Samsung Portable SSD P9 review: speedy USB4 in a slim, pricey package
Samsung’s Portable SSD P9 is the new USB4 external drive to beat. It feels premium and performed very well in our testing. But you’ll have to pay a lot for it, or any similarly performing drive, these days.
The Samsung Portable SSD P9 has arrived in a time when flash and RAM demand is soaring due to AI hyperscaler needs. Recognizing the requirement for quicker, larger, and more storage options, Samsung introduced its first USB4 external drive. It comes in capacities of 1, 2, 4, and 8TB, although only the 2TB option is currently in stock.
The drive boasts read speeds of up to 4,000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,800 MB/s. It features a sleek, 0.3-inch shell and a rubberized bottom for stability. The included cable is 16 inches long and features Velcro-like fasteners to help manage excess. The device is priced starting at $339 for the 1TB model and goes up to $2,879 for the 8TB model.
Despite the high price, it is not considered exorbitant when compared to other USB4-based options available in the market, some of which are sold out or no longer in stock. The Samsung Magician software accompanying the drive is feature-rich but has a large, clunky user interface. The drive's performance is hard to beat in the USB4 space, making it a premium, pocket-friendly portable drive that could potentially dethrone Corsair's EX400U in our list of the best external SSDs.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
