SanDisk Extreme Pro with USB4 review

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

USB4 provides good performance

Competitive price

Rugged design for outdoor use

Cons

Lacks full Thunderbolt support

Larger than many portable drives

Our Verdict
The Extreme Pro With USB4 isn’t the fastest SSD around, but it’s more than fast enough for most non-professional users, and a lot more affordable than high-end Thunderbolt drives. It’s sturdily built too, making it a good choice for outdoor use and bad weather.

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About 10 years ago, SanDisk was taken over by Western Digital, but the two companies recently decided to part company again, with SanDisk focusing on solid-state drives and memory products while WD sticks with its traditional range of hard drives. And, to celebrate its independence, SanDisk has been launching a flurry of new products in recent months, particularly focusing on portable storage and backup.

We recently reviewed its Extreme Portable SSD, which was an affordable entry-level drive that used a USB-C interface with support for USB 3.2 (Gen 2). That was followed by the Extreme Pro Portable SSD, which stepped up to the faster USB 3.2 (Gen 2×2). However, Macs don’t support USB 3.2 (Gen 2×2) so that wasn’t necessarily a good option for Mac users. SanDisk wasn’t finished, though, as it has just released yet another portable drive called the Extreme Pro With USB4, which – you guessed it – now adopts the even faster USB4. And yes, USB standards are a confusing mess these days, so you do need to pay close attention to the technical specifications when buying drives from SanDisk or any other manufacturer. Read: Thunderbolt 5 vs Thunderbolt 4 and 3 vs USB4 for more about the different standards.

As you might 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 drive with a Mac or PC that has Thunderbolt 4 in order to get the best performance, which makes it a good option for Mac users who need a fast, portable backup drive.

Available with either 2TB or 4TB of storage, the Extreme Pro With USB4 looks very similar to its predecessors, with the same rounded corners, orange trim and a handy cut-out section in one corner that can be used with a lanyard to attach it to a belt or backpack when you’re travelling. There’s a USB-C cable included in the box, but there’s no lanyard so you’ll need to provide that for yourself.

However, closer inspection reveals that the Extreme Pro With USB4 is quite a bit larger than other SanDisk drives that we’ve tested in the past, measuring 11.9mm thick, 58.7mm wide, and 140mm long. It’s almost as large as the iPhone 16e – and, at 172g, it’s actually heavier than the 16e – but it’s still small enough to slip into a pocket or bag, and its sturdy design makes it a good option for travelling and for people who need to work outdoors.






The main body of the drive is made out of forged aluminium, which is then wrapped in a silicon sleeve for added protection. SanDisk says that it can survive being dropped from a height of 2m, and it’s rated IP65 for water and dust resistance (which means that it can survive heavy rain, but not total immersion in water). And, to back it up, SanDisk provides a five-year warranty as well.

But, of course, the main attraction is the use of USB4 to provide high performance for storing your important files and Time Machine backups. SanDisk quotes a maximum write performance for the Extreme Pro With USB4 of up to 3700MB/s, and read performance up to 3800MB/s although, as mentioned earlier, it does recommend using the drive with a Mac or PC that has Thunderbolt 4 for best results.

That’s perfect for Mac users of course, and when we tested the drive with the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test using a MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 4 we got very strong performance of 3400MB/s for both read and write performance. And, just out of curiosity, we also tested the drive with an M4 Mac mini that has Thunderbolt 5, and were surprised to see that the write performance jumped quite drastically to 4400MB/s. That write performance stayed consistent even after several repeated tests with BlackMagic, although the drive’s read performance with the Mac mini was unchanged at 3400MB/s.

Should You Buy The Extreme Pro With USB4?

Professional users who need top performance for working with large video or graphics files might prefer to pay more for a solid-state drive with full support for Thunderbolt. However, the Extreme Pro With USB4 is far more affordable than most Thunderbolt drives and still provides impressive performance that will be more than adequate for most people who just need a fast, sturdy portable drive for their Time Machine backups.

Take a look at the Best SSDs for Mac for alternatives to the SanDisk Extreme Pro