This Samsung T7 Shield portable SSD makes me want to do laundry with it

Rugged devices often look like tanks, but the design of this portable SSD might make you think of something completely unrelated.

Our modern world revolves around data, particularly those stored in digital form. More and more jobs revolve around digital objects, not to mention how we live every day with photos taken by phones and digital cameras. It is not enough to store data on our laptops or desktops. We find ourselves constantly moving files between devices and lugging around additional storage devices. That has given rise to a breed of rugged hard drives and SSDs, and Samsung’s latest portable solution almost makes you want to test its mettle in the laundry.

Designer: Samsung

Let’s move on. The portable SSD fits comfortably in your palm and can be used as a laundry soap bar. Despite not being familiar with the object, there are still laundry detergent capsules and liquid detergents. Admittedly, one can also associate the ridged surface of the Samsung T7 Shield with the treads of a tank, but the bar-like form of the portable SSD makes that idea less sticky.

That almost comical design choice does have some benefit to the drive’s rugged nature. The thicker elastomer material and the ridges offer the best protection against impacts. They are more effective than drives that have smoother or flatter surfaces. And, yes, the T7 Shield is also IP65 (not IP68) rated against minute particles like dust and a few splashes of water. Despite its looks, it definitely won’t survive washing your clothes.

The Samsung T7 Shield is no larger than a credit card, at least in length and width, making it easy to slip into your pocket on the go. It is not just for work but can also be used as an extra storage space for photos, games, and other data. Of course, you won’t be able to carry your console with you everywhere, but the SSD’s speed will shave off a few minutes when you start copying games to the machine.

Of course, the portable SSD isn’t just all looks and tough talk. It naturally boasts some fast data transfer speeds, which is the main point of expensive SSDs, and high storage capacities of up to 2TB. Although the SSD is not made of sustainable materials, Samsung tried to reduce its environmental impact by using smaller tray packaging. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung T7 Shield rugged portable SSD isn’t exactly inexpensive, which is typical for SSDs, even more for portable SSDs. If you are in the market for a portable and fast storage solution, however, you might as well invest in something that can protect your data digitally and physically. Just try not to mistake this for a bar of soap.