SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review

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A little over a year ago now, we had our first look at the original SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive. We came away from the article very pleased at the performance and pricing of the drive.

In the lab today, we have the latest from SanDisk in the form of the Extreme Pro USB 3.0 flash drive. At this time, only one capacity is offered, which comes in at 128GB. Like many of SanDisk's previous products, the Extreme Pro does come with Secure Access software, which allows you to password protect and encrypt your data.

Compatibility extends to modern Windows operating systems and OS X 10.5+. Of course, you will want to have a native USB 3.0 port to get the most out of your drive, but it does maintain backwards compatibility with USB 2.0. MSRP of the Extreme Pro in the 128GB capacity sits at $199.99 with a lifetime warranty.

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In our first look at the new Extreme Pro, we noticed how similar in design this drive is to the original, keeping with the sliding design but upgrading the external casing to aluminum for added durability. Within the package, we found the drive to come with a one-year subscription to Rescue Pro Deluxe, which is recovery software should you ever find yourself in the position where you need to recover deleted photos, videos, etc.

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Like I said above, SanDisk chose to keep the sliding design, which has proven itself many times over as very rugged. The top of the drive carries just the SanDisk branding with USB 3.0 at the bottom.

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Above, we have the USB 3.0 port appropriately colored blue.

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The SanDisk Extreme Pro is factory formatted with the FAT32 file system, ensuring compatibility between Windows and Macintosh computers. The usable capacity after formatting is 119GB.

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Above, we have the results from our FOB testing. As you can see, the Extreme Pro did quite well reaching 258 MB/s read and 246 MB/s write.

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In our disk bench testing, the Extreme Pro came in second to the Lexar P10 in the charts, though it was faster with video.

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Here we have the latest Price/Performance chart for flash drives. As you can see, the new Extreme Pro comes in around 81 percent. This is mostly due to the high MSRP at the time of release, which may lower as the product gains traction in the market.

SanDisk's new entry into the flash drive market brings with it excellent build quality, something I have come to expect, but also added value with included software solutions.

The performance of the new Pro model sits around 260 MB/s read and 240 MB/s write, which is directly in line with what marketing numbers were listed at. If we compare this to current drives on the market, it is certainly one of the quicker units available, but, taking into account price/performance, it does fall back slightly in our charts.

Overall, the new SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB USB 3.0 drive is a great solution to those that want excellent performance but also peace of mind in a brand that stands behind their products.

The MSRP of the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB USB 3.0 flash drive sits at $199.99 with a lifetime warranty. Current market pricing can be found below.

PRICING: You can find the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB USB 3.0 flash drive for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB USB 3.0 flash drive retails for $150.00 at Amazon.

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