It wasn’t that long ago that an ultraportable external drive capable of holding 1TB of data was the size of a paperback novel. And it probably used a 5400 rpm laptop drive that was both slow, and vulnerable to shocks. SanDisk’s latest portable drive will hold massive amounts of data. It’s fast, with data speeds of up to 550MB/s. But it’s so tiny your smartphone will dwarf it. And the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is both shock resistant and water resistant.
Portable SSDs bring you into ultra-portable territory. Rugged and water resistant? Great features to have for keeping your data safe and secure, even when used outdoors or carried around in inclement weather. The SanDisk Extreme portable SSD ticks all those good boxes: it’s ultra-portable mass storage that’s fast, easily pocketable, rugged, and water resistant.
I’ve been using a 1TB version of the SanDisk Extreme portable SSD for the past several months, and it’s performed admirably.
- 1TB solid state storage (250GB and 500GB also available)
- Read speeds of up to 550 MB/s
- USB-C connector (USB 3.1 Gen 2)
- USB-Type-A adapter, and USB-C cable included in box
- IP55 water and dust resistance rating
- Operates in temperatures from 0°C to 45°C
- Officially compatible with Windows 8-10, macOS 10.6+ (ships with ex-FAT formatting)
- 9.6 x 5.0 x 0.9 cm, weighs 39.7g
- 3-year limited warranty
Unboxing the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD: SanDisk included the adapter!
The packaging that the SanDisk Extreme portable SSD arrived in is smaller than any of the portable hard drives on my desk. And as it turns out, that packaging is a lot of empty space because this portable SSD is truly tiny. It’s not that much larger than a credit card (although considerably thicker than a slice of plastic). This is a portable drive that is truly pocketable. It even has a built-in loop on one corner so you can use a carabiner clip to attach it to a belt, bag, or backpack.
That loop also offers a flash of colour. The drive itself is dark grey plastic, with rubberized bumpers and backing and the SanDisk logo in white. The orange loop is bright orange, which adds some needed visual pop.
Included in the box are a short (15cm) USB-C cable, along with a USB Type-A adapter so the drive can be plugged into older computers (or devices like tablets or digital cameras) that might lack the newer port. This is a nice touch. USB-C to USB Type-A adapters aren’t expensive these days, but not everyone has one kicking around. By including the adapter, SanDisk makes certain everyone can use the drive immediately.
SSD speed in an ultraportable package
The SanDisk Extreme portable SSD provides lightning-quick data transfers. The drive is able to read data at a speed of 550 MB/s. There are new PCIe drives that are faster, but this should be plenty of speed for most applications. I tested it primarily with an older MacBook Air with a Type-A USB 3.0 port and copying a 10GB file to the drive took a bit less than 20 seconds.
The included USB-C cable is a little on the short side (it left the drive dangling in mid-air when connected to MacBook Pro M1 on its stand), but the inclusion of the USB Type-A adapter means you can plug this drive into virtually anything.
Verdict
There are plenty of external storage solutions out in the market, but very few of them will be as durable as the Extreme Pro Portable SSD. It’s got great transfer speeds to keep you going, plenty of storage, and comes in a variety of storage sizes.
Whether you’re trekking through snowy mountains or filming in the middle of the desert, this drive won’t let you down.