Is the Samsung T7 Shield waterproof?

The Samsung T7 Shield records a water resistance rating of IP 65. That is the rating the manufacturer states, and it is the whole of what the catalogue holds on the question: there is no recorded immersion time, no recorded seal specification, no recorded cap and no recorded water test procedure, so the record does not support a claim that the drive can be submerged.

The related figure on the same record is the drop resistance, recorded as up to 3 m. The plain Samsung T7 records up to 2 m and no water rating at all, and that difference is what separates the two drives in the storage category.

What the record settles

• Water resistance: IP 65.
• Drop resistance: up to 3 m.
• Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2, 10 Gbps.
• Read speed: up to 1,050 MB/sec. Write speed: up to 1,000 MB/sec.
• Capacities: 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB.
• Encryption: AES 256-bit hardware encryption.
• Weight: 98 g. Dimensions: 59 by 88 by 13 mm.
• Warranty: three years, limited.
• Operating systems: Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.10 or later, Android Lollipop or later.

The drive is recorded as a ruggedised portable solid state drive, and its recorded audience is people who need portable storage that survives a site, a trip or a drop. The recorded description names the IP 65 water rating and the three metre drop rating as the two features that define it.

What the record does not settle

IP 65 is a rating code. What the catalogue does not hold is the detail that would turn it into a practical instruction: how long the drive can be under water, whether the rating covers jets or immersion, whether a closing cap is fitted, and what the manufacturer advises after a drive has been in water. None of that is recorded for this product, and it is not recorded for the plain T7 either.

Nor is anything recorded about the effect of water on a drive that has been running, or about how the warranty treats liquid damage. The recorded warranty is three years, limited, and that is the full extent of it.

The comparison the record supports

The plain Samsung T7 in the catalogue records a drop resistance of up to 2 m and no water resistance figure. Everything else recorded for the two drives is the same: the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface at 10 Gbps, the read and write speed figures, the 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB capacities, the AES 256-bit hardware encryption and the three year limited warranty.

So the recorded answer is that the Shield carries a water rating and the plain T7 does not, and that the only other difference the record draws between them is the drop distance and the size and weight of the body.

Verification state

The water rating and the drop rating were read from the manufacturer's own datasheet, and the operating systems list from the manufacturer's product page. Every value here is documented specification rather than a result from our own use, and no drive was handled for this page.