CONCLUSION

   The Portable SSD T1 by Samsung is a very fast and very compact USB 3.0 compatible drive but what you may not know is that in order to show its true colors and reach its advertised read/write speeds you need to use it with a UASP (USB Attached SCSI) compatible operating system (as long as your USB 3.0 controller supports it). Unfortunately by default Windows 7 don't support UASP (some workarounds however do exist with certain USB chips) so if you want to experience the performance offered by the T1 in all its glory (or any USB 3.0 drive that supports UASP) then you need to use it with Windows 8/8.1/10. With that out of the way there's not much we can say about the Portable SSD T1 by Samsung since our charts do a better job at that. However we do need to point out that Samsung engineers are looking for ways to enable TRIM on the drive either automatically or manually through their activation software but even if that never happens the T1 should have no problem keeping the title of the fastest USB 3.0 compatible drive for a long time.

   We didn't expect to see a low price tag for the Portable SSD T1 250GB when we first received the sample but taking into account the how much the mSATA version of the 850 EVO retails for we all agree that the current price tag of USD143.86 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 147Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) is not too high. It could of course be slightly better to attract even more consumers but we all feel that the T1 is a "special" product aimed primarily at enthusiasts and professionals so there's no real need for Samsung to drop the price further. With that out of the way we feel that currently the Portable SSD T1 by Samsung is the fastest USB 3.0 compatible drive out there which can also be used for data-sensitive projects and that's why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (850 EVO mSATA)
- Top Of The Charts Performance
- 9.2mm Thick
- Also Available In 1TB
- Hardware AES-256bit Encryption
- 3 Years Warranty
- Price (Compared To Other SSD USB Flash Drives)

CONS

- Price (For Some)