![\"P9](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/p9-portable-ssd.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Samsung.com<\/p>\n
Samsung unveiled P9 and P7<\/a> \u2014 the world’s first portable solid-state drive to combine an 8TB capacity with USB4’s 40-gigabit-per-second architecture \u2014 this morning at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany. The P9 hits 4,000 MB\/s sequential read and nearly doubles every performance figure its predecessor ever posted. The P9 and its mainstream sibling, the P7, go on sale globally on August 31. Whether you get that performance depends on one variable the marketing won’t tell you about: what USB port your computer actually has.<\/p>\n Samsung’s Generation Jump in Concrete Numbers<\/p>\n The T9 \u2014 Samsung’s prior portable SSD flagship \u2014 topped out at 2,000 MB\/s in both sequential read and write over a USB 3.2 Gen 2\u00d72 interface. The P9 hits 4,000 MB\/s sequential read and 3,800 MB\/s sequential write. That is not a firmware upgrade or a marketing reframe. It is a genuine architectural shift, and the shift is the interface.<\/p>\n USB 3.2 Gen 2\u00d72 runs at 20 gigabits per second (Gbps). USB4 runs at 40 Gbps \u2014 double the bandwidth ceiling. That extra headroom is what lets the P9 sustain 4,000 MB\/s (approximately 32 Gbps of real payload after protocol overhead) without hitting the wall that throttled every prior generation of consumer portable drive.<\/p>\n For a content creator offloading a 1TB project, that difference translates to roughly four minutes at P9 speed versus eight minutes at T9 speed. At 8TB \u2014 a full shoot from a cinema camera \u2014 the time saved compounds to hours across a production day.<\/p>\n Samsung also says the P9 earned CES 2026 Innovation Award<\/a> before today’s pricing announcement made it commercial.<\/p>\n What USB4 Actually Does That USB 3.2 Could Not<\/p>\n The performance jump is architectural, not incremental, and it comes from a specific design decision inside the USB4 specification.<\/p>\n USB 3.x drives \u2014 including the T9 \u2014 connect to a host through a bridge chip: a separate piece of silicon that translates between the USB command set and the drive’s internal NVMe or SATA protocol. That translation layer adds latency and thermal overhead. It is also electrically inefficient: two chips, each consuming power, where one chip’s only job is to tell the other chip what to do in a different language.<\/p>\n USB4, released in 2019 after Intel contributed the Thunderbolt 3 specification to the USB Implementers Forum, works differently. USB4 uses protocol tunneling<\/a>: NVMe commands are encapsulated inside USB4 packets and transported across the 40 Gbps link, then unwrapped at the drive’s controller. The bridge chip is no longer needed. The P9 can essentially put a PCIe-like pathway over a cable, which is why its throughput approaches what an internal NVMe drive achieves inside a desktop.<\/p>\n The 40 Gbps link provides approximately 5 GB\/s of theoretical bandwidth. The P9’s 4,000 MB\/s sequential read figure represents roughly 80% link efficiency \u2014 realistic for a sustained large-file transfer, which is exactly what cinema cameras and video editing workflows demand.<\/p>\n Samsung describes the P9’s new thermal control system as delivering a 333% read power efficiency<\/a> improvement and a 405% improvement in write efficiency compared to the previous generation. These are Samsung’s own figures and have not yet been independently verified by third-party testing ahead of the August 31 launch. The efficiency gains likely reflect both the elimination of the bridge chip and the use of a newer V-NAND controller generation. The practical consequence Samsung highlights: laptops and cameras running the P9 over an extended session drain their host batteries less than they would with a T9.<\/p>\n The P9’s 12K direct recording capability<\/a> is the commercial headline for this efficiency gain. With sustained write performance strong enough to accept continuous data from a 12K RAW camera output, cinematographers can record directly to the drive without a recorder buffer or a secondary workstation intermediary.<\/p>\n Does Your Setup Actually Get Full Speed?<\/p>\n This is the question the press release does not answer, and it determines whether the P9 is worth its price for any specific buyer.<\/p>\n To get 4,000 MB\/s from the P9, the computer on the other end of the cable must have a USB4 40 Gbps port or a Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 port. (All Thunderbolt 4 ports implement USB4 by specification, making them compatible. Thunderbolt 5 exceeds USB4’s bandwidth ceiling and will not constrain P9 performance.)<\/p>\n If a computer has USB 3.2 Gen 2\u00d72 (the T9’s native speed class), the P9 and P7 will operate at that port’s ceiling \u2014 2,000 MB\/s \u2014 offering no advantage over a T9 at a significantly higher price.<\/p>\n If a computer has USB 3.2 Gen 2 (the single-lane 10 Gbps standard common on older and budget machines), maximum throughput drops to approximately 1,000 MB\/s.<\/p>\n Tom’s Hardware reported in July 2026 that USB4 remains rare on mainstream laptops<\/a>, with the premium and desktop segments actively adopting USB4 Version 2.0 and Thunderbolt 5 but the mainstream laptop market still broadly on older USB standards.