A year ago, Samsung took advantage of the start of CES 2015 to present its T1 line of portable SSDs and, in early July, announced the first two-terabyte models for desktop systems. The next step for the Korean giant is none other than combining the benefits of both lines and giving shape to its brand-new T3 series, which incorporates a metal casing and a USB 3.1 Type-C port.
We recently talked about the best external hard drives you can buy online, and as expected, we mentioned the Samsung M3. The truth is that the Korean manufacturer has gained a lot of ground in this market and is not limited to conventional hard drives. Its solid-state drives are very popular, and the launch of the T1 line was a complete success, not to mention that it managed to reduce its price almost in half in a year. We are just hours away from the start of a new edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, and as a preview, Samsung revealed to the public its new T3 line of portable SSDs, ready to replace the T1 units.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GsVHSykXB0YThe first detail to keep in mind is that Samsung decided to expand the range of models in the T3 line, with availability in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB, whereas the maximum in the T1 series is one terabyte. Everything seems to indicate that Samsung uses the same controller here as in its 850 EVO/Pro units, and among the rest of its specifications we find a maximum speed of 450 megabytes per second, AES 256-bit hardware encryption, UASP support, and a USB 3.1 Type-C connector with backward compatibility to 3.0 and 2.0 (includes an adapter cable). Unlike the T1 SSDs, the new Samsung T3 models have a metal casing, yet they still manage to keep their weight at just 51 grams.
If all goes well, the first Samsung T3 portable SSDs will arrive on shelves between the last days of February and the first week of March, although the manufacturer has not provided any details about the price. Anyway, I think the most reasonable thing here is to give the T3 a couple of months of head start so that their prices become more accessible to consumers.
