The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is one of a growing number of external solid state drives available today. With prices falling as a result of improvements in storage technology, SSDs are becoming a viable portable external storage option for consumers.
External SSDs are more rugged than external hard drives like the WD My Passport that we reviewed earlier this year. This is largely because unlike HDDs, SSDs do not have moving parts and as a result are more rugged and shock resistant.
However, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD takes things even further. The drive is rated IP55 which means it is also water and dust resistant, making it great for the outdoors. It can survive rain, splashes, spills, and falls of up to 2 metres, making great for an active lifestyle.
With transfer speed of up to 550 MB/s, the SSD is a high-speed storage device that will be great if you work with a lot of high resolution photos and videos.
Our review unit was the 500GB capacity model, but the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is also available in 250GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
Unboxing the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
This external SSD comes in a largely black box. You pull out the tamper-proof adhesive tape to open the box.
The drive is sitting on a white housing.
Under the drive you will find the warranty guide and the provided accessories which includes a USB Type C to USB Type C cable and a USB Type C to USB Type A adapter.
What’s inside the Box
- SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
- USB Type C to USB Type C cable
- USB Type C to USB Type A Adapter
- Warranty Guide
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD Specs
- 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
- up to 550 MB/s
- exFAT Native Format
- Password Protection
- 128-bit AES Hardware Encryption
- USB Type C (USB 3.1 Gen 2)
- IP55 (Water and Dust Resistant)
- Can withstand a 2 metre fall
- Compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Mac OS 10.6 and higher
- 96.27 x 49.53 x 8.89 mm (3.79″ x 1.95″ x 0.35″)
The Design
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD features a compact design. It is light weight and slim and can easily fit in your pocket.
The external SSD features a rubberized finish on the sides and back with a plastic finish on top. On its top right there is an orange cutout for hooking up a lanyard or keychain.
A USB Type C port is provided on the bottom side.
You can use the provided USB Type C to USB Type C cable to connect the drive to USB Type C compatible computers. However, this cable is noticeably short.
If your laptop or computer has a USB Type A port, you can add the USB Type C to USB Type A adapter to complete the connection.
The Performance
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD comes with exFAT native file format, which makes it compatible with both Windows and Mac. It will plug into Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 , and Mac OS 10.6 and higher without requiring any additional software.
To test the transfer speed, I copied a 3.04GB video file from my computer to the SSD. However, because my HP Pavilion 15 laptop does not have a USB Type C port, I had to add the USB Type C to USB Type A adapter.
The video was transferred in about 1 minute, 38 seconds. During the transfer, I observed a maximum transfer speed of about 37.2 MB /s (write speed). This is a few seconds slower than the time it took to transfer the same file on the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type C flash drive. It is also slower than the speed we got with the Western Digital My Passport.
Note that although the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD seems slow when connected via a USB Type A, it is capable of superfast speeds of up to 550 MB/s when connected to a USB Type C port. However, you will need a computer with a USB Type C port to enjoy such speed.
Moving the same file from the external SSD back to the computer took 1 minute, 21 seconds with an observed maximum transfer speed of up to 40.1 MB/s.
The SSD comes with a copy the SanDisk SecureAccess 3.0.1. This software enables you create a private vault for storing sensitive files. The folder is password protected and files encrypted with 128-bit AES encryption. Just the file double click the SecureAccess Installation file and follow the instructions to install.
Once installed, you can copy and paste or drag and drop any file you want to restrict access to into the vault. Files inside the vault are encrypted (scrambled) and cannot be accessed except the password of the vault is provided.
This means that if you misplace the drive, the contents of the vault cannot be easily accessed by anyone.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD Price and Availability
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD price in Nigeria starts around 67,000 Naira. The SSD is listed on SanDisk’s website for $72.99, $84.99, $149.99, and $289.99 for the 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities respectively.
In Nigeria, price for the 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB SSD starts at around ₦67,000, ₦90,000, and ₦160,000 respectively.
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The portable external SSD comes with a 3 year warranty.
Conclusion
When connected to a computer with a USB Type C port, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD offers super fast transfer speed that makes it great for storing and sharing hi-res photos and videos.
When connected using USB Type A, the speed becomes less impressive.
However, the rugged build that includes water and dust resistance and ability to survive falls of up to 2 metres with no data loss makes it a great external SSD for the outdoors and an active lifestyle.
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