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Tech head-to-head

Kingston XS2000vsSamsung T9

Same ballpark on the average, 7.5 and 7.7, and nothing alike on the axes: Kingston XS2000 wins Value by 2.2, 8.2 to 6.0.

Kingston XS2000

Kingston

7.5

Pocket-sized 20 Gbps storage that runs hot and owes its rating to a sleeve you can lose.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Samsung T9

Samsung

7.7

Twice the interface bandwidth of the T7, which only pays off if your machine can take it.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Value, Kingston XS2000 ahead 8.2 to 6.0. They come closest on Performance, 9.0 to 8.8. Left of center is Kingston XS2000, right is Samsung T9.

Kingston XS2000 versus Samsung T9 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars for Kingston XS2000 run left from the axis labels, bars for Samsung T9 run right. Kingston XS2000: Performance 8.8, Value 8.2, Durability 6.6, Ease of use 7.0, Design 7.0. Samsung T9: Performance 9.0, Value 6.0, Durability 8.2, Ease of use 7.8, Design 7.6.Kingston XS2000 (left)Samsung T9 (right)PerformanceKingston XS2000 — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8Samsung T9 — Performance 9.0 out of 109.0ValueKingston XS2000 — Value 8.2 out of 108.2Samsung T9 — Value 6.0 out of 106.0DurabilityKingston XS2000 — Durability 6.6 out of 106.6Samsung T9 — Durability 8.2 out of 108.2Ease of useKingston XS2000 — Ease of use 7.0 out of 107.0Samsung T9 — Ease of use 7.8 out of 107.8DesignKingston XS2000 — Design 7.0 out of 107.0Samsung T9 — Design 7.6 out of 107.6Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the Kingston XS2000

Leads on Value.

  • A Windows machine with a 20 Gbps port and short bursty transfers
  • The drive has to disappear into a shirt pocket
  • You manage your own encryption and want nothing preinstalled

Take the Samsung T9

Leads on Performance, Durability, Ease of use and Design.

  • Editing video directly off the drive
  • A machine with a 20 Gbps port to actually feed it
  • Large transfers where sustained write speed decides your day

What each one gets wrong

Kingston XS2000

  • Long sustained writes are the normal workload
  • You want encryption and backup software in the box
  • Losing a small rubber sleeve would bother you

Samsung T9

  • Your ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2, which halves the point of buying it
  • You mostly move documents and photos

Specs, side by side

SpecKingston XS2000Samsung T9
InterfaceUSB 3.2 Gen 2x2USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
ShellMetal and plastic, IP55 with sleeveRubberized grip
Capacities500 GB to 4 TB1 TB to 4 TB
Warranty5 years limited—

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Only 0.2 separates them. What breaks the tie?
Value does, at 8.2 against 6.0. That axis covers what the same money buys elsewhere. Samsung T9 leads on Performance, Durability, Ease of use and Design. If Value matters more to you, take the Kingston XS2000 instead.
Why are the totals this close?
The total is the plain average of the 5 Tech axes, so opposite results cancel. Kingston XS2000 averages 7.5 and Samsung T9 averages 7.7, a gap of 0.2, while the individual axes run as far apart as 2.2.
Which one ranks higher in "Small and fast for an hour is what you cannot buy"?
Samsung T9 sits at #1 in "Small and fast for an hour is what you cannot buy", Kingston XS2000 at #2.