USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 external SSDs might be pretty cheap these days, but it’s hard to compete against a Gen 2×1 drive such as the T7 shield when it’s selling for $237.49. Pound-for-pound—er, dollar-per-GB to dollar-per-GB—this rather handsome little drive now costs you just shy of $0.06 per GB of capacity.
For reference, that’s proportionally cheaper than any portable SSD I’ve tested recently—and I’ve tested a fair few. USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drives (the newer ones) tend to go for about $0.08 per GB on a good day. It’s also worth noting that the lower capacity versions of this (Gen 2×1) T7 Shield often go for about $0.11 per GB. So the current deal price for the 4 TB version is no joke.
Why does the T7 Shield usually cost so much? In part, it’s because it’s very durable. I recently reviewed the stellar Samsung T9, and while it’s incredibly high-quality and consistent, it doesn’t offer the same protection from dust and water as its ostensible predecessor, the T7 Shield.
The Shield comes with an official IP65 rating, meaning it’s “dust-tight” and “protected against water jets” (thanks for that, IEC). It also has the same 3-meter drop resistance as the T9. That’s thanks to its lovely ridged rubber casing, which you can see in the photo below. It certainly feels as durable as it’s rated to be.
If you have a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, you might prefer a drive like the T9 or Adata SD810. But if you don’t, or if it’s spectacular value you’re after, the T7 Shield is a great shout. After all, despite there being 2,000 MB/s next-gen drives out there, the T7 Shield’s 1,050 MB/s rated speed is no joke.
You should be able to transfer moderately sized games in less than a minute. In Jorge’s review of the T7 Shield, he noted that about 8 GB of data took about 6 seconds to transfer. That’s plenty speedy for most use cases, don’t you think?
Of course, you’ll find cheaper options if you go for a 1 TB or 2 TB drive. But anyone who’s a bit of a hoarder, or who wants the leeway to do some full-system backups, should benefit from a drive like this.
After all, if you’re storing so much data, you’re going to want to make sure it’s safe, and the T7 Shield’s durability should help guarantee that. For this price, it’s well worth the consideration.
