X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert deal-hunting staff showcases the best price drops and discounts from reputable sellers daily. If you make a purchase using our links, CNET may earn a commission.

Put Samsung's 500GB T5 SSD in your pocket for $100

That's the lowest price to date on this top-rated portable drive, which sold for $190 not too long ago. Or choose door No. 2: a 4-terabyte portable drive for the same price!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
samsung-t5-promo

Don't let the photo fool you: The Samsung T5 measures under half an inch thick and less than 3 inches long.

Samsung

Let me start by saying this deal first hit the interwebs yesterday, so it could end at any time, or supplies could run out. The latter seems especially likely, as it's one seriously sweet storage deal.

For a limited time, B&H has the Samsung T5 500GB portable solid-state drive for $99.99 shipped. The first time I encountered this drive, it was $190 -- and it currently runs $155-$165 most places.

samsung-portable-ssd-t5

Ah, now you can see just how compact the T5 is.

Samsung

You can also find it at Amazon and Best Buy for the same price, should you prefer one of those stores, but you're much more likely to end up paying sales tax. B&H charges tax only to residents of New York and New Jersey.

How is this better than a flash drive? Apart from the whopping 500GB of space, you mean?

It's an SSD, which affords faster performance than a flash drive and is also considered to be much more reliable.

Granted, the T5 can't plug directly into your PC the way a flash drive can -- you need a cable -- but it's still plenty portable: 0.4 inch thick, 2.9 inches long and just 1.6 ounces.

The drive has a second-gen USB 3.1 (Type C) interface, but also includes a Type-C-to-Type-A cable for use with legacy USB ports.

And holy moly, the reviews: Over 750 Amazon buyers collectively rated it 4.7 stars out of 5, while Best Buy and B&H buyers gave it 4.9. I think the only way you could not love this drive is if you tried to eat it.

The icing on the cake is Samsung's three-year warranty. If you could use half a terabyte of blazing-fast portable storage that takes up almost no space, look no further.

Your thoughts?

wd-easystore-4tb-angled

Wait, this 4-terabyte drive is also $100?!

WD

Bonus deal: Speaking of storage, I have to share this because, well, you'll see.

Best Buy also has the WD Easystore 4TB USB 3.0 portable hard drive for $99.99. So for the same price, you can get eight times the capacity.

That's an insane deal. The drive normally runs $200. Now, it's mechanical, and therefore nowhere near as fast as the Samsung T5. It's also a bit larger and about five times heavier (though still just 8 ounces).

But is it still pretty fast, relatively speaking, and extremely travel-friendly? To be sure. And the reviews here are just as glowing: 4.8 stars from over 6,000 Best Buy customers.

So if you've got $100 to spend, which of these two drives would you choose?

The best new gaming laptops, ranked

See all photos

Best 13-inch laptops for 2018: Hand-picked by CNET's editors.


CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones , gadgets and much more. Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!