With Father’s Day behind us, there’s a wealth of new laptops, tablets and other tech out there that’s going to require storage, and lots of it. Good news for you and your family: The best external hard drive, the Samsung T5 SSD, is once again on sale at Amazon, with prices starting at only $90 from the 500GB model — down from $110.
Samsung T5 (500GB) — $90, was $110:
Samsung T5 (1TB) — $190, was $200:
Samsung T5 (2TB) — $300, was $480:
Do I really need an SSD? The answer is, probably. An SSD works much like your old external hard drive, but better. Here’s the big, futuristic difference: Old external drives stored your info on a magnetic disc, like an HDD (they look similar to a CD-ROM); the SSD places that data directly on to microchips, which have three main advantages: They work quicker, take up less energy (and space) and are way, way quieter. That’s the new tech at work, but what you’ll probably notice first and foremost is the size of these things — they’re no bigger than a business card. So, at the end of the day, you have more storage power on a smaller system, which is just as easy to use.
As we look inside these divine little devices, we see hyper-fast read and write speeds, up to 540MB per second, which means all your high-res movies, games, and photos (not to mention music) can be stored quickly and safely. This is some Fort Knox tech: There is optional password protection and hardware encryption to keep your data to your eyes only. You’d think that something so small wouldn’t be tough, but guess again. While it may only be 10.5mm thick, and weigh 51 grams, it’s shock-resistant, which we like to drink of as drop-insured. Cables for both USB Type C to C and USB Type C to A connections come with every drive, so it’s ready to go with your Mac, PC, or given phone or tablet (you’ll need minimum Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.9, Android 4.4), so check if you OS is new enough.
Finally, there’s one more layer of protection: A three-year limited warranty. For that extra security, we all know your data is worth this deal.
Samsung T5 (500GB) — $90, was $110:
Samsung T5 (1TB) — $190, was $200:
Samsung T5 (2TB) — $300, was $480:
We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at anytime. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.