Samsung 1TB Portable SSD X5 Review: Leading Edge Performance

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Conclusion

Samsung's Portable SSD X5 is a great storage device for professionals looking to spend less time waiting and more time working. And, unlike many of its competitors, it comes with easy-to-use AES 256-bit hardware encryption.

The X5 is pricey, though. The 500GB model retails for $400, while the 1TB model costs $700. Meanwhile, the big 2TB drive weighs in at a staggering $1,400. These prices are not for the faint of wallet, but the drive is a solid solution for content creators and media professionals.

Dealing with large amounts of content, like video, audio, and pictures often require time-consuming file transfers to editing platforms. Ultimately, transferring files consumes time that could be used for more productive tasks. For professionals and content creators, saving time can equate to saving dollars: Saving a few minutes in any single production can tally up to hours over the course of a month, let alone a year.

We would like to see more color options, and the non-slip coating isn't very effective. The three-year warranty also doesn’t suit this product, especially given its obvious appeal to professional users. Samsung also hasn't shared endurance information yet, which is a critical consideration given the relatively short warranty period.

The Samsung Portable SSD X5 is one of the fastest external SSDs available. The peak speeds of up to 2.8GB/s read and 2.3GB/s write are up to three times faster than the best USB-based storage devices. You’ll pay a hefty premium for the fastest high-end tech, though, which relegates this drive to the professional crowd.

MORE: Best SSDs

MORE: How We Test HDDs And SSDs

MORE: All SSD Content

Sean Webster
Storage Reviewer

Sean is a Contributing Editor at Tom’s Hardware US, covering storage hardware.

  • JMJ3rd
    They are smokin' crack!
    Reply
  • datahoardertgs
    You should compare 2800MB/s portable SSD with 2800MB/s portable SSD and not only 1500 or less. There are a different tbt portable ssd that can reach up to 2400/2500 write, 2800 read and no one is tested in this post.
    Reply
  • seanwebster
    21281117 said:
    You should compare 2800MB/s portable SSD with 2800MB/s portable SSD and not only 1500 or less. There are a different tbt portable ssd that can reach up to 2400/2500 write, 2800 read and no one is tested in this post.
    As we get more in I will be checking them out. I just don't have many in hand yet.
    Reply