Samsung says its new portable SSD can survive a 10-foot drop

Samsung has expanded its lineup of T7 portable SSDs with a more rugged version. For one thing, the T7 Shield has improved drop resistance. Samsung says it should be able to survive a fall of 9.8 feet, in part thanks to rubberized exterior protection for the aluminum body. It's also IP65-rated for rain, dust and crush resistance.

The SSD is said to have low heat conductivity and it offers read/write speeds of up to 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s, respectively. Samsung says those are the fastest possible speeds for the USB 3.2 Gen2 standard (though the SSD comes with both USB Type C-to-C and Type C-to-A cables). The company claims the T7 Shield is almost 10 times faster than external HDDs and almost twice as fast as SATA-based portable SSDs.

As with other T7 models, the Shield is compact, measuring 88 x 59 x 13 millimeters. It weighs 98 grams. Along with computers, it's compatible with gaming consoles, mobile devices and broadcast cameras. The drive also has hardware encryption.

The T7 and T7 Touch are among our favorite portable SSDs, in part because of their zippy speeds and form factor. This more rugged version could become popular among travelers and action sports enthusiasts.

The T7 Shield has black, beige and blue color options. It's available worldwide today. The 1TB version costs $160, while the 2TB model is $290.