Wrapped in a rubber casing and certified to IP65, this physically quite large SSD looks like a tre- sor for data. The distinctive loop on the corner reveals the area of application SanDisk has in mind: Attached to a rucksack with a carabiner while banging against a water bottle on a mountain hike...

It was worth the wait: Sandisk took a very long time to bring its first USB4 drive onto the market. The data transfer rates are excellent for a mobile drive and the thermal behaviour is particularly pleasing. Even without a fan, the Extreme Pro USB4 remains cool and performs well...

The SanDisk Extreme Pro proved to be an exceptionally fast and robust external SSD when tested. With transfer rates of over 3,500 MByte per second for reading and writing, it is one of the top performers in its class. The USB4 Type-C connection ensures maximum speed, while the sturdy aluminium housing with silicone coating not only looks high quality, but is also protected against dust and water jets...

The design of the Sandisk SSD is familiar, but the size is unusual in this case: the SSD is almost 14 centimetres long and weighs more than 160 grams, making it heavy to hold. The cable included with our test sample is far too bad for an SSD: According to the label, it allows charging via USB-PD with 240 watts; the SSD should manage with less than 10 watts...

Anyone who frequently needs to transfer large amounts of data will benefit from the extra speed of the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB4 - but will also pay around twice as much as for a conventional external SSD model with USB3. About the memory cards: The Extreme Pro is worthwhile for action photography with long series and for video professionals who want to film at very high data rates...