Samsung Announces Next-Generation 'Portable SSD T3' With USB-C Port

Ahead of this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung has announced its latest external solid state drive, the SSD T3. An evolution of the SSD T1, the Portable SSD T3 is Samsung's first SSD to include a USB 3.1 Type-C port instead of a standard USB B port.

Devices that use USB Type-C are proving popular at this year's CES, with multiple companies introducing new USB-C docks, connectors, and more. All of these products, including Samsung's SSD, are compatible with the 12-inch Retina MacBook, Apple's first computer to take advantage of USB-Type C.


Samsung's Portable SSD T3 features a body that's encased in silver and gray aluminum, an upgrade from the plastic body of the SSD T1. Internally, the SSD T3 features the same controllers with SSD TurboWrite technology and Vertical NAND flash used in each of Samsung's 2.5-inch SATA solid state drives.

The SSD T3 offers sequential read and write speeds of up to 450MB/s, and it's also lighter and more durable than most standard hard drives on the market. According to Samsung, it's smaller than an average business card. It can survive up to 1500G of force and will remain functional even after a drop of up to two meters.

samsungportablessdt3
Available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities with AES 256-bit hardware encryption, the SSD T3 ships with a USB Type-C to Type-A cable in the box, so it's able to be used with Macs that don't have a USB-C port. With its aluminum case, the SSD T3 is slightly heavier than the original T1, weighing in at 51 grams, and it measures in at 74mm x 58mm x 10.5mm.

Samsung has not unveiled pricing on the new SSD, which is expected to start shipping out in February of 2016.

Top Rated Comments

robeddie Avatar
101 months ago
With the limited amounts of internal SSD storage Apple will put in their computers (and then zero internal upgrade ability after purchase), solutions like this will become increasingly necessary unfortunately.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macintologist Avatar
101 months ago
Yea but when you plug this into the Macbook it will drain the battery even faster because you it only has one port. When you want to charge you have to unplug the drive.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrgraff Avatar
101 months ago
So, now we all love Samsung? Ok...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KPOM Avatar
101 months ago
Looks good. I may buy one as a backup drive. I like seeing all the USB-C peripherals being introduced this week.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RightMACatU Avatar
101 months ago
Bracing myself for the the 2TB option...
$1,000+ ???
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garylapointe Avatar
101 months ago
That's why they make these. :)
http://www.amazon.com/IVSO-2-Ports-Adapter-Charging-MacBook/dp/B00YL3FEQW
I'd pay $100 to have had extra ports built in the machine in the first place. Small is nice but if I have carry a bunch of adaptors to make things work it's not so nice.

FYI, that adaptor doesn't help with the mentioned Samsung drive and the power problem that you're responding to, there is still only one USB-C port available, you still have the charging issue. I guess you could try to use the USB 3 adaptor (speed impact?), but now you've got another connector to carry and I don't know that adaptor will support the SSD drive via USB (it says mouse and flash only).

Gary
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issues Likely Due to Thermal Compromises, Not 3nm Node

Tuesday September 26, 2023 9:12 am PDT by
Complaints about heat issues with the iPhone 15 Pro models are not related to TSMC's 3-nanometer node that was used for the A17 Pro chip, according to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that overheating could be caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design" that allowed Apple to cut down on the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Kuo says that the reduced heat...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
macos sonoma 4

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma With New Widget Features, Safari Updates, Screen Sharing Improvements and More

Tuesday September 26, 2023 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS 14 Sonoma, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. macOS Sonoma has been in beta testing for several months, and it is compatible with the 2019 and later iMac, the iMac Pro, the 2018 and later Mac mini, the 2018 and later MacBook Pro, the 2019 and later Mac Pro, and the Mac Studio. The ‌macOS Sonoma update can be downloaded for free on...