Samsung announces high-speed Portable SSD X5

Samsung's storage arm has announced its first external solid-state drive (SSD) to use Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) internals, the Samsung Portable SSD X5, with claims of reaching read speeds of up to 2,800MB/s.

For years, external storage was considerably slower than internal storage. While the original Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard brought widely-compatible connectivity for a range of external peripherals, its slow speeds meant that storage devices were needlessly hobbled. Samsung's Portable SSD X5, though, claims to have no such issue: The company is claiming peak sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s respectively, thanks to a combination of Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) internals linked to the host system via Thunderbolt 3 - 5.2 times faster than SATA-based external SSDs and 25.5 times faster than external spinning rust drives.

'As a leader in high-performance and reliable storage solutions, we are thrilled to continue to advance the external SSD market with the introduction of our first Thunderbolt 3 portable SSD,' crowed Samsung vice president Dr. Mike Mang at the device's unveiling. 'The X5 is yet another testament to Samsung's commitment to providing innovative portable storage solutions that enable faster transfer of large data files, saving users' valuable time.'

Housed in an aluminium chassis with shock-resistant internal frame good for drops of up to two metres and with a non-slip base, the Samsung Portable SSD X5 includes 'Dynamic Thermal Guard' technology and an internal heatsink which, the company claims, protect the device from overheating during large file transfers. Each drive also includes bundled 'Samsung Portable SSD Software' with 256-bit AES-based cryptography.

The company has confirmed international availability of the new drive for early September, with US manufacturer's suggested retail pricing (MSRP) set at $399.99 for the entry-level 500GB model, $699.99 for the 1TB model, and $1,399.99 for the 2TB model (around £310, £543, and £1,087 respectively, excluding taxes). All three versions come with a three-year warranty.