This might be the week you buy a new MacBook Air, as Apple just unveiled 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with M3 chips. It doesn’t even have to be a new M3 laptop, with all the great M2 MacBook Air deals out there. You can even score significant savings on the older and still reliable M1 MacBook Air, the only one that retains Apple’s iconic wedge laptop design.
They all start with “just” 256GB of storage on board. That might be more than enough for some people, especially if they rely on various cloud services to manage their storage needs. Others might choose the 512GB option; I know I would.
The alternative is getting a portable SSD to better manage your storage anxiety. And it so happens that PNY just announced a portable SSD that I simply couldn’t ignore. The RP60 Portable SSD is not just fast, but it’s also rugged. And the 1TB version starts at $99.99. This might just be the Samsung T7 Shield alternative we’ve been waiting for.
First up, the RP60’s performance is impressive. PNY says the portable drive can deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s and 1,800 MB/s, respectively, via a USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection. That’s almost double the speeds of the T7 Shield, which goes up to 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s.
If you’re like me, you want your data to be as secure as possible. I’m not just talking about password protection for the drives I use to back up my Mac. For my added peace of mind, I’d love them to be as rugged as possible so I don’t accidentally damage them.
That’s why PNY’s RP60 caught my attention. It can be a great alternative to the T7 Shield. At 100 x 60 x 12.4 mm (3.94x 2.36 x 0.49 inches) and 100 grams. (0.22 pounds), the RP60 is highly portable. It’s about the same size as the T7 Shield, which measures 88 x 59 x 13 mm and weighs 98 grams.
The RP 60 drive features a silicone shell on the outside and a clop loop that lets you attach it to your backpack or other accessories. It’s drop-resistant up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) and has an IP65 water- and dust-resistance rating. That includes protection for the USB-C, as seen above. The stats match the T7 Shield’s ruggedness.
Finally, the drive comes with Acronis True Image Data Protection for data backup and recovery.
PNY will start selling the RP60 Portable SSD at some point in April on its website and Amazon. It’ll come in 1TB and 2TB capacities, priced at $99.99 and $179.99. The prices are in line with Samsung’s current prices for the T7 Shield. We’re looking at $109 and $169 prices on Amazon for the same capacity options. Samsung also sells a $299 4TB variant, but PNY doesn’t have a match for that.
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