Samsung's T7 series of SSDs are still well-received three years after their launch, and the T7Shield is currently our top pick among portable SSDs. And leaked retail listings suggest a successor could be coming soon, with significantly faster speeds and higher prices.

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Several online retailers have already listed the Samsung T9 portable SSD. They're likely to be successors to the company's venerable T7 series, but Samsung hasn't announced a T9 SSD yet.

Currently, French supplier Grosbill has a product page for 1TB and 2TBT9 models, with the product number MU-PG2T0B. P12.fr and Australian retailer Microboss have similar listings. There are no details yet, but the new SSD may debut as a high-end product.

Microboss removed a page that mentioned 2GB/s read and write speeds, which is twice the performance of the T7 but comes at a hefty price tag. While Grosbill's page doesn't include technical specs, they list each size at almost twice the price of the T7. The 2TB model costs €199 ($212), compared to $119 for the 2TBT7, and the 1TBT9 costs €124 ($132), compared to $79.

This change is less a reflection of flagship performance than the sharp decline in SSD prices over the past year. Although the price of T9 is much higher than that of T7, the launch price is far lower than the starting price of T7.

When Samsung released the original portable T7 in 2020, it cost $200 for 1TB and $370 for 2TB. Two years later, the T7Shield was launched, adding a rubber shield that could withstand drops of nearly 10 feet, and the price dropped to $160 for 1TB and $290 for 2TB. This drop is significant, but after all, this product has gone through a long life cycle.

The world is very different now. Post-pandemic oversupply caused a slump in SSD prices that began in early 2023 and may continue into this year's holiday season, after which analysts expect costs to stabilize before rising slightly in 2024.

There's no word yet on when the T9 series will ship, but given the timing on the product page, shipping before the end of the year seems reasonable. Another important detail that the retailer didn't reveal is the cable interface. The T7 uses USB 3.2, but adding Thunderbolt support could give the T9 a significant advantage, justifying its higher price.