With capacities up to 2TB, the new NVMe drives from SanDisk, Extreme and Extreme PRO, are perfect for creating amazing content or capturing and moving incredible 4K and 8K footage with ease.

As the industry moves to NVMe, consumers benefit from a growing number of solutions that offer speeds unimaginable a couple of years ago. Portable solutions, which for a long time were based in mechanical hard drives before moving to flash memory, are now being offered in the NVMe format, which brings extra speed, ideal to face the growing needs not only for capacity but also for transfer speed.

Western Digital follows that trend and introduced two new SanDisk portable SSDs that offer nearly 2x the speed over previous generations. The SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSDs are purpose-built to keep up with today’s high-quality content demands. Professional photographers, videographers and enthusiasts capture and keep life’s best moments every day and they need reliable solutions that perform on the move at astonishing speeds.

It’s not just a matter of speed, though, and the new NVMe drives offer capacities up to 2TB, which seems to be the “sweet spot” in terms of the technology now. The flagship SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSD features a forged aluminum chassis made to stay cool under the pressure of a heavy workload and a durable silicone design to withstand the rigors of production. The drives also help keep content safe with password protection and an upgrade to 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Password protection uses 256-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows 8, Windows 10 and macOS v10.9+ (Software download required for Mac, see www.sandisk.com/secureaccess.)

Trusted by professional photographers

Perfect for creating content or capturing and moving incredible 4K and 8K footage with ease the new NVMe drives were designed with professionals in mind, and are built, says WD, “to reliably handle the most challenging assignments – whether at home, in the office or out on location. The SanDisk Extreme portable SSD is a great go-to drive for those who need more memory and a durable and fast drive, while the SanDisk Extreme PRO was built for an avid pro who needs even, sustained performance and a drive that can go anywhere.”

“When every second counts, I need fast and powerful solutions that work as quickly as I do. I rely on SanDisk SSDs to keep up with my creativity,” said Tyler Stableford, SanDisk Extreme Team member. “As an artist, speed is one of my greatest strengths, and I know with the SanDisk Extreme line of SSDs, I can get the job done with greater efficiency and capacity, and I never have to worry about running out of memory wherever the job takes me.”

“For our customers, life is an adventure and they rely on us to raise the bar across our portfolio when it comes to delivering powerful solutions to consumers and professionals alike,” said Brian Pridgeon, director of marketing, Consumer Solutions, Western Digital. “The SanDisk brand is trusted by professional photographers worldwide, which is why we built our Extreme family of drives to perform at the highest level. We amped up the speeds with the latest NVMe technology and used robust materials in our designs to handle the best shots and the most demanding jobs.”

Key features and prices

Here are the key features of the two new SanDisk NVMe portable SSDs  introduced by Western Digital:

SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD

• Save time storing and transferring data with powerful NVMe solid state performance featuring up to 2000MB/s read and up to 2000MB/s write speeds.
• A forged aluminum chassis acts as a heatsink to deliver higher sustained speeds in a portable form factor.
• Up to two-meter drop protection and an IP55 rating make the drive tough enough to take on any adventure. The drive’s forged aluminum chassis and silicone shell design offer a premium feel and added protection. Based on internal testing. IPEC 60529 IP 55: Tested to withstand water flow (30 kPa) at 3 min.; limited dust contact does not interfere with operation. Must be clean and dry before use.
• Helps keep private content private with password protection and an upgrade to 256-bit AES hardware encryption.

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

• Get NVMe solid state performance featuring up to 1050MB/s read and up to 1000MB/s write speeds in a portable, high-capacity drive that’s perfect for creating amazing content or capturing incredible footage.
• For added durability, the drive features up to two-meter drop protection and IP55 water and dust resistance. Based on internal testing. IPEC 60529 IP 55: Tested to withstand water flow (30 kPa) at 3 min.; limited dust contact does not interfere with operation. Must be clean and dry before use.
• Durable silicone shell that offers a premium feel and added protection to the drive’s exterior.
• Helps keep private content private with password protection and an upgrade to 256-bit AES hardware encryption.

Ready to move, consumers can use the handy carabiner loop to secure the drives to a belt loop or backpack for extra peace of mind. The new drives are compatible with PC and Mac computers. In addition to moving content to a PC or laptop, the new products also now allow users to back up mobile content quickly and easily thanks to compatibility with a range of USB Type-C smartphones.

The SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSDs are backed by a five-year limited warranty and are now available at the Western Digital Store, and at select e-tailers and retailers worldwide.  The SanDisk Extreme portable SSD is available now in 500GB (MSRP of $119.99 USD) and 1TB (MSRP $199.99 USD), and is expected to ship in 2TB later this holiday season. The SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSD is available now in 2TB (MSRP of $499.99 USD), and is expected to ship in 1TB later this holiday season.