SAMSUNG T5 EVO: TIME TO UPDATE YOUR HARD DRIVE

Samsung makes a wide range of high-performance solid-state drives, including the seriously rugged T7 Shield, which has been on our list of best SSDs for Mac (fave.co/47H8ILO) for the last couple of years.

- BY CLIFF JOSEPH

Its new T5 EVO isn't as fast as some of its SSD rivals, but rather than competing with more expensive, high-end drives, Samsung is really promoting the affordable T5 EVO as a general-purpose backup device that provides a faster and more portable alternative to a conventional hard drive. And, unlike many solid-state drives, it provides up to 8TB of storage, making it a good option for people who need a lot of storage space for their work files, photos and videos. It's competitively priced too, starting at $189.99/£146 with 2TB of storage, while the 8TB model costs $479/£493.

It might not have the armor-plated protection of the T7 Shield, but the sturdy little T5 EVO doesn't cut corners on build quality. The drive is very compact, measuring just 17mm thick, 40mm wide and 95mm long—although that 95mm also includes a chunky metal ring on one end that can be used to attach the drive to a backpack or belt when you're traveling. It only weighs 102g as well, so it's no trouble to carry it around when you're out and about.