3 Reasons the Samsung T7 Is the Right External SSD for a MacBook Air

Best balance of speed, price, and reliability The T7 delivers around 1,050 MB/s read and write over USB 3.2 Gen 2, which is more than enough for transferring big files and loading games. It’s small, tough, and doesn’t need an external power brick.

No real benefit from faster drives for most tasks Your MacBook Air’s Thunderbolt ports will negotiate down to USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, so a faster drive won’t matter unless you’re doing pro video work. For gaming, any SSD that saturates USB 3.2 Gen 2 loads games about as fast as an internal SATA drive.

Simple and hassle-free The T7 works instantly, comes with a USB-C cable, and avoids the extra cost and bulk of a Thunderbolt NVMe enclosure and separate drive. That setup is overkill for most people.