T7 Shield SSD Review

I love a rugged SSD, it’s why I have a few SanDisk Extreme. But with my purchase of the Samsung T7, and T7 Touch, I thought I might as well complete the set and get the T7 Shield too. It looks great, not as good as the smooth metal of the other two but it does feel reassuringly tougher. The rubberized coating gives it some impact protection, as well as protection against those dreaded scratches the metal ones pick up. I have decided this is going to be an emergency back-up harddrive but if I was doing any adventure travelling (which I may well do in the future) this would be perfect.

At the time of writing the T7 Shield comes in 1TB, 2TB and a 4TB  sizes. I am using and reviewing the 2TB version. Prices on SSD do rise exponentially as you increase capacity, so it’s good to buy the right size for what you need. If you are a photographer or content creator though I would recommend getting the largest you can. I tend to take a lot of photos, and when I do record videos I usually record in the highest quality and reduce later. Taking up a lot of storage. 

You can plug in the T7 Shield and start transferring documents straight away. No setup or software required unless you want to add some security in the form of a password.

Without the fingerprint sensor of the T7 Touch, the T7 Shield can still include security. Instead of a fingerprint you can assign a manual password. If you decide to do this though it does mean any device you use the T7 on will have to have Samsung’s security software installed. For laptops and PC’s this is software, or for androids this is through an app on the Play Store. Since most of what I store is images, I’m not too fussed about having a password there, as I often use friends’ computers when I am having lessons on Lightroom.

The T7 shield’s shock resistant rubber gives it an edge against the others in the T7 range. It comes with a rating of IP65 meaning it has dust and water resistance. Making it much more suitable for your adventures.

Despite its rugged features, my T7 Shield doesn’t leave the house. I opted to choose it as my master copy of my documents. It has the most protection and the biggest capacity. So I keep it somewhere safe and back up when I can. I was recently given a fireproof bag for important documents (I have family in the fire service) So I keep it in there just in case I should have a tragedy at home. But absolutely if you only need one SSD this is a great option for adventurers. As you may have read I am prone to drinks leaking in my bag, and if that happens you’ll be grateful for the IP65 rating.

The T7 range advertises some impressive transfer speeds, and in my experience it backs up those claims. SSDs are significantly faster than external hard drives, and the T7 can reach speeds of up to 1050mb/ps. Now it’s still gonna take a bit of time if you’re trying to fill it to capacity in one go. But when you’re transferring images in your hotel and want to head back out for dinner you’ll be grateful for its speed.

On the T7 Shield there aren’t as many colour options as the standard T7. Offering just three with Bue, Black and Beige. I really like the Beige but it was a little harder to order, so I just opted for Blue instead. All look great and have the durability that makes it stand out. 

I love the Samsung T7 range. They offer great speeds and capacities, and they are priced around the market average. I would still say that of the SSDs I own, Samsung definitely makes the best looking. Which one of the range you prefer is going to be entirely down to preference. I personally prefer the T7 Touch, but the T7 Shield is a fantastic option too.