Hi guys,
welcome back to the blog and I hope you are all doing great!
It’s been a while since I was able to get my hands on some brand new storage products, mainly due to the fact that I wasn’t really able to test out any of them in the field because of the world-wide COVID restrictions. That being said, things slowly turn back to normal over here in Europe and I finally was able to make a short trip to Fuerteventura in Spain a couple of weeks ago.
Some days before the trip took place, my good friends over at SanDisk hooked me up with one of their newest products in the lineup, the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSDs v2, which in fact is the second version of one of their most popular SSDs for photographers and other creatives. Sure thing that I took this small and rugged bad boy with me on the island. Fuerteventura is well known for its strong winds and very dusty, desert-like backlands, which should be the perfect conditions to see if the real-world usage of this SSD can keep up with the spec sheet.
This is no long-term review by any means but rather should reflect some of the first impressions I made with the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSDs v2 during my trip. So without further ado, let’s have a closer look at it.
The specs
As already mentioned, the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSDs v2 is the second version of the Extreme PRO Portable series and clocks in at nearly 2x the speed of its predecessor. To be more precise, the read/write speeds of this new version are up to 2000 MB/s, which make it one of the fastest portable options for demanding creators out there. That being said, to make usage of these top speeds you will need to have the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard available in your workstation. While this new standard is pretty rare as of now, it’ll be featured in more and more upcoming generations of computers in the near future.
Personally, I don’t have access to this new standard yet but I try to see it like this: Using this SSD on a current version of USB 3.2 Gen 2 will limit the read/write ability to around 1000 MB/s, which still is plenty of speed out in the field, while at the same time I’m already invested in the future and will have access to its full speed capabilities, once I have upgraded my computer to a newer one.
The drive itself is really compact and comes in a very appealing, rubberized black & orange finish. The aluminum chassis works as a heatsink to keep the drive performing over long periods. It is rated to survive drops from up to 6.5 feet and features an IP55 rating against dust, sand and water. The overall built feels light as a feather and only measures 0.4 by 2.3 by 4.4 inches in total. That is an absolute dream when it comes to travelling light-weight without compromising performance, even in very demanding environments like deserts, jungles or at rainy coasts.
The SSD comes with a variety of cables, including USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-C-to-USB-A as well as SanDisk’s security software for Windows and macOS, which lets you encrypt your data to the 256-bit AES hardware standard, the gold standard for consumer-drive data encryption. On top of that you’ll get a 5 year warranty, as you might already know from other Western Digital products.
The trip
Alright, enough specs talk for now. No product ist worth owning because the marketing sounds cool. In fact, as a professional creator, I demand only the best products to keep my most valuable good, the content, safe at all times. That is the number one reason, why I only use SSDs for my workflow. Compared to regular hard drives, solide state drives lack any moving parts, like i.e. the read/write head. This makes them much less prone to failure in case of a drop or long-term, intensive usage. Furthermore, the internal architecture of SSDs allows them to be lighter while also being much much faster than any HHD out there. As SSD storage has become super cheap during the last years, there is absolutely no reason to stick with regular hard drives, especially when travelling.
Talking about weight, for the trip to Fuerteventura I decided to only bring along my Apple iPad Pro. Lately, I really enjoy focusing on photography and editing on the fly while travelling and a light-weight combination of the iPad Pro together with the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSDs v2 really helps a lot here.
Using the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSDs v2 together with the iPad Pro and Adobe Lightroom Mobile worked flawlessly and I actually was pretty impressed of how easy and enjoyable this overall setup is. That being said, the SSD of course works perfectly fine with a laptop or desktop station of any other kind. It’s crazy to think about how far technology has come over the last years and SanDisk, being a brand I and other professionals trust for decades, has yet again raised the bar with the second version of their Extreme PRO SSD.
I know what you’re thinking: The color of the SSD perfectly matches with the volcanic environment of Fuerteventura, right?
Not only this, but I also think the Extreme PRO v2 is the perfect companion for moving around in these kind of surroundings. Dust, dirt and sand everywhere, yet you can be sure that your data is protected against these kind of elements, thanks to the overall professional-grade construction. Personally, I took the SDD with me all over the island on my 3 weeks trip. It rained, it was super windy and dusty at all times but I never worried about my content. In fact, thanks to the portability of my setup, I was able to review and edit my images while on the go, being completely independent from any location or condition at site.
Conclusion
There you have it guys, these have been my first impressions of the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSDs v2. So far I can only say the best about it. Yes, it looks sexy and performs like one would expect from such a product. It definitely is aimed towards the ambitious and professional creator, who needs a drive which can keep up with today’s ever growing file sizes, while being rugged enough to take it to even the most demanding environments. All of this comes in a tiny, extremely portable package, which in fact is so light-weight that you’ll almost forget it’s there. Furthermore, it feels very reassuring that SanDisk offers a 5 year warranty on it, which is plenty of time in today’s fast pacing world. Personally, I definitely feel safe to recommend this drive to anybody out there and it’ll have a permanent place in my camera bag when it comes to future trips around the globe.
As always, thanks so much for sticking around and talk to you soon,
Chris