SanDisk Extreme Go USB 3.1 review: A game-changer in USB storage class

The portable USB drives or 'Pen Drives' as they are commonly known as are one of the most widely used technology devices around the globe. Since the invention of flash drive technology, their usage in our everyday lives has only grown higher.

PROS

• Blazing fast data transfer speed
• Portable
• Durable design

CONS

• A bit pricey

Moreover, considering the fact that the world is turning more and more digital day by day, the need of faster, reliable and secure USB drives have increased considerably.

Having said that, SanDisk, the Western Digital backed Storage Company recently unveiled three high performance portable storage devices in the Indian market.Termed as 'the next level in flash technology', the company's new product line-up comprises of Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive, a 256GB Ultra microSD card and Extreme Go USB 3.1 Flash Drive, which we are going to discuss in detail.

We got the 64GB variant of the Extreme Go USB Flash Drive, which is now priced at Rs. 3,299; however you can also purchase the 128GB variant selling at Rs. 5,990 on Amazon.in.

Let's find out what makes this USB stick a perfect companion for your digital data transfer jobs.

Insanely fast Data transmission speeds

SanDisk's focus with the Extreme Go 3.1 is speed, the blazing fast transmission speed, which is up to 35X faster than the standard USB 2.0 drives. The company claims that the USB drive has read speed of up to 200 MB/sec and writes speed of up to 150 MB/sec. This allows you to transfer a full-length 4K movie to drive in less than 15 seconds, or 1000 photos in less than 25 seconds.

In our tests, a file of 5.17GB was transferred from MacBook to the USB flash drive in less than 20 seconds, which is blazing fast. With a standard USB 3.0 port, the USB stick achieved a data transfer speed of 75-95 MB/sec and made it possible to transfer 4.15GB of data in less than 45 seconds.

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The high speed and capacity of the SanDisk Extreme Go USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drives makes it quite useful for professionals, tech enthusiasts, or anyone who creates and shares massive files. You can rapidly access and transfer files on the go.

Durable and Portable design

SanDisk says that the Extreme Go 3.1 USB drive has an aluminum metal casing, however it seems the material is some high grade plastic which feels quite durable. The USB stick has a retractable connector, which works without any performance issues. It's very light, portable and you can carry the USB sick in your jeans pocket for on the go data transmission. There's also an opening to link the USB stick to a keychain.

As the stick is made out of high-grade material, the casing protects the drive from daily wear and tear and it can easily survive several drops. When in use, a blue light glows on the top of the USB drive as an indicator.

Also scores high on Security and recovery of data

One of the most important aspects of data transmission over USB drives is security and privacy, which has also been taken care of with the new SanDisk Extreme Go 3.1 USB. The portable USB drive comes equipped with SanDisk SecureAccess software, which can password protect your files with 128-bit file encryption.

The software program is easy to use and allows you to create a password protected folder on your drive to store sensitive information. The files in this folder are automatically encrypted, so even if you misplace the drive or it gets stolen, the person would require the password to access your files.

Moreover, the USB drive also makes it possible to resurrect accidentally deleted files with the help of RescuePro Deluxe software. Unlike the SecureAcess that comes pre-installed, you need to download the RescuePro to recover the deleted files.

Verdict

SanDisk Extreme Go 3.1 USB flash drive can be the only portable flash drive you need in today's time. The high-performance portable USB stick offers blazing fast data transfer speed and comes with nifty security and recovery softwares. This makes it ideal for anyone who deals with large digital files on regular basis.

While the pricing seems to be a bit steep when compared with the traditional USB sticks (64GB), the speed and performance is unmatchable. Buy it if you really care about speed and security of your digital files.

SanDisk Extreme Go is available on Amazon for Rs. 3,299 (64GB) and the 128 GB version is available for Rs. 5,990.