Samsung has unveiled its next generation of external drives, and the new P9 and P7 SSDs definitely feel premium. The portable solid-state drives are powered by USB4, a newer USB standard, which helps conjure up impressive read and write speeds of up to 4,000 and 3,800 MB/s (where the P9 is considered). But this new heightened performance comes at a premium cost of up to $2,699.99, and I wish I were joking.
Announced during Gamescom 2026, Samsung states in its press release that you can expect to pay $339.99 for 1TB, $649.99 for 2TB, $1,349.99 for 4TB, and $2,699.99 for 8TB for the privilege of adding the P9 to your setup. It doesn't get much better with the P7, as the storage brand states it has an MSRP of $289.99 for 1TB, $549.99 for 2TB, $1,149.99 for 4TB, and $2,289.99 for 8TB.
The new pricey drives have yet to touch down at US retailers but are expected to have a "global rollout" beginning this month. It's still early days as we've just hit September, but when they are ready to drop, don't expect them to come cheap, particularly as they're likely to get even pricier from there if the current flucuating best external gaming hard drive prices as the result of the RAM Storage Crisis anything to go by.
You don't have to wait around for portable SSDs as external Samsung drives start from $234.99 at Amazon right now (like that of the Samsung T7 Portable SSD 1TB), which is compatible with your PC, PS5, and a wealth of other devices.
If you do have the funds to invest in the new P9 or P7 drives, they should at least be well equipped to handle "large-scale games" as Samsung boasts they can. The storage bigwig states the 8TB P9, in particular, is the "world’s first 8TB USB4 portable SSD" that can support speeds of up to 4,000 MB/s. To put that into perspective, the SSD that currently claims our top external hard drive spot is the WD Black P40, which has sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s.
The 8TB P9 is double that, which makes me eager to put it to the test for review. Not to mention, it also supports 12K direct recording, so it could be an ideal storage option for gamers, artists, and content creators alike. Again, that's if you can budget for it. Even the starting $339.99 price for the 1TB model is more than other Samsung options currently on the market, like the brand's T9 Portable SSD 1TB that's $237.27 at Amazon right now.
The Samsung T9 is powered by USB 3.2 and not USB4, of course, which is what this new Portable SSD P Series seems to be all about. USB4, for those unaware, is the latest type of Universal Serial Bus interface that keeps a USB-C connection and utilizes the Thunderbolt 3 protocol to provide the kind of speeds the P9 and P7 drives are capable of.
The P7 also utilizes USB4 tech, though it's less designed for storage-demanding games and more for everyday storage. The Gamescom press release doesn't share its on-the-box speeds, but it states the portable SSD is compatible with everything from desktops, laptops, smartphones, consoles, and cameras and is designed to provide "fast and convenient storage across work, entertainment, and everyday use." It's also gone through (and completed) the brand's 2-meter drop testing, so it should be able to last even in the clumsiest of hands - which is what I like to hear as someone who accidentally drops pricey tech pretty regularly.
Despite my vigorous hunting, neither the Samsung P9 nor the P7 SSDs have dropped in the US or UK. When the global launch starts rolling out, I'll be sure to let you know, and hopefully I can get my hands on either to see how they rival the best PS5 external drives that our team has tested so far.
- View all external Samsung SSDs at Amazon
While you're here, check out our guides to the best SSDs for gaming, the best PS5 SSDs, and the best external hard drives.
