Awards. Not only does it support USB 3.2 Gen2 interface, the most commonly used interface, but it also boasts the best performance in the industry. The 2TB model’s read speed is 1,050 megabytes per second (MB/s). Similarly, the device’s Turbo Write technology provides sequential write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, delivering fast transfer speeds all in a device the size of a business card. “These fast speeds enable 1GB of data to be transferred in a second, so transferring a full movie file, around 4GB, with full HD picture quality only takes 4 seconds,” Jung explained.

The T7 Shield securely protects data even if the device is lost thanks to its 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hardware encryption. In addition, the T7 Shield comes with Samsung’s Magician software, giving users the ability to manage their device settings. This software allows users to check the performance and status of their device (such as the amount of storage used and temperature), conduct firmware updates, initialize the device and more.

Taking Durability One Step Further With Samsung’s First Waterproof and Dustproof SSD

One of the characteristics that sets the T7 Shield apart from others is that it’s waterproof and dustproof. The T7 Shield is a portable device, built to be taken wherever the user may need it. Due to potential exposure to outside elements in different environments, it’s important that the user can take their data anywhere without fear of it being lost or damaged. The T7 Shield is the first Samsung SSD that is IP65-certified as waterproof and dustproof. “An IP65 rating means that the device has an IPX5 waterproof level and an IP6X dustproof level,” Jung explained. “This means you don’t have to worry when using the T7 Shield, even if you accidentally spill water on it or if you are outside on a rainy day.”

“We were able to increase its level of waterproofing by designing the device to have silicon rubber on the exterior with a separate seal,” said Lee. “In order to provide an equal level of performance compared to our previously released products, we conduct total inspections using air pressure. The unique features of the T7 Shield will be even more noticeable in different environments.”

Even though portable SSD products are meant to be carried around, when dropped, data can sometimes be lost from the shock of the fall. However, the T7 Shield is durable enough to withstand a drop shock of up to 3 meters, 1 meter higher than the previous model. “All 4 corners of the T7 Shield have been designed to be protected with rubber, so it is more resistant to external shocks,” Lee said. “There’s no need to be afraid of your data being damaged even if you accidentally drop it while using it in your daily life.”

Power Optimization Designed To Achieve Unprecedented Performance

When using an SSD, there are two issues that may go unnoticed by most users, but pose an inconvenience for heavy users who often transfer large files: lowered performance and overheating. “Consumers were inconvenienced by the lowered performance when working with large files, but the T7 Shield has addressed this through power optimization,” Kim said. “Now, consumers can use the device without experiencing much difference in performance even when storage is full.”

Usually, when a device provides high speeds, it heats up as a result. Some may think that in order to maintain performance when transferring large files, the device needs to generate more heat. However, this is not the case with the T7 Shield. “We’ve minimized heat generation through an optimized power design,” said Kim.

Additionally, the surface of the device is made of a rubber material that has low thermal conductivity, helping users to comfortably handle the device with minimal heat transfer. “We’ve designed the device in line with safety standards so that the amount of heat the device produces is safe even when transferring very large files,” Kim said.

The T7 Shield is compatible with a variety of devices, including PC, Mac, Android smartphones and gaming consoles. It also comes with the two types of USB-C cables (C-to-C and C-to-A), allowing users to connect it to other devices. “Older device specifications, like USB 2.0, support lower electricity, so it was difficult to achieve compatibility across these devices,” said Kim. “But the T7 Shield detects the connected USB accessory and adjusts the device’s power accordingly.”

A Robust, Sophisticated Design and Various Colors for All Customer Preferences

The main eye-catching feature of the T7 Shield is its robust and sophisticated design. In particular, the curves of the exterior and its detailed texture display a modern vibe, while the rubber surface makes holding the device feel more secure. Unlike other SSD products that are rough and hard to handle, the T7 Shield provides users with comfort and stability.

