The Samsung T9 is our favorite portable SSD ever — and it's down to $240 at Amazon

We ran the Samsung T9 through our full storage benchmark suite, including AJA System Test and CrystalDiskMark, and it came close to the theoretical limits of the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface.

And right now, the Samsung T9 1TB is down to $240 (was $288) at Amazon .

It's rated for up to 2,000MB/s read and write speeds over Gen 2x2, backed by XTS-AES 256-bit hardware encryption and drop resistance up to 3 meters onto steel plates, and includes both USB-C and USB-A cables.

If you need a higher capacity, the 2TB Samsung T9 is down to $405 (was $575) at Amazon .

T9 portable SSD 1TB: was $287.99 now $239.99 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 external SSD rated for up to 2,000MB/s sequential read and write speeds, XTS-AES 256-bit hardware encryption, drop resistance up to 3 meters, and a 5-year limited warranty.

Includes both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables.

The 2TB version is also discounted to $405 (was $575) .

View Deal Why we recommend it For most people, the Samsung T9 is our top-rated portable SSD, and has been for a long time now.

If you need a speedy drive you can sling in your backpack for work or study, saving game files, or a lot of media, this is our top recommendation.

In our benchmarks and 4-star review , the T9 posted read and write speeds close to 2,000MB/s across AJA System Test, CrystalDiskMark, ATTO, and AS SSD, putting it on par with the other Gen 2x2 drives we've tested from Crucial and Kingston.

The caching system also held up well on sustained writes, which matters if you're pulling footage straight off a camera or moving large project files.

Build quality is a genuine strength: the rubberized exterior survived drop testing from up to 3 meters onto steel plates, a tougher test than most drives in this category go through, and Samsung backs it with a five-year warranty.

For more picks, see our guide to the best portable SSDs we've tested (spoiler: the T9 is ranked best overall).

Also consider T7 portable SSD 1TB: was $274.99 now $209.99 If you don't need the speed of the T9, the Samsung T7 is an excellent alternative.