If you are in search of a sleek and sophisticated hard drive that can withstand occasional bumps, then this SSD variant is the perfect choice for you.
Design and Reliability
One aspect that truly impressed us about this hard drive was its compact and slim construction. It effortlessly fits into our front or back jeans pocket, unlike our forgotten 10-year-old backup tucked away in a drawer somewhere. With a capacity of 500GB, and retailing at only USD 64.99, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is not only easily portable but also readily accessible whenever we need to perform backups.
The silicon shell of the drive has a pleasantly soft texture, which adds to its compact beauty when combined with the upper plastic cover. While the manufacturer recommends three-meter drop protection, we decided to push the limits and dropped it from a height of four meters onto various surfaces such as carpet, wood flooring, tile, and concrete. We observed only minor scratches on the rugged outer shell, which had no impact on the drive’s actual functionality.
One of the notable advantages of SSDs is their lack of moving parts, making them less prone to complete failure when exposed to jostling or vibrations, compared to mechanical external drives.
The SanDisk Extrema Portable SSD soft touch exterior and loop makes it easy to carry and ready for travelling around. It also comes with Windows and Mac versions of SanDisk’s SecureAccess software, which allows hardware encryption unlocked via password.
Drive Speed
There may come a day when your computer ceases to function, and unless you have backed up your data, it will be lost forever. With the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, you’ll have ample space to store all your files, especially if you frequently transfer large amounts of data between two computers.
We paid close attention to the performance of the ScanDisk Extreme Portable SSD during tasks such as copying, writing, reading, data transfers, full backups, and everyday use under high intensity. Impressively, we were able to move 7 GB of data in just 7 minutes at a speed of 700MBps, though the manufacturer’s stated read and write times of 1050MBps and 1000MBps, respectively. These sequential transfer speeds proved excellent when our creative director performed extensive transfers and edits on a MacOS, though speed might not be the only reason that can make you choose one drive to the other.
Connection Type
When it comes to regular backups or quick transfers between computers, a portable hard drive that draws power and transfers data through a single cable is the ideal choice. For this review, we considered USB-C, which offers USB 3.2 Gen 2 transfer speeds and is gradually replacing the older, slower USB Type-A connectors on thinner laptops.
However, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD includes an additional tiny USB-C–to–USB-A adapter for older systems at no extra cost. As you may be aware, USB-A and USB-C are different connector types used to link devices to a computer or other host device, and they affect the speeds delivered by the external drive. USB-A is the traditional rectangular connector widely used in desktop PCs, laptops, gaming consoles, and tablets for many years. While the Scan Disk Extreme SSD is future-proof with its USB-C, the newer, smaller, and reversible connector, it also accommodates users with USB-A devices and offers various speeds compatible with their devices.
We reviewed the 500 GB which might seem small for many people but just enough as an extra storage if you are not opting for any cloud spaces, this might also be commensurate to many desktops’ hard drives. However, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD also comes in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD Technical Specifications
| Capacity | 500 GB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Connector | USB-C |
| Sequential Read Performance | 1050 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Performance | 1000MB/s |
| Compatibility | USB 3.2 Gen 2 [10Gb/s], USB 3.0, USB 2.0 |
| Dimensions [L * W * H] | 0.38” * 2.07” * 3.97” |
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