“Since SSDs are always used in connection with other devices, achieving harmony is important,” Jun said. “We tried to make the T7 series adaptable to any environment while maintaining the identity of the series. We tried to strike the right balance in order to make the unique charm of the T7 Shield stand out even more,” he explained.

The T7 Shield comes in two sizes, 1TB and 2TB, and in three colors. “We offer the basic color black to represent the unique waterproof and dustproof qualities of the T7 Shield,” said Jun. “We also offer blue as it represents water, and we also offer beige, which represents soft sand. Users have these options to choose from according to their preference.” The product is also more eco-conscious. The amount of packaging materials used has been reduced by a third compared to those of the T5, the predecessor to the T7 Shield, and greenhouse gas emissions have been minimized during the manufacturing process.

Providing an Enhanced and Ultra-Fast External Storage Experience Based on Reliability

When asked to describe the T7 Shield in one word, Lee chose “reliability.” He explained that the device is “reliable both in terms of convenience and durability, as it can be easily connected to other devices through its high performance and compatibility, and its shock-resistant design safely protects precious data.”

What kind of consumers is the T7 Shield best for? “It can be the best option for all kinds of consumers, including experts who often engage in outdoor activities, such as video producers and photographers, gamers who play the latest large-scale games, as well as consumers who deal with high-definition videos,” said Jung. “Personally, rather than singling out a certain consumer group, I’d like to strongly recommend the T7 Shield to all consumers who are very serious about data storage.”

Safely storing data is the main function of portable SSDs, meaning the level of trust and confidence in the device among users is crucial. Samsung has built consumer confidence in its products in the global market and has led the portable SSD market. Stay tuned to see how Samsung continues to develop industry leading innovations going forward.

“Creative professionals and consumers want durable, high-performance and reliable SSDs with the assurance their data will remain safeguarded, even when dropped, exposed to water or used outdoors,” said KyuYoung Lee, Vice President of Memory Brand Product Biz Team at Samsung Electronics. “The T7 Shield offers extensive compatibility, enabling consumers to use the new SSD on multiple devices including PC, android smartphone and game console.”

IP65-Rated Durability

The T7 Shield is Samsung’s most durable PSSD to date, making it ideal for outdoor content creators or travelers who need data-rich experience without having to worry about data loss from exposure to the elements or life’s mishaps. Carefully engineered by Samsung from the inside out, the T7 Shield is shock-resistant from drops of up to three meters,² while being IP65-certified as dustproof and water resistant.³ Despite the new rugged design, the T7 Shield is compact and lightweight, weighing a mere 98 grams.

Exceptional Performance

The T7 Shield delivers a read speed of 1,050 megabytes per second (MB/s) and a write speed of 1,000 MB/s,⁴ which are the fastest transfer speeds currently available based on the USB 3.2 Gen2 standard.⁵ It is approximately twice as fast as its predecessor, the T5, and up to 9.5 times faster than external hard disk drives (HDDs),⁶ saving consumers, digital creators and professionals valuable time.

Samsung has also optimized the inside and outside of the product, by changing the surface material and improving the software in the T7 Shield, to solve the performance degradation and overheating that occur when transferring large files. Due to this change, there is no performance degradation even when files of 2TB are moved at once, and heat generation is minimized, which help solve the inconvenience that consumers may experience. Through this, it is possible to transmit data stably without performance drop,⁷ even when performing data-heavy, continuous tasks such as high-quality video recording, editing, encoding and rendering. This alleviates concerns over inconsistent drive performance.

Wide Compatibility and Strong Security

Designed to work across multiple devices, Samsung’s T7 Shield can store large numbers of pictures, games as well as 4K and 8K videos whether on a PC, Mac, Smartphone (Android), or game console.⁸ Additionally, the T7 Shield has strengthened security (*256-bit AES, Advanced Encryption Standard) with hardware encryption so that consumer data can be safely protected even if the T7 shield is lost. Plus, it provides access to Samsung’s Magician Software⁹ which lets users to conveniently manage the drive.

