Samsung's newest product to replace the top-of-the-line portable T5 SSD in external hard drives was unveiled as CES began to draw to a close and Samsung announced the T7 Touch, a faster and more secure version of the T5 in the same portable form factor.

It has been almost two and a half years since Samsung introduced the T5 SSD, and it remains our top pick in the portable storage category. the T7 SSD is poised to overtake the T5 SSD, in part because it has a built-in fingerprint scanner. It adds another layer of security in addition to password protection and AES 256-bit hardware encryption.

This makes it a more viable option for transferring and carrying sensitive data.

In addition to the added security, Samsung claims that the T7 Touch is approximately twice as fast as a T5 SSD and 9.5 times faster than a typical hard disk drive (HDD). Specifically, when connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port, it is rated to deliver read speeds of up to 1,050 MB/sec and write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/sec.

Not all USB ports are the same, so it is recommended that you verify which USB ports are available before taking full advantage of the T7 Touch's potential speed. While backward compatible with previous USB standards, for example, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports will not reach rated levels of performance. [Samsung includes both a USB Type-C-to-C cable and a USB Type-C-to-A cable.

Samsung says the T7 SSD will be available this month in 2TB ($399.99), 1TB ($229.99), and 500GB ($129.99) capacities. If you don't need the added speed or security features, the T5 SSD remains an excellent choice and attractively priced.

The T7 SSD also has a non-touch version without a fingerprint sensor. Presumably offering the same speed benefits as the T7 Touch at a lower price point, all Samsung has revealed at this time is that the T7 SSD will be available in Q2.