The Samsung S1 USB 2.0 mini portable external hard drive uses a smaller and lighter 1.8-inch design. Most portable external hard drives typically use a 2.5-inch enclosure that affords more storage capacity. The drive is available in capacities of 120GB, 160GB and 250GB, and the smaller size hard drive allows for a housing size roughly the footprint of a credit card and as thin a USB flash drive – small enough to fit into a shirt pocket or a jacket.
As a result of Samsung’s native implementation of USB into the drive’s controller, there is no need for a circuit board based “bridge” adapter to attach the drive to a USB port: the USB port is embedded directly to the drive itself. This means that the drive can be both shorter and lighter than a traditional USB flash drive.
The stylish enclosure is made of hard, high gloss plastic but seems to be of very good quality. It is available in six very pleasing colors like Piano Black, Snow White, Wine Red, Chocolate brown, Sweet Pink and Ocean Blue to please all tastes. Each color wraps around the front and sides of the device and a circular lattice pattern embellishes its top with speckles of glitter that accent its features.
The rear side of the drive has slightly sticky plastic that prevents the drive from slipping on smooth surfaces. A blue LED on top of the drive indicates the operation of the drive.
The installation of the Samsung S1 mini hard drive is very easy. Just plug in the drive, and the system will recognize it automatically. Once the drive is installed and the auto-run application loads, you will be presented with the screen that allows you install the backup software.
The Samsung S1 mini hard drive connects via USB, which also provides power to eliminate the need for an AC adapter and is compatible with Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista and Win 7) and Mac OS.
The software bundle includes an Auto Backup Software and Samsung SecretZone. The latter is a simple information privacy software that enables you to save and protect important and private data by creating virtual drives to store information that you wish to be encrypted. The Auto Backup application provides both manual and scheduled backup features. It has a very neat interface and is quite easy to use. Unfortunately, neither program works with Mac OS X.
The hard drive comes pre-formatted in FAT32 file system and if you need to reformat the drive to match your operating system, the software is available as a free download on the Samsung Storage Web site.
Main Features of Samsung S1 USB 2.0 Mini Portable External Hard Drive
- Compact, pocketable
- Stylish
- USB powered – No AC adapter required
- Files are automatically backed up on either in real-time or as scheduled
- SecretZone provides encryption of personal files and folders for data security
- Safety Key allows you to protect your personal content simply by setting a password as part of Samsung’s auto backup function
- Capacity Gauge- this feature allows you to see at a glance how much space is available (Windows Only)
- Power-saving mode- this function saves power by automatically going into standby after five minutes of inactivity
- Variety of Stylish colors to complement your style
- Enjoy peace of mind with 3 years warranty
Samsung S1 USB 2.0 Mini Portable External Hard Drive Specification
- System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X
- Form Factor: 1.8 inches
- Drive Connectivity: Hi-Speed USB – mini USB 2.0
- Spindle Rotation Speed: 4,200 RPM
- Data transfer rate (max): 480 Mb/s(Max)
- Average seek time: 12ms (Read), 14ms (Write)
- Buffer Memory Cache: 8MB
- Drive Capacities : 120GB, 160GB and 250GB
- Drive Formatting : FAT32 formatted for use with PC (requires reformatting for use with Mac)
- Software Bundle: Samsung Auto Backup, Samsung SecretZone
- Power Requirement: Powered directly from the USB port
- Color Option: Piano Black, Snow White, Wine Red, Chocolate brown, Sweet Pink and Ocean Blue
- Dimensions: 3.425 x 2.44 x 0.591 inches
- Product Weight: 0.201 pounds
- Warranty: 3-years
Package Contents
- S1 Mini external hard drive
- USB cable
- A pouch style leather case
- Quick Install Guide
- Electronic User Documentation (PDF)
- Bundle software preloaded on the hard drive
Pros
- Really small and light
- Good aesthetics
- Painless plug and play
- Includes backup software
- Quiet
Cons
- It’s a fingerprint magnet
- The leather case is a little hard to get the drive out of
- Very expensive
General Thoughts
The Samsung S1 Mini is undoubtedly slender and attractive, and fills a void between low-capacity thumb drives and cumbersome 2.5-inch external disks. If size and attractiveness are not primary factors when considering a purchase, many 2.5-inch external drives offer significantly better cost-per-gigabyte ratios.
Samsung S1 USB 2.0 Mini Portable External Hard Drive Price Review
120GB Mini Portable Hard Drives
Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 120GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU012BA/M22 (Piano Black)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 120GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU012BA/M52 (Chocolate Brown)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 120GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU012BA/M42 (Wine Red)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 120GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU012BA/M32 (Snow White)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 120GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU012BA/G72 (Sweet Pink)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 120GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU012BA/G82 (Ocean Blue)
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160GB Mini Portable Hard Drives
Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 160GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU016BA (Piano Black)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 160GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard drive HXSU016BA/G52 (Chocolate Brown)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 160GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU016BA/G42 (Wine Red)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 160GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU016BA/G32 (Snow White)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 160GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU016BA/G82 (Ocean Blue)
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250GB Mini Portable Hard Drives
Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 250GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard drive HXSU025BA/G22 (Piano Black)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 250GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard drive HXSU025BA/G52 (Chocolate Brown)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 250GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard drive HXSU025BA/G32 (Snow White)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 250GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard drive HXSU025BA/G72 (Sweet Pink)
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Samsung S1 1.8-Inch 250GB USB 2.0 mini Portable Hard Drive HXSU025BA/G82 (Ocean Blue)
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Carry Cases Samsung S1 USB 2.0 Portable Mini External Hard Drive
Universal EVA Nylon Slim Size 4.2″ x 3.1″ x 1.3″ Carrying Case (Black)
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Universal EVA Nylon Slim Size 4.2″ x 3.1″ x 1.3″ Carrying Case (Pink)
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Universal EVA Nylon Slim Size 4.2″ x 3.1″ x 1.3″ Carrying Case (Orange)
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Universal EVA Nylon Slim Size 4.2″ x 3.1″ x 1.3″ Carrying Case (Red)
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Samsung S1 USB 2.0 Mini Portable External Hard Drive Video Review
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