CONCLUSION

   When Samsung released the Portable SSD T1 it sat at the top of the charts when compared to similar USB flash drives but wasn’t what we’d call perfect. The reason I say this is because I could never figure out why Samsung decided to use a plastic enclosure with one such expensive USB 3.0 drive especially when other far more affordable models use aluminum and rubber ones. I am happy to see that the T3 improves on that area since it features a thicker aluminum enclosure. It may still not be as durable as some other enclosures but it’s certainly a lot better compared to that of its predecessor. That’s not all however so the T3 also ships with a Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 1 port which is a lot sturdier compared to that of the T1. This may not be a game changer for people who will use the drive with their PCs but it’s a lot different for users who will use it with android devices. As for performance well the T1 was already very fast so we didn’t expect miracles from the T3. Still as you can tell from our charts it’s quite faster and almost hits the 450MB/s performance advertised by Samsung (in two out of six).

   Samsung seems to be running a campaign in the USA alongside with Amazon to promote their new Portable SSD T3 so as we speak you can grab the 500GB model for just USD149.99 (I’d hurry up if I were you). Unfortunately things in the EU are not exactly that good so currently the Portable SSD T3 500GB retails for 205Euros (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is not half bad considering the kind of performance you’re getting (doesn’t get any better from similarly sized models) along with compatibility for Android devices and AES-256Bit encryption via password protection. Personally I think that Samsung has priced their Portable SSD T3 500GB very aggressively and as I said above if you live in the USA and are looking to get a new USB flash drive you should grab it while supplies last. Bottom line things can’t get much better than the Portable SSD T3 500GB by Samsung and that’s why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (850 EVO mSATA)
- Top Of The Charts Performance
- Aluminum Enclosure
- Just 10.5mm Thick
- Available In 2TB
- Hardware AES-256bit Encryption (Password Protection)
- 3 Years Warranty
- USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C Connector
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- None