Expert note
Pros
- USB4 offers good performance
- Competitive price
- Robust design for outdoor use
Disadvantages
- Lack of complete thunderbolt support
- Bigger than many portable discs
Our verdict
The extreme pro with USB4 is not the fastest SSD, but it is more than fast enough for most non -professional users, and much more affordable than high -end Thunderbolt readers. It is firmly built also, which makes it a good choice for outdoor use and bad weather.
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Best price today
Best prices today: Sankisk Extreme Pro SSD with USB4
About 10 years ago, Sandisk was taken over by Western Digital, but the two companies recently decided to separate again, Sandisk focusing on solid discs and memory products while WD sticks to its traditional range of hard disks. And, to celebrate its independence, Sandisk has launched a burst of new products in recent months, focusing in particular on portable storage and backup.
We recently examined its extreme portable SSD, which was an affordable entry-level drive that used a USB-C interface with the support of the 3.2 USB (Gen 2). This was followed by the extreme Portable SSD, which reached the faster USB 3.2 (Gen 2 × 2). However, Macs do not support USB 3.2 (Gen 2 × 2), which was not necessarily a good option for Mac users. Sandisk has not finished, however, because he has just published another portable disc called Extreme Pro with USB4, which – you have guessed it – now adopts the USB4 even faster. And yes, USB standards are a confusing waste these days, so you must pay particular attention to the technical specifications when purchasing Sandisk records or any other manufacturer. Read: Thunderbolt 5 against Thunderbolt 4 and 3 VS USB4 to find out more about the different standards.
As you can expect, the extreme pro with USB4 is faster than its predecessors – in fact, USB4 is actually based on Thunderbolt 4 and Sandisk even recommends using the reader with a Mac or a PC that has Thunderbolt 4 in order to obtain the best performance, which makes a good option for Mac users who need a quick and portable backup disc.
Available with 2 TB or 4 TO of storage, the extreme pro with USB4 looks a lot like its predecessors, with the same rounded corners, an orange garnish and a practical cutting section in a corner that can be used with a lanyard to fix it on a belt or backpack when you travel. There is a USB-C cable included in the box, but there is no strap, so you will have to provide yourself.
However, a more in -depth inspection reveals that the extreme pro with USB4 is a little larger than the other Sandisk discs that we have tested in the past, measuring 11.9 mm thick, 58.7 mm wide and 140 mm long. It is almost as large as the iPhone 16th – and, at 172g, it is actually heavier than the 16th – but it is still small enough to slip into a pocket or bag, and its robust design makes it a good option to travel and for people who need to work outside.
The main body of the reader is made of forged aluminum, which is then wrapped in a silicon sleeve for additional protection. SanDisk says that he can survive to have fallen with a height of 2 m, and it is classified IP65 for resistance to water and dust (which means that it can survive heavy rain, but not to total immersion in water). And, to save it, Sandisk also offers a five -year warranty.
But, of course, the main attraction is the use of USB4 to provide high performance to store your important files and backups of the time machine. Sandisk quotes a maximum writing performance for the extreme pro with USB4 from up to 3700 MB / s, and read performance up to 3800 MB / s although mentioned above, it recommends using the reader with a Mac or a PC that has Thunderbolt 4 for best results.
It is perfect for Mac users of course, and when we tested the reader with the Blackmagic disk speed test using a MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 4, we obtained very solid performance of 3400 MB / s for reading and writing performance. And, just out of curiosity, we also tested the reader with an M4 Mac Mini which has Thunderbolt 5, and we were surprised to see that the writing performance jumped quite radically at 4400 MB / s. This writing performance remained consistent even after several repeated tests with Blackmagic, although the reader’s reading performance with the Mac Mini were unchanged at 3400 MB / s.
Should you buy Extreme Pro with USB4?
Professional users who need higher performance to work with large video or graphics files could prefer to pay more for a semiconductor player with a complete support for Thunderbolt. However, the extreme pro with USB4 is much more affordable than most Thunderbolt training and always offers impressive performance that will be more than sufficient for most people who just need a fast and robust portable player for their time machine backups.
Take a look at the best SSDs for Mac for alternatives to Sandisk Extreme Pro