Eco-Conscious Packaging

As with Samsung’s other portable SSD lineups, the T7 Shield uses one-third of the tray packaging compared to prior generations, while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions during its production through production efficiency.

Available in beige, black and blue to satisfy user preferences, the T7 Shield is offered in 1TB and 2TB sizes, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases. The drive comes with a USB Type-C-to-C cable and a USB Type-C-to-A cable, and includes a three-year limited warranty with the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) of $159.99 for the 1TB and $289.99 for the 2TB. The T7 Shield is available worldwide starting today. For more information, please visit https://samsung.com/portable-ssd.

Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield Product Specifications

¹ CES 2020 Innovation Awards honoree

² The drop test was conducted under controlled conditions. Drop resistance may vary depending on the actual environmental conditions. Damage caused by drop is not covered under warranty.
*Test condition: Device was dropped free-fall to a metal plate from 3-meter height.

³ IP (Ingress Protection) ratings define degrees of protection provided by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures against water and dust. T7 Shield has a IP65 rating based on internal testing conducted under controlled conditions. Water and dust resistance capabilities may vary depending on the actual environmental conditions. Damage caused by liquid and dust are not covered under warranty.
**IPX5 Test condition: Device was exposed to fresh water projected from a nozzle (Φ6.3mm) 3 meters away at 12.5 l/min for 3 minutes.
**IP6X Test condition: Device was exposed to 2kg/m³ of active dust with a pressure under 2kPa for 8 hours in a vacuum chamber.

⁴ Test system configuration: ASUS Z270 ROG MAXIMUS IX HERO (USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C), Intel (R) Core (TM) i7-7700K CPU @ 4.20GHz, OS- Windows 10 19H2.

⁵ USB 3.2 Gen2 is the standard protocol offered on most consumer and pro model laptops. Throughput is limited due to device ports, not the SSD. Performance may vary depending on host configuration. To reach maximum read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000MB/s, respectively, the host device and connection cables must support USB 3.2 Gen2, and the UASP mode must be enabled.

⁶ Based on internal test results compared to a Samsung external HDD 1TB (HX-MTD10EA)

⁷ The T7 Shield maintains above 900MB/s of sequential write speed with the 1TB model and 1,000MB/s with the 2TB in ambient temperature (25℃).

⁸ Compatibility with host devices may vary. Some operating systems may require reformatting of the T7 Shield.
Please find the compatible devices list on https://samsung.com/samsungssd.

⁹ For further information, visit https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/magician.

¹⁰ 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes, 1TB=1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Lower capacity may be demonstrated by computers due to use of a different measurement standard.

¹¹ Exact weight of product may vary by capacity.

¹² Max data transfer speed is measured based on Samsung’s internal testing standards with the enclosed cable. Performance may vary depending on host configuration, cable and user system environment.

¹³ T7 Shield has a IP65 rating based on internal testing conducted under controlled conditions. Water and dust resistance capabilities may vary depending on the actual environmental conditions. Damage caused by liquid and dust are not covered under warranty.
*IPX5 Test condition: Device was exposed to fresh water projected from a nozzle (Φ6.3mm) 3 meters away at 12.5 l/min for 3 minutes.
**IP6X Test condition: Device was exposed to 2kg/m³ of active dust with a pressure under 2kPa for 8 hours in a vacuum chamber.

¹⁴ The drop test was conducted under controlled conditions. Drop resistance may vary depending on the actual environmental conditions. Damage caused by drop is not covered under warranty.

¹⁵ T7 Series Software’s minimum System Requirements: Windows 7 or higher, Mac OS X 10.10 or higher, Android Lollipop or higher.

¹⁶ Case Temperature is measured at the hottest point on the case. Sufficient airflow is recommended to be operated properly on heavier workload within device operating temperature.

¹⁷ Samsung Electronics shall not be liable for any loss, including but not limited to loss of data or other information contained in Samsung Electronics products and in storage devices, or loss of profit or revenue which may be incurred by user. For more information on warranty, please visit https://samsung.com/portable-ssd.