Samsung Electronics unveils faster and smaller SSD `T1`

Samsung Electronics has released “T1,” portable solid-state drives (SSDs), which can replace heavy and slow external hard disk drives (HDD), on Tuesday.

It is the first solid-state drive that can be detached from a PC and is portable. As it is smaller than a business card and weighs only about 30 grams, it is likely to replace existing hard disk drives.

T1 is a new SSD line-up based on the three-dimensional vertical NAND technology, and Samsung Electronics is the only producer in the industry. It is four times faster than an external hard disk drive in all memory capacities ranging from 1 TB to 500 GB and 250GB.

It has an automatic sensor that can monitor the temperature to prevent overheating. The new drive also has the world’s highest level of data stability with an encryption engine, according to Samsung Electronics.

“T1 has not only large capacity and data stability but also a stylish design,” said Kim Eon-soo, executive director of the memory business division of Samsung Electronics. “It will create a high growth market as a ‘game changer’ to change the landscape of the existing external storage market.”

From this month, Samsung Electronics will begin selling T1 in 15 countries, including Korea, the U.S., China, and Germany, and expand sales to other countries consecutively.