SanDisk 4TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD - Up to 2000MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, IP65 Water and Dust Resistance, Updated Firmware - External Solid State Drive - SDSSDE81-4T00-G25

As a photographer (f my granddaughter mostly!) and general tech enthusiast, the SanDisk 4TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD has been a lifesaver for my storage needs. First off, the capacity is enormous – 4TB gives me room for thousands of photos, videos, and even backups of my PC games, all in a drive that fits in my palm. The speed on this thing is no joke: when connected to a compatible USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, file transfers are blisteringly fast. Large 4K video files move in seconds, and even on a regular USB-C 3.1 connection I’m getting excellent throughput. I was also pleased to see that the firmware was up-to-date (SanDisk addressed some past issues with an update), and I haven’t encountered any data hiccups or disconnects. Physically, the drive feels rugged yet lightweight. It has a durable rubberized coating and is IP65 water/dust resistant, which adds peace of mind when I’m on the go. I actually dropped it accidentally from about 3 feet onto a hard floor, and it survived without a scratch and kept working perfectly. It does get a bit warm during heavy transfers, but not alarmingly so – just something I noticed when moving nearly a terabyte of files in one session. The only other minor con is the included USB-C cable is quite short, but that’s easily swapped. Overall, this portable SSD is worth every penny for the speed and space it provides. Whether you’re editing video, backing up important documents, or expanding console storage, the SanDisk Extreme PRO delivers top-tier performance in a pocket-sized package.

There are other drives out there that are faster, smaller and cheaper, but where this one excels is the overall design. It's made to take a beating. If you travel at all, even just going back and forth across town carrying something like this, things do happen, data is valuable and at this point I will carry around none of the others and I do have several. I consider USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 game changers. It makes external SSD drives for the first time actual usable devices in your daily grind and not just for backup purposes only. Being able to use the same data on multiple devices from a something that you can hang from a belt loop or slip in your pocket and not worry too much about dropping it or getting it a little damp, it's worth every penny. I've only had this one for a day, but the brand is not known for turning out junk and this one look and feels like a winner. If something changes, I'll update this review, but I seriously doubt it will.

Right now, the only computer equipment that I have is an ASUS 15 inch Vivobook Laptop PC. My desktop self destructed and I gave my Dell laptop to my daughter.Compared to similar portable SSD's, I was impressed by how durable this Sandisk SSD is (water resistant & dust resistant and survives ordinary drops). I have not dropped it or placed it in water (yet) but it is nice to know that this Sandisk will survive through harsh conditions.I read several negative reviews about how super HOT this SSD gets. So I decided to purchase the Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD 2 TB New Generation (which is a lot more SSD than I really need). Why? The SanDisk Extreme PRO® Portable SSD is housed in a forged aluminum chassis that also acts as a heatsink, saving you time through higher sustained speeds (it is less likely to overheat). The Extreme Pro is slightly larger than the regular Extreme - which also helps it to dissipate heat (although both models are very portable). In other words, this model promises to never slow down due to overheating. In my experience: My Extreme Pro NEVER gets hot, in fact, it seldom gets warm. My Extreme Pro is cool to the touch except the rare times when it is slightly warm. Note: I am not extremely demanding. I read and write small files to my Sandisk from time to to time during the day. Otherwise, I leave the Sandisk plugged to my ASUS laptop all dayOne thing I noticed about my Sandisk Extreme Pro. If there is zero read-write activity for an extended period, my Extreme Pro goes to sleep. And it drops to room temperature. This situation can prevail for minutes or 24-7 with my setup. My Extreme Pro Portable NEVER gets hot. As you read other reviews by other buyers, it appears (I am guessing here) that some users are in a situation where their Extreme Pro or Extreme never goes to sleep (and their device gets SUPER HOT). In my situation, if I attempt to write to my Extreme Pro after it has not experienced any read-write activity for an extended period, it takes a moment to "wake-up" my Extreme Pro. Not a problem because I know this feature allows my Extreme Pro to stay nice and cool (resulting in a longer life). I have not read anything about this feature. If you are interested in how this "sleep" feature works or if your Sandisk portable SSD gets SUPER HOT, contact Sandisk and ask for further details.I did encounter one problem. I have no idea what causes this and neither does Sandisk Technical Support. When I connect this device to the single USB C port in my laptop, Windows OS cannot "see" this SSD. Yet, my PC works just fine with another external HDD that I connect to this same USB C port. So, I connect my Sandisk to a Type A USB 3.0 port (and the Sandisk works just fine). I do not have another PC to connect my Sandisk SSD to (which might give me a clue what is going on). It is entirely possible that something is strange with the USB C port on my laptop, so I cannot blame the Sandisk SSD.This is a revision written weeks later: I purchased a new laptop. Exactly the same kind as I already had, a ASUS Vivobook 15.6" laptop. Because I really like the keyboard on the ASUS. The USB C port on my new laptop works just fine with my Sandisk Extreme Pro SSD. So the problem lies with my older ASUS Vivobook (read above). My Sandisk Extreme Pro SSD works perfectly.I am happy with my Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD 2 TB New Generation and I intend to keep it long after my ASUS Vivobooks die.My only negative: I wish the Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD had an activity light (so I could tell [at a glance] when it is reading-writing). Note that this device is totally silent and warm to the touch, so not always obvious when it is reading-writing data. Not a big enough negative for me to deduct a star.update: 8 months after purchase. My Sandisk Extreme Pro performing well, going strong. Zero problems. Connected to my ASUS laptop all the time using the USB C port, a laptop I use about 12 hours a day, my Extreme Pro gets warm but not hot.

Fantastic little portable drive - it has lasted me 5 years with zero issues. Still speedy as ever.Zero issues with windows or linux compatability.Seems like it would almost work on android but most phones can't supply enough power to run the thing.