Samsung has launched a new portable SSD that promises blazing fast performance with Thunderbolt 3 support. The Samsung Portable SSD X5 is the company's first NVMe-based portable solid state drive. Since it's based on the Thunderbolt 3 technology, it can provide exceptional speeds in a compact form factor.
There is a downside, though. The Portable SSD X5 is exclusively a Thunderbolt 3 drive. If you don't have a computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port then it will be of no use since machines that only support USB won't be compatible with this external drive. If you're interested in purchasing this drive you must first ensure that your computer supports the Thunderbolt 3 standard.
Samsung Portable SSD X5
The Samsung Portable SSD X5 is meant for professionals working with heavy multimedia files. The 40Gbps bandwidth is up to four times faster than USB 3.1. The X5 also touts read speeds of up to 2,800 MB/s which is up to 5.2 times faster than conventional SATA-based portable SSD. The fastest maximum write speed supported by this drive is 2,300 MB/s. That's enough to transfer a 20GB 4K UHD video in just 12 seconds.
The device itself has a metal body with a glossy finish and a non-slip bottom mat. The internal frame is shock-resistant and is capable of withstanding accidental drops of up to two meters. The Dynamic Thermal Guard technology and heat sink will prevent the drive from overheating. Enhanced data protection is provided by the Samsung Portable SSD Software which is based on the AES 256-bit hardware data encryption. There's also an optional password protection feature.
Samsung will start selling the Portable SSD X5 from September 3. The 500GB model will retail for $399.99. The company is also offering the drive in 1TB and 2TB models for $699.99 and $1399.99 respectively.
