CES 2017: SanDisk Launches 256GB Flash Drive With Read/Write Transfer Speeds Up to 420MB/s - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

CES 2017: SanDisk Launches 256GB Flash Drive With Read/Write Transfer Speeds Up to 420MB/s

by

Western Digital today announced the launch of its latest SanDisk-branded product, a 256GB SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive, which it says is the fastest, highest capacity USB flash drive the company has ever made.

Designed to provide the speed and reliability of a solid state drive in the form factor of a small USB flash drive, the SanDisk Extreme Pro can reach read speeds of up to 420MB/s and write speeds of up to 380MB/s. According to Western Digital, a full-length 4K movie can be transferred to the drive in less than 15 seconds.

sandiskssd

"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, vice president of 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."

Western Digital plans to begin offering the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive in late January from retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy. It will be priced at $179.99.

Western Digital is also debuting a new SanDisk-branded A1 microSD card at CES, which offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s. With read IOPS (input-output access per second) of 1,500 and write IOPS of 500, it can open apps and process files more quickly. SanDisk's Ultra microSD card with A1 will be available in January of 2017 for $199.99.

Top Rated Comments

Bubba Satori Avatar
129 months ago
Insert snarky dongle joke here
OK.

MacRumors content image

MacRumors content image

MacRumors content image

MacRumors content image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
129 months ago
It's so nice to see a successor to the Extreme Pro. We use them at work to re-image Macs; reinstalling MacOS takes a long time, but if you just restore an image of the hard drive to the machine from one of these flash drives, it only takes about 40 seconds to get a machine up and running with a fresh install.

They're blisteringly fast and now these are even faster! Now to get the boss to buy a couple...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bubba Satori Avatar
129 months ago
Sandisk releasing old USB peripherals at CES-2017. Someone clearly didn't get the memo.
90% of the computing world who didn't have the ports they need taken away from them will love them.
The other 10% will buy another dongle.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
129 months ago
Jesus stop trying to sell us stuff
I'm not sure this is Jesus's fault. :) But I, for one, find the information useful and don't feel they are trying to sell anything. It is CES week after all.

Isn't the internet driven by ads?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
129 months ago
Finally, a happy news!!!!! I need this. This is like ssd on the go.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
128 months ago
Western Digital today announced the launch of its latest SanDisk-branded product, a 256GB SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive, which it says is the fastest, highest capacity USB flash drive the company has ever made.

Designed to provide the speed and reliability of a solid state drive in the form factor of a small USB flash drive, the SanDisk Extreme Pro can reach read speeds of up to 420MB/s and write speeds of up to 380MB/s. According to Western Digital, a full-length 4K movie can be transferred to the drive in less than 15 seconds.

MacRumors content image
Western Digital plans to begin offering the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive in late January from retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy. It will be priced at $179.99.

Western Digital is also debuting a new SanDisk-branded A1 microSD card at CES, which offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s. With read IOPS (input-output access per second) of 1,500 and write IOPS of 500, it can open apps and process files more quickly. SanDisk's Ultra microSD card with A1 will be available in January of 2017 for $199.99.

Article Link: CES 2017: SanDisk Launches 256GB Flash Drive With Read/Write Transfer Speeds Up to 420MB/s ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/04/ces-2017-sandisk-flash-drive/')
This is just more proof that Apple jumped the gun (and the shark?) in its move to all USB-C. If USB-C were becoming mainstream, this device would sport a USB-C connector....

The lack of USB-C product announcements at CES is telling. Most USB-C products merely serve to connect current products to your computer. LaCie did release new hard drives, but they have always catered to the Mac crowd, with prices to prove it.


Insert snarky dongle joke here
This announcement just goes to show how much the future is still in the future. USB-A will be around for a long time.

USB-C is not the future. It's the current. Others are the past.
No, it's only current for Apple, who is embracing the (far off) future. Everyone else is in the present.

If Sandisk - and others - release flagship devices like these with old connectors, indeed the dongle trolls will be kept fed.
The troll under the bridge is real. Only bleeding-edge Mac users are left out in the cold, and they do not drive as many sales as the other ~99%.

That doesn't mean one have to throw away everything. I wouldn't. But I also wouldn't buy new devices without.
You can't buy devices that don't exist.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products Today

Thursday November 5, 2026 12:59 am PST by
Apple is launching five new products on Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from today: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
duo aquarium

More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try

Friday November 6, 2026 3:27 pm PST by
When the iPhone Duo launched, we shared a list of some of the fun apps developers created for the new form factor. Two weeks out, developers are continuing to come up with fresh ideas, so we thought we'd share some of our favorites. Games Marbles Unhinged ($2.99) - Marbles Unhinged is a marble maze designed for the Duo. When you fold it, the floor turns into a ramp. If you stand the top...
silver iphone 18 pro

Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year

Friday November 6, 2026 6:07 am PST by
Apple plans to merge the iPhone's Action button with the Camera Control starting next year, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker claimed that a single press of the combined button would open the camera, while a long press would trigger the function assigned to the Action button. They explicitly clarified that the dedicated Action button would ...
Latest Stories
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
4 hours ago
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
6 hours ago
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
1 day ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
1 day ago
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
1 day ago
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
2 days ago
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
2 days ago
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
2 days ago
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
2 days ago
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
2 days ago
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
2 days ago
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
2 days ago
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
2 days ago
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
2 days ago
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
2 days ago
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
2 days ago
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
2 days ago
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
2 days ago
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
2 days ago
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
3 days ago
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
3 days ago
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
3 days ago
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
3 days ago
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
3 days ago
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
3 days ago
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
3 days ago
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
3 days ago
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
3 days ago
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
3 days ago