At a look
Skilled’s Score
Execs
- USB4 offers good efficiency
- Aggressive value
- Rugged design for out of doors use
Cons
- Lacks full Thunderbolt assist
- Bigger than many moveable drives
Our Verdict
The Excessive Professional With USB4 isn’t the quickest SSD round, nevertheless it’s greater than quick sufficient for many non-professional customers, and much more reasonably priced than high-end Thunderbolt drives. It’s sturdily constructed too, making it a sensible choice for out of doors use and dangerous climate.
Value When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Greatest Pricing Right this moment
Value When Reviewed
$280 for 2TB, $430 for 4TB
Greatest Costs Right this moment: SanDisk Excessive Professional SSD with USB4
$429.99
$429.99
About 10 years in the past, SanDisk was taken over by Western Digital, however the two corporations just lately determined to half firm once more, with SanDisk specializing in solid-state drives and reminiscence merchandise whereas WD sticks with its conventional vary of exhausting drives. And, to rejoice its independence, SanDisk has been launching a flurry of latest merchandise in latest months, significantly specializing in moveable storage and backup.
We just lately reviewed its Excessive Transportable SSD, which was an reasonably priced entry-level drive that used a USB-C interface with assist for USB 3.2 (Gen 2). That was adopted by the Excessive Professional Transportable SSD, which stepped as much as the sooner USB 3.2 (Gen 2×2). Nevertheless, Macs don’t assist USB 3.2 (Gen 2×2) in order that wasn’t essentially a very good choice for Mac customers. SanDisk wasn’t completed, although, because it has simply launched yet one more moveable drive known as the Excessive Professional With USB4, which – you guessed it – now adopts the even sooner USB4. And sure, USB requirements are a complicated mess lately, so that you do have to pay shut consideration to the technical specs when shopping for drives from SanDisk or another producer. Learn: Thunderbolt 5 vs Thunderbolt 4 and three vs USB4 for extra in regards to the totally different requirements.
As you would possibly anticipate, the Excessive Professional With USB4 is quicker than its predecessors – the truth is, USB4 is definitely primarily based on Thunderbolt 4 and SanDisk even recommends utilizing the drive with a Mac or PC that has Thunderbolt 4 with the intention to get the very best efficiency, which makes it a very good choice for Mac customers who want a quick, moveable backup drive.
Out there with both 2TB or 4TB of storage, the Excessive Professional With USB4 seems to be similar to its predecessors, with the identical rounded corners, orange trim and a useful cut-out part in a single nook that can be utilized with a lanyard to connect it to a belt or backpack whenever you’re travelling. There’s a USB-C cable included within the field, however there’s no lanyard so that you’ll want to supply that for your self.
Nevertheless, nearer inspection reveals that the Excessive Professional With USB4 is sort of a bit bigger than different SanDisk drives that we’ve examined previously, measuring 11.9mm thick, 58.7mm huge, and 140mm lengthy. It’s virtually as giant because the iPhone 16e – and, at 172g, it’s really heavier than the 16e – nevertheless it’s nonetheless sufficiently small to slide right into a pocket or bag, and its sturdy design makes it a very good choice for travelling and for individuals who have to work outdoor.
The primary physique of the drive is made out of cast aluminium, which is then wrapped in a silicon sleeve for added safety. SanDisk says that it will possibly survive being dropped from a top of 2m, and it’s rated IP65 for water and mud resistance (which implies that it will possibly survive heavy rain, however not whole immersion in water). And, to again it up, SanDisk offers a five-year guarantee as nicely.
However, after all, the principle attraction is using USB4 to supply excessive efficiency for storing your vital information and Time Machine backups. SanDisk quotes a most write efficiency for the Excessive Professional With USB4 of as much as 3700MB/s, and skim efficiency as much as 3800MB/s though, as talked about earlier, it does suggest utilizing the drive with a Mac or PC that has Thunderbolt 4 for greatest outcomes.
That’s excellent for Mac customers after all, and after we examined the drive with the BlackMagic Disk Pace Check utilizing a MacBook Professional with Thunderbolt 4 we bought very sturdy efficiency of 3400MB/s for each learn and write efficiency. And, simply out of curiosity, we additionally examined the drive with an M4 Mac mini that has Thunderbolt 5, and had been stunned to see that the write efficiency jumped fairly drastically to 4400MB/s. That write efficiency stayed constant even after a number of repeated assessments with BlackMagic, though the drive’s learn efficiency with the Mac mini was unchanged at 3400MB/s.
Ought to You Purchase The Excessive Professional With USB4?
Skilled customers who want prime efficiency for working with giant video or graphics information would possibly want to pay extra for a solid-state drive with full assist for Thunderbolt. Nevertheless, the Excessive Professional With USB4 is much extra reasonably priced than most Thunderbolt drives and nonetheless offers spectacular efficiency that might be greater than enough for most individuals who simply want a quick, sturdy moveable drive for his or her Time Machine backups.
Check out the Greatest SSDs for Mac for options to the SanDisk Excessive Professional
