WDC/SanDisk: Extreme PRO USB 3.1 256GB USB Keys

Western Digital Corporation (WDC) announced its fastest, high-capacity USB flash drive to date with the l256GB ^(*) SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 solid state flash drive.

This drive delivers the speed, capacity, and reliability of an SSD in the convenient form factor of a small USB flash drive, and is for creative professionals, tech enthusiasts, or anyone who creates and shares massive files.

The drive is capable of read speeds up to 420MB/s and write speeds up to 380MB/s ⁽¹⁾. With its speeds, you can transfer full-length 4K movie to the drive in less than 15s ⁽²⁾. With its USB 3.1 interface, people can rapidly access and move files on the go, without having to worry about a cable. The drive also features a design with a durable aluminum metal casing and a retractable connector for style and reliability.

“The combination of SSD performance and a compact USB form factor offers the ultimate performance and convenience for moving files easily and quickly,” said Sven Rathjen, VP, marketing, client solutions business unit, Western Digital. “With its increased capacity and blazing speeds, the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 solid state flash drive is our sleekest, most powerful SanDisk USB device yet.“

The Extreme PRO is available up to 256GB, giving consumers room to manage large files. For added file protection, it includes the SecureAccess software, which offers 128-bit file encryption and password protection ⁽³⁾. The drive also comes with a limited lifetime warranty ⁽⁴⁾.

The 256GB Extreme PRO USB 3.1 will be available in late January 2017 at Amazon.com and Best Buy at an MSRP of $179.99.

^(*) 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.
⁽¹⁾ Read speeds up to 420MB/s, write speeds up to 380MB/s. USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes.
⁽²⁾ Based on 4K video transfer (4GB) with USB 3.1, Gen 1 or USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.
⁽³⁾ Password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac OS X v10.6+ (Software download required for Mac)
⁽⁴⁾ 30 years in Germany, Canada and regions not recognizing lifetime warranty, see.