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USB Flash Drive Review: SanDisk Extreme Pro

2024年7月19日 09:01

Review of the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB

This is a review of the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB.
It is a high-end model, representing the top-tier USB flash drive from SanDisk. Its rival is the Transcend JetFlash 920.

Catalog Specifications (Manufacturer's Published Values)

It features a sliding metal body with a width of 21.00mm, length of 71.00mm, height of 11.00mm, and weight of 18.14g. Performance specs are a sequential read speed of 420MB/s and a sequential write speed of 380MB/s.

Benchmark Test (CrystalDiskMark)

The test results are ultra-fast, comparable to the Transcend JetFlash 920. This is the speed I expected based on the catalog specifications. While there are pros and cons compared to the Transcend depending on the specific metric, I consider them to be in the same speed class, and for a USB flash drive, it is ultra-fast.

One slightly disappointing point was that the write speed deviated significantly from the catalog specifications, though I cannot say for sure since the verification environment is different. Still, it is a sufficiently fast speed.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB (FAT32) Benchmark Test

Capacity/Read/Write Test (H2testw)

In the read/write test, I observed a significant drop in speed, similar to the Transcend. However, as a USB flash drive, the speed is significantly different.
Compared to the USB flash drives one would normally imagine, this speed drop is negligible.

I had the impression that SanDisk USB flash drives were not that fast in terms of write speed, but this model overturned that impression. It actually yielded faster results than the Transcend.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB (FAT32) Capacity Test

Ubuntu Installation/Boot Test

Installation (Write) Test
The installation took 4 minutes and 17 seconds. Since the overall average for verified USB flash drives is 28 minutes and 14 seconds, this is far faster than the average and, according to the measurement results, faster than the Transcend. The reference speed is 77.82MB/s.

Boot (Read) Test
Please view this as a reference. Actually, I could not boot using the UUI write, so I hurriedly used a version written with Rufus to verify it.
(The verification process is the same)

Booting took 33 seconds. The overall average for verified USB flash drives is 3 minutes and 4 seconds. This result indicates a high-speed boot, which is the fastest among USB flash drives.
The reference speed is 242.42MB/s.

Other Good Points and Concerns

Good: It is equipped with an access lamp.

Concern: It has a larger and heavier body compared to others.
Concern: Perhaps due to the surface finish, it is easy for your hand to slip when attaching or detaching it.

Honestly, the body is quite bulky. It is also on the heavier side for a USB flash drive. However, being large is not necessarily a bad thing; it takes into account interference with other USB devices, and it has the advantage of being harder to lose because it is conspicuous.

The fact that it is equipped with an access lamp and that it is in an easy-to-see position when plugged into a PC is a big plus.

SanDisk Extreme Pro Verification Results Summary

To summarize briefly, the performance and other aspects are as follows.

File Read - ★★★★★ (Among the fastest in the USB flash drive category)
File Write - ★★★★★ (Among the fastest in the USB flash drive category)
App Installation - ★★★★★ (Among the fastest in the USB flash drive category)
App Booting - ★★★★★ (Among the fastest in the USB flash drive category)
Cost Performance - ★☆☆☆☆ (Among the most expensive in the USB flash drive category)

* Cost performance is evaluated based on the average selling price as of July 14, 2024.

In terms of performance, it is undoubtedly high-end, but the price is also high-end. The performance is simply wonderful, but when compared to its rival Transcend, the price makes it a bit of a difficult decision.

Regarding cost performance, at 43.31 yen/GB, the cost per 1GB exceeds 40 yen for a USB flash drive.

After finishing the verification tests for the SanDisk Extreme Pro
My impression is that it was fast, as expected. I felt that it is better suited for use as an external SSD rather than a USB flash drive.

I have been testing top-tier models in succession, but I also realized that when testing lower-priced models, I must try to forget about these models.