Samsung unveils P9 and P7 portable SSDs with USB4 at Gamescom 2026
Samsung has expanded its portable SSD lineup with the new P9 and P7, both featuring USB4 connectivity. The drives were unveiled at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne as demand for faster storage grows alongside high-resolution video, AI content creation and increasingly large game files.
Samsung P9 gets up to 4,000MB/s speeds
The flagship P9 is designed for professional users and offers sequential read speeds of up to 4,000MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,800MB/s. Samsung says this is roughly twice the performance of its previous generation. For comparison, the 4TB Samsung T9 with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 offers read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s. The P9 is also claimed to be the world’s first 8TB USB4 portable SSD, combining the higher interface speeds with up to 8TB of storage.
Its sustained write performance is aimed at demanding workflows, including 12K direct recording. This could make the P9 particularly useful for professional video creators who need to capture and work with large RAW image and high-resolution video files without moving them to another storage device first. The P9 was also recognised with a CES 2026 Innovation Award earlier this year.
P7 targets everyday storage
The P7 is positioned as the more versatile option in Samsung’s new range. It is designed to work with desktops, laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles and cameras, giving users a portable way to expand storage across different devices. Samsung has also tested the P7 for durability, including 2-metre drop testing as well as shock and vibration tests. That should make it better suited to users who frequently carry an external SSD while travelling or working outdoors.
Both models will be available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB capacities from the first week of September, although available configurations may vary by market.
In India, the P9 starts at Rs 32,639 for 1TB and goes up to Rs 2,59,199 for 8TB. The P7 starts at Rs 27,839 for 1TB, while its 8TB version costs Rs 2,19,839. The P9’s higher price makes more sense for professional workflows that can actually use its USB4 performance, while the P7 is likely to be the more practical choice for general storage and backups.
