SanDisk® Launches its Fastest, High-Capacity USB Flash Drive Ever

New SanDisk Extreme PRO® USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive Now Features SSD Performance in a Portable, Aluminum Metal Form Factor

256GB SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive (Photo: Business Wire)

LAS VEGAS--()--Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a global storage technology and solutions leader, today announced its fastest, high-capacity USB flash drive to date with the launch of its high-performance 256GB* SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive. The new drive delivers the speed, capacity, and reliability of an SSD in the convenient form factor of a small USB flash drive, and is ideal for creative professionals, tech enthusiasts, or anyone who creates and shares massive files.

A game-changer in the USB storage category, the drive is capable of read speeds up to 420MB/s and write speeds up to 380MB/s1. With its unprecedented speeds, you can transfer full-length 4K movie to the drive in less than 15 seconds2. With its USB 3.1 interface, people can rapidly access and move files on the go, without having to worry about a cable. The new drive also features a sophisticated design with a durable aluminum metal casing and a retractable connector for ultimate style and reliability.

“The combination of SSD performance and a compact USB form factor offers the ultimate performance and convenience for moving files easily and quickly,” said Sven Rathjen, vice president of marketing, Client Solutions Business Unit, Western Digital. “With its increased capacity and blazing speeds, the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive is our sleekest, most powerful SanDisk USB device yet.”

The SanDisk Extreme PRO Solid State Flash Drive is available up to 256GB, giving consumers plenty of room to manage large files. For added file protection, it includes the SanDisk SecureAccess® software, which offers 128-bit file encryption and password protection3. The drive also comes with a limited lifetime warranty4.

Pricing and Availability

The new 256GB SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive will be available in late January 2017 at Amazon.com and Best Buy at an MSRP of $179.99.

SanDisk storage solutions can be purchased at more than 300,000 retailers worldwide.

About Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) is an industry-leading provider of storage technologies and solutions that enable people to create, leverage, experience and preserve data. The company addresses ever-changing market needs by providing a full portfolio of compelling, high-quality storage solutions with customer-focused innovation, high efficiency, flexibility and speed. Our products are marketed under the HGST, SanDisk and WD brands to OEMs, distributors, resellers, cloud infrastructure providers and consumers. For more information, please visit www.hgst.com, www.wd.com, and www.sandisk.com.

About SanDisk

SanDisk, a Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) brand, provides trusted and innovative flash storage products that have transformed the electronics industry. SanDisk’s quality, state-of-the-art solutions are at the heart of many of the world's largest data centers, and embedded in advanced smartphones, tablets and PCs. SanDisk’s consumer products are available at hundreds of thousands of retail stores worldwide.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the development, performance and capacity, capabilities, applications, pricing and availability of the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate including, among others: volatility in global economic conditions; business conditions and growth in the storage ecosystem; impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance and cost of commodity materials and specialized product components; actions by competitors; unexpected advances in competing technologies; our development and introduction of products based on new technologies and expansion into new data storage markets; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the company's Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on Nov. 8, 2016, to which your attention is directed. The company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this release in the event facts or circumstances change after the date of this release.

* 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.
1 Read speeds up to 420MB/s, write speeds up to 380MB/s. USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes.
2 Based on 4K video transfer (4GB) with USB 3.1, Gen 1 or USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.
3 Password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows Vista®, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac OS X v10.6+ (Software download required for Mac, see www.sandisk.com/secureaccess).
4 30 years in Germany, Canada and regions not recognizing lifetime warranty, see www.sandisk.com/wug.

©2017 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved. SanDisk, SanDisk Extreme PRO, and SanDisk Secure Access are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts

Western Digital Corporation
Joanna Andrade, 408-801-1792
joanna.andrade@sandisk.com

Release Summary

Western Digital Corporation, a global storage technology and solutions leader, today announced its fastest, high-capacity SanDisk USB flash drive to date.

Contacts

Western Digital Corporation
Joanna Andrade, 408-801-1792
joanna.andrade@sandisk.com