SanDisk Connect Stick 64GB Wireless Flash Drive Review

TweakTown's Rating: 83%

The Bottom Line

SanDisk's Connect Stick takes over where the original wireless flash drive left off, offering higher capacities, more functionality, and a sleeker look in an affordable package.

12

A few years back wireless storage was all the rage, we had products like the MobileLite from Kingston, Voyager Air from Corsair and yes the Connect from SanDisk. With the Connect line-up being successful, SanDisk is now expanding upon it offering up a simple solution called the Connect Stick.

The Connect Wireless Stick is being touted as the flash drive reinvented by SanDisk and the premise behind it is quite simple. Take a high capacity flash drive, add in wireless technology, and make it compatible with every operating system imaginable. This is exactly what SanDisk has done because the Wireless Stick comes in a wide range of capacities from the miniscule 16GB to a massive 128GB. You can stream content to three devices simultaneously and it's compatible with iOS, Kindle Fire, Android, OS X, and Windows devices.

MSRP of the SanDisk Connect Stick in the 64GB is listed at $59.99 with a one-year warranty, unless you live outside the US or Canada, then it has been extended to two years.

12

Packaging for the SanDisk Connect Stick houses the drive behind a clear plastic near the center, while capacity is listed at the top right.

12

Scope of delivery includes the Connect Stick and a very small user manual that was hidden inside the packaging.

12

Looking at the Connect Stick, we find a very sleek drive with a sort of copper looking connector. At the bottom, there is a SanDisk logo, but no other hints that this is indeed a wireless solution.

12

As we mentioned in our opening notes, the SanDisk Connect Stick is a flash drive reinvented, but that does mean we don't have standard Type-A connectivity, even if it is USB 2.0.

12

The SanDisk Connect Stick uses its own app for access to the drive. Seen above is the solution in the iOS App Store.

12

Launching the app, it gives us sort of a quick tutorial on where everything is done. You can add photos and video quite easily via the plus sign at the bottom, while the menu button is located at the top left.

12

In the menu system for the drive, you can look at information on the Connect Stick, while down at the bottom, we have a battery life indicator for the drive along with capacity indicators.

12

A unique feature I quite liked was the ability to turn on an automated camera roll back up, as seen above.

12

As this solution is sort of a wireless OTG solution, we ran it through some quick sequential tests to see what kind of file transfer performance could be expected. As you can see, the drive was able to push across 13 MB/s read and 11 MB/s write.

Like previous SanDisk Connect solutions, the Wireless Stick is a solid solution for those that want portability and connectivity on the go. With its ability to maintain multiple streams, up to three concurrently, the Stick is an excellent travel partner or even something to take with you on holiday. Build quality is top notch and what is expected out of a brand like SanDisk, while the aesthetics of the drive add to it with its tinted plastic covers and sleek exterior.

Performance of the drive certainly isn't the highest we have ever seen, but should be enough for those that are just moving a few pictures around. For those that want to transfer HD video to the drive, I'd bring a book to read as it might take a while.

The Connect Drive app that is to be used in conjunction with the Stick is probably the best app I have seen come from SanDisk. It has a great layout with all options on a single screen, while the bottom has a simple plus sign for adding media to the drive from your device. Overall, the SanDisk Connect Stick is a solid solution for those that want something small and portable in a standard form factor. Adding to this is the MSRP, which has been set at $59.99, along with a one-year warranty.

12