{"id":990329,"date":"2026-01-07T20:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ZKyRoNR5yuFY3ooZomwkLj"},"modified":"2026-01-07T20:51:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:51:23","slug":"samsung-t9-4-tb-external-ssd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/samsung-t9-4-tb-external-ssd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung T9 4 TB external SSD review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 external SSDs like the Samsung T9 have their peak performances capped by the inherent limitations of the USB protocol they're transferring over. This can make it hard to stand out against the crowd, but Samsung doesn't seem to struggle. It didn't struggle with the awesomely rugged T7 Shield, and it doesn't struggle with its latest addition, the T9.<\/p>\n

The reason? It's packed to the brim with quality components. We don't have to go poking around inside to know this, either; the quality shines through in performance. This might seem strange given I just said performance is capped by the USB connection, but there's more to performance than tall peaks: there's also consistency. The T9 delivers on that front.<\/p>\n

It reeks of quality just in terms of how it looks and feels, too. Unpackaging and holding it, I immediately noticed just how pleasantly\u2014but not overbearingly\u2014weighty it feels, sitting at 122 g. Sturdy, too, thanks to its rubberised and textured shell. All this gives it resistance against up to 3-metre (9.8 ft) drops.<\/p>\n

There's none of that annoying in-your-face military-rugged aesthetic that one might expect from such a solid-feeling drive, either. No ribbon-crossed border frames or garish colours. Just a nice, respectable, pocketable drive that shouldn't shatter if you drop it while out and about.<\/p>\n

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Samsung T9 specs<\/div>\n
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\"Samsung<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Capacity: <\/strong>1 TB \/ 2 TB \/ 4 TB (tested)
\nUSB Gen: <\/strong>3.2 Gen 2×2
\nRated performance: <\/strong>2,000 MB\/s
\nFlash memory: <\/strong>In-house (Samsung) 3D NAND
\nController: <\/strong>In-house (Samsung)
\nMSRP: <\/strong>$550 | \u00a3475
\nPrice: <\/strong>$300<\/a> | \u00a3368<\/a> (at the time of writing)\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Unfortunately, it doesn't have an official Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which is disappointing considering it's meant to be a drive that allows you to, as Samsung puts it<\/a>, “protect your data with confidence”. Still, provided you keep it out of the rain and don't drop it on the beach, it should be fine.<\/p>\n

Now we come to the meat and potatoes: performance. And boy, does this thing perform. Which is a good job, really, considering it's not a cheap drive compared to its competition, especially for the 1 TB and 2 TB versions \u00a0<\/p>\n

I tested the 4 TB version that is only slightly more expensive than other options, such as the wonderful Adata SD810<\/a>. Given the 4 TB version's price-to-performance, this capacity is my recommendation from the bunch, unless 1 TB and 2 TB prices drop.<\/p>\n

The drive's top speed is maintained by pseudo-SLC cache\u2014a section of the NAND flash acting as speedier memory to make transfers a breeze. This maintains a speed of around 1,800 MB\/s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Image 1 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n
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(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Image 2 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n
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\"Samsung<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Image 3 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n
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\"Samsung<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Image 4 of 4<\/span><\/p>\n
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\"Samsung<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Once this pSLC runs out, the native NAND flash speed for the T9 kicks in. That is astounding, as you can see in the IOMeter test below. Where the other USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drives I tested drop down to sub-500 MB\/s\u2014and often much lower\u2014speeds once the pSLC cache has run out, the T9 maintains a steady 900-ish MB\/s the whole way through.<\/p>\n