Samsung’s fastest portable SSD is expensive, but for creators moving enormous files, waiting around costs money too.
Portable SSDs have reached the point where their specifications are beginning to sound faintly ridiculous. The Samsung P9 promises read speeds of up to 4,000MB/s and writes of up to 3,800MB/s. That is fast enough to move a 100GB folder in less time than some computers take to decide whether they would like to install an update.
The more important number, however, is not 4,000, but rather 2,000. More on that shortly.
Small drive, enormous appetite
The P9 is Samsung’s flagship portable SSD and uses a 40Gbps USB4 connection, with capacities ranging from 1TB to 8TB. Samsung is positioning it primarily at photographers, videographers and other creative professionals rather than someone looking for somewhere to dump old holiday photographs.
In Singapore, it costs S$459 for 1TB, S$929 for 2TB, S$1,858 for 4TB and a fairly breathtaking S$3,739 for 8TB. That 8TB drive costs more than many perfectly decent laptops.
Still, you are getting a lot of storage in something measuring roughly 90mm by 65mm, only 8.3mm thick and weighing 96g. Its metal body is pleasantly understated, with a rubberised base that stops it skating across a desk whenever you touch the cable.
Fast is easy. Staying fast is harder
Headline SSD speeds are a little like claimed fuel economy figures. They are impressive, but they do not always tell you what happens in the real world.
Many portable SSDs can achieve spectacular speeds for short bursts before slowing dramatically once their cache fills up. That matters little if you are moving a few documents. When we were testing it out, the P9 could sustain a rate of about 2GB/s for big files, and that is the P9’s killer feature.
If your day involves offloading camera cards, moving RAW photographs or shifting large video projects between machines, this consistency saves actual time.
You will need the right computer
To see anything approaching the P9’s maximum performance, your computer needs a 40Gbps USB4-compatible USB-C port, and you need to use an appropriate cable. Samsung supplies one in the box.
Plug it into a slower USB port and the P9 will still work, but you will have paid a considerable amount of money for performance your computer cannot access.
The P9 also supports direct recording of high-resolution footage, including 12K direct recording on compatible devices, which makes its appeal to professional video users fairly obvious.
Samsung has also paid attention to thermals, which becomes increasingly important when a tiny drive is being asked to shift data at several gigabytes per second for extended periods.
Useful things beyond speed
There is AES 256-bit hardware encryption, while Samsung Magician allows you to password-protect the drive, monitor performance, authenticate the SSD and securely erase it. The P9 also comes with a five-year limited warranty.
One notable omission is an IP rating, although Samsung says the drive has been tested against shock, vibration and drops of up to two metres. So fingers crossed, it should survive normal life in a camera bag.
I would perhaps avoid testing that theory from a hotel balcony.
Should you buy one?
For most people, probably not.
If you are backing up spreadsheets, storing family photographs or transferring the occasional 4K video, there are plenty of cheaper SSDs that will accomplish exactly the same thing.
The P9 makes sense when storage speed becomes part of your workflow.
If you regularly transfer hundreds of gigabytes, edit directly from external storage or need to dump footage quickly between shoots, its sustained performance begins to justify the price.
For professional users, time is money after all.
Samsung P9 Portable SSD
Price: S$459 (1TB) / S$929 (2TB) / S$1,858 (4TB) / S$3,739 (8TB)
Interface: USB4, up to 40Gbps
Sequential read: Up to 4,000MB/s
Sequential write: Up to 3,800MB/s
Sustained write: Around 2,000MB/s in testing
Capacities: 1TB / 2TB / 4TB / 8TB
Security: AES 256-bit hardware encryption
Dimensions: 90 x 65 x 8.3mm
Weight: 96g
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