For a while there. memory space was a bit of an obsession.

I still remember having to delete texts on my phone because I'd run out of room.

Even on PC's, video files needed to be erased as soon as they were watched. Rewriteable DVD's were a revelation. At last we could back up large numbers of photos.

I edit audio for a living and it takes up a lot of space. DVD backups were an easily accessible archive option.

Hard drives got bigger, but we still filled them up. The cleverer our phones got, the better the cameras, the bigger the video and image files, the more space they required.

Finally, the Cloud came to the rescue... sort of. We'll cover off cloud-based limitations shortly but we all know there's something to be said for storage you can physically hold in your hand...

 

The Samsung T5 portable SSD's will definitely fit in your hand... and not just one of them, the whole range all at once.

By now most of us have come to rely on some form of external hard drive when it comes to supplementing our everyday storage needs. Whether this is for secure backups or a standalone media server for movie and music files, there's a wide selection available. With the evolution of Solid State technology taking over from the more traditional hard drives, these external storage devices have grown quieter and slimmer.

In spite of these advances, when it comes to portability, we still generally rely on USB thumb drives to carry around just a few files at a time. The Samsung T5 challenges this idea, offering up to 2TB of storage in a package not much bigger than a matchbox.

Available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB variants, even the smallest-capacity T5 is capable of storing pretty much everything on your laptop. It fits in your pocket and weighs practically nothing. The T5's attractive aluminium unibody suggests sturdy construction and the Samsung website claims the device is shock-proof enough to withstand being dropped from a height of up to 2 metres.

Apart from its oh-so-petite stature, the T5 offers something else; versatility. There are two high-speed transfer cables in the box, offering a standard USB connection or USB-Type C for the latest smart phones and Macs. I could quote transfer speeds from Samsung and other tests, but the reality is, the T5 is definitely quick, probably faster than the device you're transferring to or from.

Mere numbers don't mean much, but I can cite a few real-life experiments. I backed up my entire phone in less than 5 minutes - contacts, music, photos, videos, everything. I also transferred a full-length movie file (1080HD) from the T5 to my phone in under 10 seconds.

This is where physical storage still trumps the Cloud every time. If you've ever tried backing up a whole phone or tablet to the Cloud, it can be a pretty frustrating experience and if you don't have a rock-solid WiFi connection, forget it. And speed isn't the only barrier to a cloud-based existence. Obviously downloading movies and sharing images uses up a lot of your data if you're out and about... and then there's the security issue.

Once you've uploaded your personal stuff, how secure is it really? Do you even know where it is?

Not only does the T5 let you keep all your nude selfies with you, the bundled app means you can encrypt the device with a password so your files are secure even if they fall into the wrong hands. Very James Bond.

So basically, this about the most useful little gadget ever.

The only thing I can't get my head around is the price. I've been playing with the 500GB version which is plenty big enough for all the movies I've been meaning to watch but haven't got around to yet. That'll set you back $379. Now that's a lot more than an external hard drive of the same size. But you can't throw a hard drive around, fit it in your pocket and it won't be nearly this fast. I think the price tag makes me balk simply because this thing is just so damn small.

You don't even want to know how much the 2TB version is. (Here's a clue; 2TB is 4 times bigger than 500GB)

While I feel the T5 is a bit pricey, I can't deny its speed, versatility and tinyness. If those are the storage features you're looking for, maybe you should make the investment.

Click here for more information an pricing on the Samsung T5 portable SSD