<\/p>\n How to check: On Windows, open Device Manager and look for “USB4 Host Router” under Universal Serial Bus controllers. On a Mac, any M1-series or later Apple Silicon machine includes Thunderbolt 4, which is USB4-compatible. Thunderbolt 4 is also on Intel 11th-generation Core and later platforms with a dedicated Thunderbolt 4 controller.<\/p>\n Backward compatibility is fully supported. The drives will work on any USB-C machine \u2014 they simply run at that port’s native speed.<\/p>\n P9 at a Glance<\/p>\n The P9 launches in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB. The world’s first 8TB USB4<\/a> portable SSD at that capacity is, per Samsung and confirmed by the CES.tech Innovation Award entry, the first from any manufacturer.<\/p>\n CapacityPrice<\/p>\n 1 TB<\/p>\n $339.99<\/p>\n 2 TB<\/p>\n $649.99<\/p>\n 4 TB<\/p>\n $1,349.99<\/p>\n 8 TB<\/p>\n $2,699.99<\/p>\n The P9 positions itself above the USB4 competitive field on two axes: sustained write performance and capacity. The Corsair EX400U \u2014 the leading third-party USB4 drive reviewed ahead of the P9 launch \u2014 is available in up to 4TB at around $120\u2013$350 for the 1TB\u20134TB range, with Corsair EX400U sustained write speeds<\/a> tested by third parties at approximately 1,600\u20131,700 MB\/s sustained. The P9 claims higher sustained writes at 3,800 MB\/s peak, with 12K direct recording indicating strong sustained write endurance \u2014 though independent validation awaits post-launch testing.<\/p>\n For buyers whose maximum project size fits within 4TB and who want a USB4 drive now, the Corsair EX400U remains the established, independently benchmarked alternative at a significantly lower entry price.<\/p>\n P7: USB4 for Everyone Else<\/p>\n The P7 brings USB4 connectivity to a more general-purpose tier without the P9’s pro-focused specs. Samsung has not publicly disclosed specific sequential write speeds for the P7, but the interface ceiling and read performance are shared with the P9 at up to 4,000 MB\/s sequential read, per P7 USB4 features and specs<\/a> confirmed at the Gamescom announcement.<\/p>\n Where the P7 distinguishes itself is physical resilience. It has passed 2-meter (6.6-foot) drop testing as well as shock and vibration durability assessments \u2014 a ruggedness profile designed for travel, outdoor shoots, and daily commuting. It also maintains broad device compatibility across desktops, laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles, and cameras.<\/p>\n CapacityPrice<\/p>\n 1 TB<\/p>\n $289.99<\/p>\n 2 TB<\/p>\n $549.99<\/p>\n 4 TB<\/p>\n $1,149.99<\/p>\n 8 TB<\/p>\n $2,289.99<\/p>\n At 1TB, the P7 at $289.99 is substantially more expensive than the Corsair EX400U (~$120) or Addlink P30 (~$90). Samsung’s brand premium and its 2-meter drop certification are the primary differentiators at those capacities. At 8TB, the P7’s $2,289.99 is again in a class of its own \u2014 no other USB4 portable drive offers 8TB from any manufacturer.<\/p>\n Availability<\/p>\n Both the P9 and P7 will begin their global rollout on August 31, 2026, in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB configurations. Samsung notes that available capacities may vary by market, suggesting the 8TB models may launch in select regions first.<\/p>\n Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is USB4, and why does it make the Samsung P9 faster than earlier portable SSDs?<\/p>\n USB4 is a connectivity standard published in 2019 that inherited the Thunderbolt 3 protocol \u2014 donated to the open USB standard by Intel. Rather than routing NVMe commands through a bridge chip (as USB 3.x drives do), USB4 uses protocol tunneling to move data<\/a> directly over a 40-gigabit-per-second link. That direct pathway removes the translation overhead and raises the bandwidth ceiling from 20 Gbps to 40 Gbps, enabling sustained transfers above 4,000 MB\/s where prior portable SSDs were hard-capped at 2,000 MB\/s. Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 ports are fully USB4-compatible.<\/p>\n Will a USB4 portable SSD reach full speed on my current laptop?<\/p>\n Only if your laptop has a USB4 40 Gbps, Thunderbolt 4, or Thunderbolt 5 port. On USB 3.2 Gen 2\u00d72 (20 Gbps), the P9 tops out at around 2,000 MB\/s \u2014 matching the prior-generation Samsung T9 at a significantly higher price. On USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), expect roughly 1,000 MB\/s. Tom’s Hardware confirmed USB4 adoption in premium laptops in July 2026, noting that mainstream machines remain on older standards. Check Windows Device Manager for “USB4 Host Router,” or consult your laptop’s spec sheet. All Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) include Thunderbolt 4.<\/p>\n How does Samsung’s 333% power efficiency improvement affect real-world use?<\/p>\n Samsung claims its new thermal control system in the P9 uses 333% less power per gigabyte read and 405% less per gigabyte written versus the T9. The Samsung P9 thermal efficiency claims<\/a> are Samsung’s own figures, not yet independently verified pre-launch. In practical terms, it means cameras and laptops with limited battery capacity drain less when the P9 is recording or transferring \u2014 relevant for field productions where the drive and host run on the same battery. It also means the drive generates less heat during extended 12K recording sessions, reducing the risk of thermal throttling during long takes.<\/p>\n How does the Samsung P9 compare to the Corsair EX400U, the leading USB4 SSD already on the market?<\/p>\n